Participated · Equity · Jul 2025

CYNiO is a Freiberg-based chemical startup and a 2025 spin-off of TU Bergakademie Freiberg developing phosgene-free, CO₂-based isocyanates. The company creates chemical building blocks for research, industry, and specialised applications, enabling safe and flexible production of even small batches. Its products target pharmaceuticals, adhesives, coatings, foams and other sectors that have been constrained by toxic and inflexible conventional methods. CYNiO plans to establish its first production facility in the Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park in Saxony-Anhalt and to base sales and marketing in the Leipzig region. The company aims to supply the European market with hard-to-source isocyanates, reducing dependence on time-consuming and costly imports and closing a critical gap in the value chain. Led by CEO Michéle Tille, CPO Marlene Baumhardt and COO Sophie Riedel, CYNiO will use recently raised capital to scale its sustainable production technology and expand its product portfolio.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2010

EUCODIS Bioscience develops, customizes, manufactures and markets industrial enzymes to help customers in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food and feed industries make manufacturing processes more efficient, cleaner and to generate products with superior properties. The company has recently expanded its lipases family to 20 enzymes and completed several product launches in 2009. It is expanding manufacturing capacity to keep pace with growing customer demand. Management says revenues will finance a good part of the company’s expenses and investments this year. EUCODIS plans to add new enzyme families to its product portfolio and to accelerate development of international markets, while ramping up sales and marketing efforts. The company is headquartered in Austria and has a subsidiary in Germany.