After an initial funding phase, the founders were selected for the follow-up funding EXIST II of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Now, the spin-off from the University of Ulm will again receive up to 180,000 euros to establish the start-up around an optical measurement and automation system on the market and to further develop the technology.

Detecting, characterizing and simultaneously sorting cells, bacteria and particles in real time – this is the process with which the young company is targeting customers from the life sciences, medicine, environmental technology, biotechnology and process control. The three founders, Daniel Geiger, Tobias Neckernuss and Jonas Pfeil, met during their doctoral studies at the Institute for Experimental Physics at the University of Ulm. At that time, they also had the desire to found their own company.

The company’s first product – a novel measurement and automation system – is specifically tailored to the requirements of current research. The image processing system combines modern image sensor technology with a data processing unit and powerful analysis and control software. This technology is primarily used in research facilities. There, for example, it enables completely new approaches in the development of cancer therapies or in the diagnosis of infectious diseases. “The uncomplicated integration of our system is also special. It can be easily connected to existing optical systems,” explains head of development Jonas Pfeil.

To qualify for the Exist II funding program, the alumni founded their own company at the end of last year and contributed investment capital. Now the young entrepreneurs will receive up to 180,000 euros in state funding for another year. In addition, the start-up continues to have close ties with the University of Ulm through a cooperation and licensing agreement and can use equipment and infrastructure on campus. “In the next twelve months, we want to expand our product portfolio and increase our customer base. Overall, we are very satisfied with the business development, although the pandemic has made many things more difficult. For example, many trade fairs have been cancelled and personal presentations of our system to potential customers were also not possible,” says Daniel Geiger, who is responsible for marketing and sales in the founding team.

In the previous funding phase (Exist I), the founders have already received around 700,000 euros from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy from April 2019 to July 2021. This enabled the trio – then under the project name CellMouse – to develop the first prototype of their system. The BMWi also provided workshops and networking for the startup. “Thanks to the funding, we developed the necessary know-how and created the technological basis to start and run a company in the short time available. Without Exist and the broad support from the university – especially our institute director Prof Othmar Marti – the start-up would have been much more difficult,” says Tobias Neckernuss, the company’s specialist in administration, human resources and finance.

For the future, the founders are planning a sustainable corporate strategy for Sensific and want to grow organically. The next step will be to hire the first additional employees and the young company wants to open up international markets outside the EU with its product. Geiger, Neckernuss and Pfeil also want to pass on the knowledge they have now acquired about “founding a company from science”. Their goal is to support and encourage other young researchers on their way to independence and their own company.