# UNICOMBINATOR

> UNICOMBINATOR – deep-tech venture programme powered by UNICO. Hands-on services for up to 5% equity. No cash. For up to 5% equity, deep-tech founders get experienced, hands-on people working with them for 8–18 months: validation, IP and Freedom to Operate, grant writing and facilitation, real customers, financial management, and the whole UNICO network.

Region: CEE, SEE & Nordics. Prague headquarters · Zagreb Adria Hub · active in Poland, Latvia, Slovakia, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland, Norway and Serbia.

## The deal at a glance

- ≤5% – Equity, at most. The only thing you pay with.
- €0 – Cash from you. No invoices, no retainer checks.
- ~€50K – Value of services delivered per company.
- 8–18 mo. – Full build cycle, not a 3-month sprint.

## What you get

You don't get a curriculum or a demo day. You get specialists who do the work with you, from day one. Terms are agreed up front, before any work begins.

- **Real-life market validation** (most important): A rigorous test of your business model with real customers on the European market: customer need, market size and willingness to pay, before you raise a euro.
- **Freedom to Operate (FTO)** (often neglected): FTO analysis so you know your technology can go to market without infringing anyone else's patents.
- **IP advisory** (most complex): UNICO connects your IP with your business: which rights to protect, where, and how they build value investors pay for.
- **Financial management & fractional CFO** (most underestimated): Deep-tech spin-offs more often fail on numbers than on technology. Hands-on financial leadership without a full-time hire: financial model, cash planning and valuation that hold up in front of investors.
- **VC fundraising** (most wanted): Pitching bootcamp, data room built, and warm introductions to our international network of deep-tech VCs, angels and family offices.
- **The UNICO network** (widest reach): 400+ trusted business partners, researchers, industry experts and investors across 10 European countries.

### Partner services (delivered by our partner companies, included for the same equity)

- **Grant support – [GrantLab](https://www.grantlab.cz)**: Competitive public money secured by our grant agency, with successes in EIC, Horizon Europe and DIANA, as well as national and regional programmes.
- **Patents & IP protection – [PatentEnter](https://patententer.com)**: Patent attorneys who file your patents, trademarks and designs, and handle complex IP matters including litigation.
- **Hardware & industrial design – Labstery ([Stedina design](https://www.stedina.com))**: If your product has a physical component, the Labstery creative hub with industrial designer Jakub Stedina helps turn your prototype into a product.

## Public funding: GrantLab

Every UNICOMBINATOR company gets direct access to GrantLab, our professional grant agency, to help crowd in public, non-dilutive capital. Part of the UNICO group. GrantLab connects public funding with what innovation needs to succeed, and has helped deep-tech teams win competitive EIC, Horizon Europe, NATO and many other grants.

- Finding the right call: EIC Pre-Accelerator, Transition and Accelerator, Horizon Europe, DIANA, national and regional schemes
- Proposal strategy and writing, built on the validation and financials we do together
- Project administration and reporting after you win

## Patents & IP protection: PatentEnter

Every UNICOMBINATOR company gets access to PatentEnter, a leading Czech patent attorney firm, for the same equity. When your IP needs to be filed, extended abroad or defended, they do it.

- 1 in 7 Czech patents pass through their hands; filing experience in 100+ countries; ~40 IP professionals, incl. European Patent Attorneys; 15+ years, offices in Brno, Prague and Liberec.
- Patent and utility model filing, in Czechia, at the EPO and worldwide
- Trademarks and industrial designs
- Complex IP matters, including disputes and litigation

## For hardware founders: Labstery creative hub

If there's a hardware component, you also get the support of the Labstery creative hub with renowned industrial designer Jakub Stedina. Stedina's Prague studio has designed for Škoda, Pilsner Urquell, BTL, Danfoss and Kuberg. 200+ design projects delivered, 100,000+ products manufactured, Red Dot design awards 2020 and 2021, 10 years as an industrial design studio in Prague.

## How it works

1. **Assess** – We run a rigorous Investment Readiness Assessment of your business case, IP position and market readiness. It is a selection, not a formality: most applicants are not chosen.
2. **Build** – 8–18 months of hands-on work: validation, FTO, grants, fractional CFO. Focused on what actually moves your fundraise.
3. **Fund** – We open our VC network and public funding programmes to help you close the round.

Selection is very competitive. We only take on deep-tech spin-offs we believe can win, because we're paid in equity and only succeed when you do. Teams that have already raised their first public or private money have an edge.

## How UNICOMBINATOR differs

We benchmarked UNICOMBINATOR against 17 of the most-cited deep-tech accelerators and incubators worldwide.

| What nearly every programme does | What UNICOMBINATOR does |
|---|---|
| Cash-for-equity investment | Equity for services, no cash |
| Anchored to one university or one country | 9 CEE & Nordic countries, one network |
| 3–6 month cohort sprint to a demo day | 8–18 month full build cycle |
| Generalist or broad early-stage focus | Deep-tech spin-offs only, carefully selected |
| Equity taken up front, win or lose | Delivered work: grant proposal, validation with real customers, FTO and IP advisory, patent filing, fractional CFO on board |

## Track record

Companies we co-founded:

- **PSP Technologies** (Czechia, plasma shock peening): We spun the company off from the Czech Academy of Sciences, negotiated the licence agreement and found the CEO. PatentEnter secured global patent protection. We still sit on the board.
- **Senzomatic** (Czechia, exited): We co-founded the company, spun it off from the Czech Technical University, negotiated the licence agreement, shaped the IP strategy and helped find the first investor.

Companies we helped with our services:

- **Lightly Technologies** (Czechia): Secured public funding, business validation and regulatory analysis. We helped negotiate the licence agreement, valued the IP and supported the fundraising.
- **VirusHunter** (Croatia, ongoing): Business validation and market analysis. With GrantLab we applied to the EIC Pre-Accelerator: Seal of Excellence and full funding from the Croatian DIGIT grant scheme.
- **Luxyon** (Croatia): Market analysis and business validation. We helped find investors in Czechia.
- **Weavair** (Poland, ongoing): Investor readiness and preparation for investment, EIC Accelerator and Horizon Europe project with GrantLab, and FTO analysis.
- **Mewery** (Slovenia): We helped find investors in Slovenia, assisted with finances and helped manage public funding.
- **ABCDx** (Switzerland): Investor readiness and company valuation for the Series A round.

Three companies we co-founded had to close. Each one taught us what kills a deep-tech spin-off. More client stories: https://www.unicoanalytics.cz/clientstories

## About UNICO

UNICO works at the intersection of deep tech, innovation and commercialisation. Since 2017 we have launched university spin-offs, refined business models through market validation, and matched academic potential with industry needs. €15M+ brought to universities, 400+ trusted business partners, 13 market-ready deep-tech startups, €13M saved for companies.

## For investors

UNICOMBINATOR works with pre-seed and angel investors in deep tech. Because companies pay us in equity, our incentives sit on the same side of the table as yours. Early deal access, rigorous selection (Investment Readiness Assessment), aligned incentives (success-based, similar to carried interest), diversification across Central & Eastern Europe and the Nordics.

## Apply

Who can apply: deep-tech spin-off or startup, pre-seed or seed; based in or expanding into Central, Eastern or Northern Europe; ready to give up to 5% equity for 8–18 months of hands-on work. Send a short intro and your pitch deck.

- Czech office, Prague – Vojtech Nosek, vojtech.nosek@unico.ai, +420 777 312 839
- Adria Hub, Zagreb – Alexander Sirois, alex.sirois@unico.ai, +385 91 9578 965
- General – info@unico.ai

## Links

- [UNICO](https://www.unicoanalytics.cz)
- [GrantLab](https://www.grantlab.cz)
- [PatentEnter](https://patententer.com)
- [Stedina design](https://www.stedina.com)
- [Privacy policy](https://www.unicoanalytics.cz/privacy-policy)