From Research to Start-up
2026/09/16
The Start-up Summer School 2026 organized by the Centre for Synthetic Biology at the TU Darmstadt and Futury brought together 23 ambitious early career researchers from the fields of life sciences, engineering and computer science to explore one key question: How can cutting-edge research become a successful start-up?
Over four intensive days in Darmstadt and Frankfurt, researchers stepped beyond the lab to develop entrepreneurial skills, validate business ideas and learn how breakthrough technologies can create real-world impact. Working at the intersection of science, innovation and entrepreneurship, they experienced first-hand what it takes to transform research into venture opportunities.
Designed for master’s students, PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers, the Summer School created a unique environment where scientists, founders, investors and innovation experts could exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and develop solutions for tomorrow's challenges.
To strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty and translate scientific excellence into economic and societal impact, initiatives that bridge the gap between research and entrepreneurship are becoming increasingly important. The Start-up Summer School offers one practical way to build that bridge – by giving researchers the tools, networks and confidence to explore entrepreneurship as a pathway for creating impact from their research.
Learning from pioneers in science and entrepreneurship
The program kicked off with a two-day symposium at TU Darmstadt, bringing together over 70 internationally leading researchers, start-up founders and investors. Participants gained insights into emerging technologies in synthetic biology, protein engineering and AI-driven biotechnology from speakers such as Dominik Niopek (Heidelberg University), Alena Khmelinskaia (LMU Munich), Thomas Schlichthaerle (Technical University of Munich), Basile Wicky (ETH Zürich) and Julian Beck (University of Bayreuth).
The entrepreneurial side was equally inspiring. Founders, investors and ecosystem builders including Ingmar Schuster (Provolut), Dhaarsi Jaksch (MAGMATIC Bio), Owen Jarman (DynaPore), Bernd Hoffmann (SRTD Biotech), Nikolaus Vollmer (HTGF) and Lukas Lang (Nucleate) shared their experiences of launching science-based ventures, raising capital and bringing breakthrough technologies to market. The technology transfer office of TU Darmstadt, HIGHEST was present in Darmstadt and Frankfurt to offer their service as the natural bridge between the Start-up Summer School experience and the participants' next entrepreneurial steps.
HIGHEST, TU Darmstadt’s Innovation and Start-up Centre, joined the program in Darmstadt and Frankfurt, providing an important bridge between scientific research and the participants’ next entrepreneurial steps – from exploring commercial potential to understanding how research can be translated into a venture.
From idea to business model
Following the symposium, participants formed interdisciplinary teams and worked with Coach Bartosz Kajdas (Startups from Science) on transforming scientific challenges into scalable business opportunities. Through workshops, mentoring sessions and hands-on coaching, they learned how to identify customer pain points, define value propositions, assess market opportunities and communicate complex technologies to investors.
Researchers from different disciplines combined their expertise to tackle challenges in biotechnology, healthcare, sustainability and synthetic biology, creating innovative concepts with both scientific depth and commercial potential.
Pitch Day: Science meets entrepreneurship
The program culminated in a Pitch Day at Futury in Frankfurt, where the teams presented their start-up concepts to an expert jury consisting of Heinz Koeppl (TU Darmstadt), Marisela Rodriguez (EPD Consulting), Enno Lang (Futury) and Jule Goike (HTGF).
The winning team, NanoResolve, comprising Niko Faul (LSE Alumni), Hongfei Liu (LSE Alumni), Mohammadjavad Jazini Dorcheh (LSE, MSCA-COFUND trainLSE fellow) and Srimathi Sasisekar, convinced the jury with a powerful solution for a technological bottleneck in high resolution microscopy.
Their concept is a modular cryogenic light microscopy platform that enables researchers to study engineered cells, synthetic compartments and molecular structures at high resolution while preserving conditions close to their native state. By integrating cryogenic light microscopy with electron microscopy, NanoResolve helps researchers connect biological function with structural information.
Second place went to texscAvengers, represented by Ajitha Nayac Ravichandira, Noor Ul Ain, Shatakshi Roy, Pratham Patil and Amruth Arun Belawadi.
The team addressed the rapidly growing challenge of textile waste generated by the fast-fashion industry. Their innovative approach leverages thermostable enzymes to break down mixed textile waste and convert it into valuable biological feedstocks. The long-term vision is to transform end-of-life textiles into a resource for producing high-value products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and nutritional supplements, helping drive the transition towards a circular bioeconomy.
Beyond the awards, both winning teams will continue their entrepreneurial journey through Futury’s Lab2Market Program, where they can further develop their ideas, test their potential in the market and explore the path towards venture creation. The event concluded with the Futury Summer Party, offering participants, mentors and industry partner the chance to expand their networks and explore future collaborations.
Building the next generation of science entrepreneurs
The Start-up Summer School organized by Melanie Mikosch-Wersching (TU Darmstadt) and Lena Rosini (Futury) demonstrates that research and entrepreneurship are a powerful combination. By bringing together talented researchers, experienced founders and leading investors, the program helps unlock the commercial potential of scientific discoveries and contributes to building a stronger innovation and startup ecosystem across the Rhine-Main region. More broadly, the Start-up Summer School reflects Futury’s role in connecting the different parts of this ecosystem – from universities and researchers to founders, investors, corporates and innovation experts. The goal is not simply to create individual start-ups, but to build the networks and structures that allow scientific ideas to move more effectively from the lab into the market.
For many participants, the Start-up Summer School was not only an introduction to entrepreneurship but also the first step towards becoming founders themselves. What starts with a scientific discovery can become a business opportunity, a new technology and ultimately a venture with real-world impact.
What’s next?
The Start-up Summer School is just one of many ways to connect with Futury’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. From Lab2Market and Build Days to matching, learning and networking formats, offers researchers, founders and innovators different ways to develop ideas, build teams and turn opportunities into action.
Melanie Mikosch-Wersching
