TechBridge Welcomes Climate KIC

Visitors accompanying the Climate-KIC USA Startup Tour. From left to right: Julian Von Blucher from Tado GmbH, Florian Uhlig from the Technical University of Berlin, Dr. Franka Birke from Climate KIC Germany, Jan Michael Hess from EcoSummit, and Dr. Peter Haug from Fraunhofer Venture spinout Greasoline.

Last week, Fraunhofer TechBridge welcomed a select group of German cleantech start-ups from Climate KIC, a knowledge and innovation community.  Climate KIC tackles climate challenges through a dynamic network of European partners drawn from academia, industry and the public sector.  Our visitors represented a diverse selection of the organizations under KIC’s umbrella, including Tado GmbH, EcoSummit, the Technical University of Berlin, and Greasoline, a Fraunhofer Venture spinout.

Over the course of their visit, the KIC group had an opportunity to learn about TechBridge’s unique start-up development model, which allows promising cleantech companies to leverage technical validation obtained from Fraunhofer’s international R&D network to obtain funding from private investors and government grants.

TechBridge has previously worked with KIC member Greasoline, a start-up company created to commercialize a process that converts bio-based oil, fats and fatty acids, both used and unused, into fuels.  Unlike biodiesel and bio-ethanol, the liquid product contains no oxygen, and can be handled, stored, and applied like a conventional fossil fuel. And Jeff McAulay, TechBridge’s Program Leader, is optimistic that Greasoline won’t be the last KIC company to benefit from the TechBridge model. “Climate KIC brought an important slate of companies we would be happy to collaborate with in the future. Fraunhofer TechBridge may be a great resource for them.”