Deep Tech Momentum (DTM26) Conference: Insights & Trends
The deep tech sector is evolving rapidly, and Qubit Labs is keeping pace. On May 20–21, 2026, in Berlin, we joined 3,000+ attendees at the Deep Tech Momentum (DTM26) Conference to explore six key deep tech markets and gain valuable industry insights.
We engaged with startups pitching breakthrough ideas and explored regulatory trends in deep tech. We also took part in the AI Productivity Summit, opening doors to new collaboration opportunities in AI.
Along the way, we learned from top innovators in manufacturing, robotics, and HPC, explored ideas from Europe’s emerging soonicorn and unicorn founders, and met some of Europe’s most influential voices in advanced materials and energy.
It was a highly inspiring and innovative conference, where we gained valuable insights from exceptional speakers, including Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space; Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation; Roberto Viola, Director-General of DG CONNECT at the European Commission; Christian Ehler, Member of the European Parliament; Mathias Pillin, CTO of Bosch; and other leading industry figures.
Our Key Takeaways
Here are key insights from Iva Kozlovska, CEO of Qubit Labs, who attended the conference.
Capital Is Growing Faster Than Startup Supply
In deep tech, there are around 10 investors for every startup, reflecting intense competition for a limited number of opportunities. With the startup ecosystem still only about 20% saturated, the sector remains largely untapped, offering significant potential for innovation, investment, and growth.
Specific Industries Thrive
In 2026, startups focus on space tech, defense tech, mil tech, and biotech solutions. It is driven by growing demand for satellite communications, increased investment in space technologies, and rising spending on defense and drone technologies worldwide. At the same time, growing interest in synthetic biology and AI-powered drug discovery continues to accelerate innovation in the biotech sector.
Startups Struggle to Find Investors and Top Talent
Many founders excel at research, product development, and innovation, but lack the business expertise needed to scale their companies. As a result, promising solutions often fail to reach the market, while investors struggle to discover high-potential opportunities.
Additionally, depending on the field, the talent shortage ranges from 30% to 60%. Many startups struggle to find qualified specialists because they often lack deep tech recruitment strategies and the internal resources to train specialists in-house.
Hardware Sector Remains Complex
What we learned from industry leaders is that driving innovation is significantly easier in software development than in hardware. The number of startups remains limited, the talent pool is scarce, and strict location constraints apply, as hardware specialists often need to work on-site in offices or production facilities.
Bottom Line
As a result, deep tech startups continue to face key challenges around corporate partnerships, talent acquisition and retention, enterprise market entry, pricing strategy, and scaling. These challenges underline the importance of having reliable partners who can support startups by providing access to specialized talent and scalable hiring processes. Qubit Labs’ Deep Tech Unlocked Initiative is designed to address these needs in the evolving deep tech ecosystem.
If you are building in deep tech, you can book a free consultation call to explore how our deep tech recruitment agency can help you scale your team with specialized talent.
