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Fraunhofer Venture

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Here, you will find current Fraunhofer Venture press releases.

From Researcher to Entrepreneur: Ten Years of Fraunhofer Venture

For ten years now, Fraunhofer Venture has enabled spin-offs from the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. This means support for more than 150 companies in the start-up phase. And the Venture Group concept stands the test even during the financial crisis.

"In 1999 it became clear that scientists need support - with ideas, personal and financial means - to turn an idea into an enterprise", recalls Thomas Doppelberger, head of Fraunhofer Venture. Researchers working at a Fraunhofer Institute should have the opportunity to position their developments on the market. Scientists who venture into self-employment and found a separate company, a spin-off, benefit from the know-how of Fraunhofer Venture employees. This way, in an ideal scenario, a sustainable company develops out of an invention.

In the past ten years, the Fraunhofer Venture team supported numerous start-ups. Be it solar cells that are twice as efficient as conventional ones; cancer prevention that does not require endoscopy; robots taking over life threatening jobs on oil platforms or shocks absorbing any vibration in a vehicle - behind each foundation are a technical innovation, motivated researchers with entrepreneurship and the support by Fraunhofer Venture.

Quickly, the new division developed into a partner for many start-ups, more than 150 companies received support in their initial phase, Fraunhofer Venture today still holds shares of more than 70 enterprises. The companies cover many different technical areas: life science, energy and environment, manufacturing and processing, information and communication, microelectronics, transport and logistics, material and photonics. After the foundation, contact is still close and based on the concept of partnership. During the investment phase, Fraunhofer Venture remains closely connected to the enterprise. Short-term revenue maximization is not our aim, because quick profit taking would endanger the success of the enterprise.

Economic Crisis no Danger for Innovative Foundations

Even in the financial crisis, Thomas Doppelberger does not question the strategy: "It is a sustainable concept to incorporate scientific innovations that will improve people's lives into a solid enterprise. The companies create jobs in highly specialized environments." For 2009, Thomas Doppelberger again expects the spin-offs' turnovers to rise. This is also an advantage for research: With stakes or license fees, money flows back to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. And this enables new research.

At the beginning, there is always this one question addressing all challenges to come at once: Is the concept sustainable? "The idea is the basis. If it withstands the first tests, we really get to work", says Thomas Doppelberger. Then, the technology is tested for its marketability and unique selling points are determined. In a next step, the foundation process itself is planned, the business idea is analyzed and a business plan is created. Then, financing issues are in the focus. "Only then we define whether the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will participate in the enterprise vision and which additional financing strategies might be an option", explains Mr. Doppelberger.

Obviously, the question of financing is very important; this is why this issue often requires very much time and work during the formation process of a new enterprise; among others, potential partners such as venture capital investors are addressed. And not only the business plan is important to convince potential partners that they will make a sound investment, but also the appearance of the team of founders. As soon as financing is assured, the adventure of self-employment may begin. And Fraunhofer Venture once again supported the start-up of an enterprise.

Fraunhofer Venture Invests into the Future

Even in times of crisis, Fraunhofer Venture continues to support Fraunhofer scientists who want to found their own company and coaches them on any issue. A total of 65 projects has been promoted since October 2005 by the team of Thomas Doppelberger under the FFE program "Fraunhofer Fosters Entrepreneurship". Up to present, 19 companies have been founded.

Despite poor forecasts for the economy, Fraunhofer Venture does not follow the general trend of retrenchment and continues to support Fraunhofer researchers who want to found their own enterprise. However, particularly in times of crisis, secure and mature business strategies are a must to justify financing. Fraunhofer Venture supports young entrepreneurs with developing the business model and with the FFE program offers a first step into self-employment.

The program primarily supports Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft establishments when preparing and realizing company spin-offs. It provides financial means to Fraunhofer Institutes allowing the founders to further develop existing research results until they are ready to be launched on the market, to draw up a sustainable business concept, to create a business plan and to carefully prepare the foundation of the company. The support for potential institute spin-offs with a maximum of 150,000 euros therefore also improves the long-term possibilities for the efficient transfer of Fraunhofer technologies to the market via the establishment of spin-offs.


"The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft program enables scientists who are interested in founding their own company to verify the marketability and commercialization of their development already at an early stage in a manner that considers the needs of both consumers and the industry. With their promotion of innovators at the Fraunhofer Institutes, Fraunhofer Venture fundamentally contributes to innovation affairs in Germany", says Hans-Jörg Bullinger, president of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. In particular in times of crisis, financial aid should not be decreased but rather increased from an economic point of view. Thus, Fraunhofer Venture will continue to support ideas and technologies of its researchers and financially aid enterprise spin-offs. "Our aim is to further stimulate the economy. We believe that - despite the financial crisis - we will again bring some 15 enterprises on the market altogether some of which will also be FFE aided.", says Manfred Stöger, commercial desk officer at Fraunhofer Venture. Until today, Fraunhofer Venture coached more than 150 company spin-offs altogether.

Enterprises that received FFE aid:

mignos GmbH, www.mignos.de
SOLid Composites GmbH, www.solidcomposites.de
HiperScan GmbH, www.hiperscan.com
LinogistiX GmbH, www.linogistix.com
Picus GmbH, www.picus.de
KOELRIT Composite Solutions GmbH, www.koelrit.com
Symboled GmbH, www.symboled.de
ConWeaver GmbH, www.conweaver.de
SCUS GmbH - Servicecenter Umweltsimulation, www.scus.de
Poly-Shape S.A.S., www.poly-shape.com
facilityboss GmbH, www.facilityboss.biz
Angiocam IVS GmbH
teambits GmbH, www.teambits.de
ISYS Adaptive Solutions GmbH, www.adaptive-solutions.de
TriDiCam GmbH, www.tridicam.de
Mobota Ltd., www.mobota.net
Induvation GmbH, www.induvation.com
FutureChemistry B.V., www.futurechemistry.com
scapos AG, www.scapos.de


About Fraunhofer Venture:
Founded in 1999, Fraunhofer Venture sees itself as a partner of founders, start-ups and Fraunhofer Institutes as well as of the industry and investors. The focus is on the successful positioning of the new enterprise in the market. Experienced experts in business administration and contract drafting complete the existing technological competence of the scientists. Prospective founders receive sound as well as targeted consulting and support. The services of Fraunhofer Venture include the foundation, the technology transfer, the financing and the portfolio management. This is to facilitate the step into self-employment for young technology enterprises. To bring researchers, enterprises and investors together, regular events such as the Investmentforum or the Networkshop are hosted.