GIRAF™ (Get Investment Ready) powered by Accelerator Frankfurt, is an intensive 8-week program designed to transform promising startups into investment-ready companies. Since 2016, Accelerator Frankfurt has supported over 70 startups that have collectively raised more than €100 million in capital. In this article, we will introduce you to the start-ups in the 2025 cohort.

The current 2025 cohort features 9 startups across AI, HealthTech, RegTech, and FinTech sectors. Through individual mentoring sessions, targeted workshops, and direct access to Business Angels and VCs, including strategic partners such as High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Frankfurt Rhein Main Business Angels, participating startups develop the financial modelling, pitching skills, behavioural, and presentation skills, as well as scalability strategies required to attract institutional investment.

“GIRAF™ addresses a critical gap in the Hessen startup ecosystem – investment readiness. Many startups have innovative ideas, but they often lack the structured approach that investors expect. Our 8-week intensive program bridges this gap by providing hands-on mentoring, direct access to investors, and the tools necessary to secure funding. We’re proud to have the support of the Hessian Ministry of Economy, Energy, Transport, and Rural Development in this mission to strengthen Hessen’s position as a leading startup hub”,

explains Maria Pennanen, CEO & Co-Founder, Accelerator Frankfurt.

GIRAF™ is partially funded by the Hessian Ministry of Economy, Energy, Transport, and Rural Development as part of the innovation funding initiative Projects to support the competitiveness and foundation motivation.

The start-ups of the GIRAF™ Cohort 2025

AsyncZ – SaaS | Live/Initial Revenues | Bootstrapped

AI-powered scheduling platform automating appointments for SMEs. Currently serving 50+ active users weekly with 6,000+ users in Azerbaijan. Plans from $4.99/month. Team is serial entrepreneur from Azerbaijan, participated in German Accelerator Munich, setup in Dubai for payments, planning German registration.

NovaVoca – Enterprise AI | Live/Initial Revenues | Angel Funded

Advanced Voice AI automating workflows for data-sensitive industries with on-premise deployment. Currently 3 signed clients, multiple pilots, awarded at Frankfurt School DemoDay 2025. Focusing on privacy-native solutions for healthcare, finance, government. Planning fundraising in 2-3 months.

NextEdgeSports – SportsTech | Live/Initial Revenues| Bootstrapped

Game-changing sports tech platform empowering sports brands and organizations to seamlessly connect operations, talent, performance, and fan engagement. Unlocks new levels of efficiency, insight, and growth across the entire sports ecosystem.

AthenaRun – AI | Prototype/Beta | Self-financed

Platform for autonomous multi-agent teams deployable without coding. Users describe challenges in chat, system delivers production-ready solutions (frontend, backend, architecture). Targeting $2.84T market with freemium SaaS model. CEO on gardening leave from OutSystems, finalizing MVP for November 2025 launch.

021digital – FinTech | Live/Initial Revenues | Self-financed

Building “City Operating System” for Hanau following Peter Thiel’s Zero to One principle. Working with city administration as paying client, securing position with decision makers. Serial entrepreneurs creating monopoly through groundbreaking municipal digital transformation. Vision to scale across European cities.

Nixi AI – HealthTech/AI | Live/Initial Customers | Grants

Privacy-native AI automating clinical documentation for German physicians. Live in 4 pilot centers with 15+ physicians, 1,000+ consultations processed. Published study with Marburg University showing 50% time reduction. All data stored in Frankfurt via Azure, GDPR-compliant, applying for EXIST grant. Ready to scale to 10 clinics.

Conformis GRC – RegTech | Prototype/Beta | Self-financed

AI agents mapping company documents to regulatory requirements (BaFin, DORA, ESG, AML). Reduces compliance checks from months to minutes through deep bidirectional reasoning. MVP built in 8 days. Team met through late-night library sessions obsessing over same problem. Not fulltime yet, needs ICP refinement.

nyma – HealthTech | Prototype/Beta | Self-financed

First AI-powered ADHD coach delivering research-backed support comparable to trained professionals. Targeting 2M adults with ADHD in Germany at €199/year or €24.99/month. Founders have personal ADHD experience. Beta developed with Startup Incubator Berlin. About to enter market, seeking DiGA certification long-term.

Skipline – FinTech | Idea/Mockup | Self-financed

Mobile self-checkout for fashion retail using RFID technology and app payments. Eliminates checkout lines, reduces costs for retailers. Validated problem with retailers, verified feasibility, established payment/tech partnerships. Friends and family team with 0 developers, preparing for pilot. Very early stage.

Save the date:

Demo Day on 16 December 2025 provides a stage for founders who are ready to scale up, with a focus on measurable results, sound strategies and genuine growth potential. Frankfurt investors interested in attending can request an invitation by emailing maria@acceleratorfrankfurt.com.