From online coaching to a global stage: How PhotonHub helped photonics startups get investment-ready! (Sponsored)

Apr 21, 2026 - 23:00

What does it take for a deeptech startup to go from having strong technology to being ready to speak to investors, partners, and clients?

For many photonics startups, the challenge is not only building the technology itself, but also learning how to explain its value clearly and convincingly. That is where PhotonHub Europe comes in. Created as a one-stop shop for photonics innovation, the project brings together technical expertise, business support, training, and access to infrastructure to help companies across Europe develop and scale light-based technologies.

PhotonHub Europe supports companies at different stages of growth, from researchers launching spinouts and startups building their first prototype, to scaling ventures seeking further growth and established SMEs exploring new opportunities. Through its pan-European network, the project combines innovation support with business coaching, helping companies move faster from idea to market and making photonics innovation more accessible across sectors such as health, manufacturing, agriculture, digital infrastructure, and climate, energy, and mobility.

As part of that work, PhotonHub Europe also focused on investment readiness! Through targeted coaching and mentoring, selected startups received support to sharpen their pitch, strengthen their business case, and prepare for conversations that could lead to funding and growth. This support was reflected across several industry events where startups had the opportunity to present their work, including INPHO Venture Summit, TechTour Photonics, Startup Breeze, and, finally, Photonica, which took place on 25 June 2025 in Munich during automatica 2025 and Laser World of Photonics 2025.

Helping startups get ready for the next step

PhotonHub Europe was designed to support companies working with photonics across different stages of innovation. Alongside technical services and access to facilities, the project also recognised a common challenge for early-stage companies: having strong technology does not automatically mean being ready for investors.

That is why the project included Digital Investment Coaching and Investment-Readiness Coaching activities. These were built to help selected startups improve the way they present themselves, explain their market opportunity more clearly, and become better prepared for investor and client conversations. The goal was practical from the start: help founders move beyond the technical side and build a stronger commercial story around what they do.

For deeptech companies, that kind of support can be critical. Investors want to understand not only the innovation, but also the problem being solved, the target market, and the company’s plan for growth. PhotonHub Europe’s coaching programme aimed to help startups build that bridge

How does it work?

Each selected beneficiary could access four online mentoring sessions. These sessions focused on improving the startups’ ability to pitch on stage and speak more confidently with investors and clients.

The mentoring was not just about presentation style. It also helped companies refine the way they explained their business, their position in the market, and the value of their technology in practical terms. For many founders, that meant learning how to make a complex story clearer, more direct, and easier for others to understand.

Tomasz Mazuryk, Co-CEO and Co-founder of FundingBox Accelerator, startups mentor, and a Managing Partner at FundingBox Deep Tech Fund, said: “The most profound transformation we see during PhotonHub’s coaching is the shift from a technical mindset to a strategic business mindset.”

Rather than treating pitching as a one-off moment, PhotonHub Europe approached it as a process. The online sessions gave companies time to improve before stepping into larger industry spaces where the audience included investors, corporate partners, and potential customers.

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From mentoring to a global stage

The programme came full circle on 25 June 2025, when PhotonHub Europe held Photonica in Munich during automatica 2025 and Laser World of Photonics 2025. For the startups that had taken part in the coaching, it was a chance to put that work into practice and pitch live in front of investors, experts, and potential partners.

For the mentors, the process was never just about helping founders look more polished on stage. It was about helping them explain their business more clearly, show where the market opportunity is, and feel more prepared for real investor conversations.

Tomasz Mazuryk commented: “Before coaching, these founders would pitch the ‘how’ of their technology – the nanometers and the laser physics. After coaching, they can articulate the ‘how much’ – how much value they create for a client and how much return an investor can expect. By the time they hit the stage at events like automatica, they aren’t just presenting a product; they are presenting a scalable, de-risked investment opportunity. We help them move from being ‘experts in light’ to ‘experts in business potential,’ ensuring they speak the language that actually unlocks capital.”

What comes next

Although PhotonHub Europe has now concluded, the wider work is continuing through PHACTORY, the next phase of the initiative. Building on the experience and results of PhotonHub Europe, it is set to continue supporting companies working with photonics through access to expertise, facilities, and business support.

That means the broader mission stays the same: helping European companies make better use of photonics and bringing promising innovations closer to the market. If Photonica marked the end of one chapter, it also pointed towards what comes next for startups and scale-ups in this space.

For PhotonHub Europe, the final event in Munich was not only a way to close the project. It was also a practical example of what this kind of support can achieve. At the same time, it built on a wider series of pitching opportunities offered throughout the initiative. With the right coaching, the right setting, and access to the right people, promising startups can move forward with a stronger message and a better chance of turning innovation into growth.

As Paweł Wajss, Co-founder of Heliostat, stated: “The PhotonHub mentoring was a valuable experience because it moved us beyond our local bubble and into an international environment. Usually, these initiatives are confined within national borders, but here we dealt with experts from outside our cultural circle. It wasn’t about finding a ready-made solution, but rather about gaining a vital link in the chain of actions necessary to move the project forward. This international perspective opened our eyes to new possibilities, ultimately leading us to qualify for global hubs like the Solar Impulse Foundation.”

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