AtomLeap is constantly looking for ways to promote startups, and, in our pursuit to do so, we have brokered numerous partnerships over the years. This week, we would like to talk about one of our recent such collaborations, namely that with the Berlin-based Startup Campus program.
The Startup Campus connects startups from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to accelerator partners in Berlin, building an international innovation ecosystem that introduces startups to accelerators, risk capital and professional partners in Berlin. As one of the participating partners in the program, AtomLeap has been meeting with Hungarian high-tech startups each week to discuss their ideas, opportunities for growth and to introduce them to potential leads. This past week, startups active in laser technology and 3D scanning pitched their products to us, and we introduced them to the companies in our high-tech accelerator.
One of the startups, 3DIODIC Laser Printers, aims to insert diode technology into the metal printing and cutting industry in order to accelerate the process and thus increase productivity. In so doing, the company will be addressing a gap in the market, as existing technologies have not yet been able to maximize the potential speed of laser printing. While the company has not been incorporated yet, it has carried out comprehensive research to understand the laser printing market and how it could position itself in it.
Subsequently, Dental Scanner Solutions introduced their 3D intra-oral scanner to be used for scanning in odontology. The product is expected to significantly reduce dental scanning time and to simplify the procedure, making it attractive to odontologists and other dental practitioners. Since founding the company two months ago, the team has already secured € 30.000 in investment from the Hungarian state venture capital fund, HiVentures, has developed a prototype and is currently working on technical and business development in preparation for a second round of fundraising in March. Made up of a team of IT professionals that benefits from the support of HiVentures and the mentorship of EHInvest, a Hungarian startup incubator, Dental Scanner Solutions is exploring opportunities to enter the German market and has recently hired a sales representative in Berlin.
The last idea we heard this week was FiberScope‘s, a startup that is working on an ultrafast fiber laser for advanced non-linear microscopy with applications in dermatology for skin cancer detection. The product uses qualitative analysis of collagen in skin and is thus able to detect any abnormalities, making it possible to diagnose skin cancer in the very early stages. FiberScope is the result of a collaboration between two scientists – a laser physicist and a biologist. To date, the company has manufactured a handmade prototype of the eponymous product, and is currently working on developing the business and marketing strategy before proceeding with the product launch.
After their pitches, AtomLeap explored various opportunities for collaboration with the three teams. Some of the ideas ventured were support with startup intelligence, particularly benchmarking, and partnership development by connecting the startups with the vast network of specialists in laser and 3D scanning technologies to which AtomLeap has access.
We really enjoyed our discussions with the three companies and we hope to welcome some of the teams to the second round of our high-tech accelerator program, which starts in May 2018. We will keep you posted about that.