Start-up concepts in biosensor technology
From idea to start-up
2025/09/30
In September 2025, the 3rd ryon Start-up Summer School took place in Darmstadt, organized by the Centre for Synthetic Biology and the ryon GreenTech Accelerator. The program is designed for young scientists and aims to transform research ideas from the field of synthetic biology into groundbreaking start-up concepts. Participants gained exciting insights into the future of synthetic biology and, over five intensive days, learned how to develop a viable business model from an idea and ultimately present it in a professional pitch to a renowned jury.
The summer school began with a two-day symposium at which leading international scientists in synthetic biology presented their research: Julius B. Lucks (Northwestern University), Velia Siciliano (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia), Francesco Ricci (Università di Roma Tor Vergata), and Karen Polizzi (Imperial College London). The scientific program was complemented by the Centre for Synthetic Biology's Centre Thesis Awards for outstanding theses. Award winner Leon Kraus presented his doctoral thesis entitled “Development and engineering of RNA aptamers for riboswitching and biosensing.”
On the second day, the teams gained valuable insights into start-up financing from Lena-Sophie Schütter from High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Melissa Ott from Futury, and Tobias Doelle from the Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovations (SPRIND). In addition, Jessica Retzlaff presented the innovation and start-up center of the Technical University of Darmstadt, Highest, and drew attention to the upcoming INNODAY 2025 on October 30, 2025, at the Darmstadtium. Inspiring presentations from industry rounded off the program: Dr. Alina Eilers (Phaeosynt), Armin Schneider (Merck Group), Franz Armbruster (Immundiagnostik AG), and Annemarie Lüdecke (NanoTemper Technologies) shared their industry and start-up experiences and provided insights into corporate strategies.
In the practical part, all teams developed ideas in the field of biosensor technology and translated them into concrete business cases. They were accompanied by coach Bartosz Kajdas (STARTUPS from Science). The participants learned to present their ideas clearly, convincingly, and vividly – a skill that was immediately apparent in the final pitch.
GreenTech Park Fluxum
The highlight of the week took place at GreenTech Park Fluxum in Gernsheim. There, an experienced jury – Dorothea Starck (BASF SE), Mark Redshaw (Evonik), Michael Rayner (Merck KGaA), and Viktor Stein (TU Darmstadt) – evaluated the teams' presentations.
The winning team, “AllerGo,” consisting of Nina Kurowska, Luca Brenker, Judy King Yi Cho, and Latthapol Akkaraprud, impressed the jury with a portable device that measures pollen types and concentrations in real time and displays the data in an app. The prize for the best start-up pitch was presented by Thomas Walther, Vice President of Innovation and International Affairs at TU Darmstadt.
Under the motto “From idea to start-up,” the Summer School offered young researchers a valuable platform to develop and implement new business ideas. The event was organized by Melanie Mikosch-Wersching and Heinz Koeppl (Center for Synthetic Biology) as well as Jörg von Hagen (ryon GreenTech Accelerator).
Center for Synthetic Biology
