Meet our network
When you join our curated community you can meet and work with our network of thought leaders, innovators, and industry experts. Our network is focused on entrepreneurship and the world of life science. The constant interaction across disciplines within this ecosystem stimulates new ways of thinking, producing solutions that redefine and vitalize our reality.
meet our start-ups
Our diverse community of founders in the heart of Göttingen is steadily growing. Read on to learn more about them – their stories, their successes, and their challenges. This is where entrepreneurship and scientific inquiry come together, enriching our collaborative community every day.
Cultimate Foods
Cultimate Foods creates a game-changing ingredient based on cultivated fat in a sustainable and ethical way.
Their unique solution enriches plant-based meat alternatives with authentic taste, mouthfeel, and texture. They believe that the future of meat is hybrid – a combination of plant-based proteins and their fat alternative product.
Waterscope
Globally, water-borne bacterial infections lead to half a million diarrhoeal-related deaths each year—more than 2,000 deaths every day. This is more than malaria and HIV-related deaths combined. WaterScope seeks to overcome global water inequality by breaking barriers to reliable bacterial testing. The team has developed an innovative testing device that can reliably and automatically identify bacterial presence in water in as little as 18 hours. The testing data is provided in real time and is uploaded to a central dashboard, connecting users in over 165 countries around the world.
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Ucaneo Biotech
We are building the world’s first biotechnological Direct Air Capture (DAC) system with the goal to to capture 1% of the global CO2 emissions by 2035!
Leveraging novel membranes and enzymes significantly reduces the energy consumption by lowering the conventional Direct Air Capture reaction temperature from up to 900°C to room temperature and avoiding active air intake. This enables massive cost savings and a sustainable reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Using the most modern equipment and S1 lab as well as our makerspace we found the perfect place at the Life Science Factory to develop our biotech hardware solution.
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Cinference
About 50% of all therapies have a protein component, but therapeutic protein development is very expensive and takes 2-3 years. Cinference is a life-science biotech startup that designs therapeutic proteins. Cinference’s mission is to shorten the protein development process to 1-2 months. To do this, the company uses data-efficient algorithms in combination with large AI models trained on millions of protein sequences to perform 99% of the design process digitally and optimize design parameters simultaneously. The young startup is on a growth trajectory and is hiring more biology talent to work on its first pharma partnerships. Cinference plans to move into the Life Science Factory next March and use the newly built lab.
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Curexsys GmbH – Pure to Cure
Curexsys is active in the anti-aging field and develops exosomes as innovative therapeutics to cure age-related diseases.
Curexsys is active in the anti-aging field and combats age-related defects with exosomes derived from induced mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs). Exosomes constitute a new therapeutic principle clearly distinct from classical small or large molecule compounds or cell therapy. They are small vesicles that are naturally released from a cell. They contain proteins, nucleic acids and metabolites, which carry information from secreting to receiving cells. Exosomes have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects.
Due to increasingly aging societies, anti-aging therapies are of great interest to the pharma industry, health care providers and aging populations, and the Curexsys exosome platform will serve the arising demand of pure and functional exosomes in pharma industry. With the leading technology for highly selective and traceless purification of extracellular vesicles with low-affinity Fabs, Curexsys uses a unique technology to generate products for clinical applications, matching medical needs with increasing patient numbers in multiple disease areas.
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YoniCore
YoniCore brings back the life quality for women with pelvic floor dysfunctions with an end to end treatment. The smart connected medical device offers immediate relief of the symptomes alongside training of the pelvic muscles over an app.
YoniCore brings back the confidence and life quality for women with pelvic floor dysfunctions, a disease that every second woman will suffer from during her lifetime. YoniCore’s smart connected medical device offers individualized treatment for every woman and her unique pelvic floor. The immediate relief of the symptomes is due to the biocompatible silicone device that supports the pelvic organs using soft robotic technology. Alongside the YoniCore’s app offering a fun training program for the pelvic muscles that is integrated in women’s daily routines. We help women to become more active towards their well being – up to a point that their pelvic floor is healed. For the first time in the world, women can get holistic treatment based on immediate relief for their symptoms and long-term training in an easy and fun way.
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OptoGenTech GmbH
OptoGenTech is striving to make a transformative improvement in hearing aids by developing an optogenetic cochlear implant. Electrical cochlear implants are used by more than one million people worldwide who are deaf or profoundly hearing impaired. These implants typically enable speech intelligibility in quiet, but their users still have great difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments and following melodies in speech or music.
The use of optogenetics – stimulation through light – has enabled OptoGenTech to improve frequency resolution in cochlear implants, because light can be confined in space better than electric current can. The market volume for cochlear implants is expected to reach USD 4.5bn by the time of OptoGenTech’s market launch, planned for 2029. Given the changing technology and the expected fundamental improvement in hearing quality, OptoGenTech expects optogenetic implants to attain a significant market share.
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VineForecast UG
Software for data-driven viticulture!
VineForecast is smart-farming software that uses artificial intelligence to help wine-growers manage their vineyards more efficiently.
Viticulture currently uses 25 times more fungicides per hectare than primary agriculture. This results in not only environmental pollution, but also undue expenditure of both time and money. With its AI-based prognoses of grapevine diseases and a wealth of farm management functions (task management, documentation, GPS-localized damage reporting, and more), VineForecast provides hard data as a basis for pest-management decisions and enables extensive automation of operations. This is how we – Paul Petersik (climate physicist), Max Nowack (software engineer) and Richard Petersik (business economist) – want to reduce the use of pesticides in viticulture to a minimum!
Mehr erfahren
myofarm
Redesigning drug development by continuous real-time & high-content analysis
Redesigning drug development through continuous real-time & high-content analysis
myofarm aims to establish a multiparametric non-invasive measurement infrastructure that enables detailed long-term insight, independent of time and place, into the drug-induced interaction of the excitation-contraction coupling of miniaturized human myocardium. The measured data are accumulated in a machine-readable database structure for future in silico drug simulations. Users will be able to plan and carry out complex analyses, including long-term analyses, by accessing the automated high-content procedure without having to set up a physical measurement infrastructure on their own premises. In the long term, myofarm hopes to develop regulation-compliant processes to support pharmaceutical research in bringing new drugs to market maturity in a sustainable and time- and cost-effective manner while avoiding animal experimentation as far as possible.
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(Junior) Scientist - Protein Biochemistry @ Cinference
Who we are
The development of a single drug takes on average 10 years and costs 1.3B$ today. On top of that, most of diseases remain untreatable. We imagine a world where the most severe diseases can be treated and cured. Our goal is to design effective therapeutic proteins in days at a tiny fraction of today’s drug discovery cost.
Cinference uses deep learning to design new protein therapies instead of discovering them in a costly and lengthy experimental process. Our multi-disciplinary approach to protein design allows us to explore the uncharted territory of the protein sequence space, enabling us to design proteins with superior therapeutic effects.
Our timing is perfect! 2021 has been a breakthrough year for biology. Google AlphaFold solved the 50-year-old grand challenge of protein structure prediction. This breakthrough marks the beginning of a new age in protein therapeutics and a first glimpse into the potential of machine learning to understand hidden principles of protein design. There couldn’t be a better time to join us on the journey to free millions of people from their diseases.
We are funded by some of the best investors in the world and are about to disrupt the classical drug development model.
Learn more about our core values here and watch a short intro video here
Your role
As one of the first members of the Biology team, you will directly work with the head of biology and establish the PoC. You will be involved in the laboratory setup at the Life Science Factory. You will be one of the key colleagues at our Göttingen site. You will work on life-changing therapies with leading researchers from Europe and directly report to our cross-functional teams of machine learning scientists, biochemists, structural & computational biologists, and software engineers.
Your responsibilities
We are looking for an enthusiastic colleague to join our biology team in Göttingen. Key tasks include:
- Designing a high throughput cloning strategies
- Expression and purification of recombinant proteins in E. coli and mammalian cells
- Establishing and developing in vitro mammalian cell-based assays
- Biophysical characterisation and protein quality control using thermal unfolding analysis (nanoDSF)
- Building and screening of protein libraries using display technologies (Phage display)
- Preparation of internal reports, presentations, and protocols
About you
We know – sometimes, you can’t tick every box. We would still love to hear from you if you think you’re a good fit!
- Ph.D. in related fields of Biochemistry or Synthetic Biology
- Strong scientific background in molecular biology and protein biochemistry
- Experience in molecular cloning, recombinant protein production, and mammalian cell culture
- Hand-on experience with BLI (Octet) and characterizing biophysical properties of proteins
- Experience with ELISA and display techniques for protein-protein interaction
- Experience with data visualization and analysis
- Experience with membrane protein production is a plus
- Cell-based assay development and FACS-based sorting are a plus
- Knowledge of protein engineering and structural biology is a plus
- Ability to operate independently and to design and perform complex experiments in a fast-paced environment
- Strong organizational, excellent communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Driven, self-motivated personality who is open to learning and establishing new methods
- Fluent in English
What we offer
- Impact. The opportunity to truly make a difference in the world by building a next-generation biotech company that designs affordable protein therapies for the most devastating diseases
- Be part of a caring, ambitious, honest, and diverse team. People at Cinference have worked at organizations such as McKinsey, IBM Lab, Max Planck Institute, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before
- Learn. Gain experience in laboratory management, protein, and experiment design, and learn from our experienced cross-functional team. We operate in one of the best-equipped labs in Europe.
- Appreciation. Attractive salary, all the equipment you need, and 28 days of vacation
- Well being. Join our regular team dinners/events in Berlin and Göttingen to connect with your team
Application
To apply and learn more about this position, contact Christian and Nikolay via wetlab@cinference.bio with your CV and Cover Letter. In the email subject, please add “(Junior) Scientist – Protein Biochemistry”
The Cover Letter should include the following: Your technical expertise and how you have applied them in previous projects, your motivation for joining Cinference, and the earliest starting date.
We are looking forward to your application! 😊
Working Student Protein Biology @ Cinference
Summary
- Position: Working student position with 15-20hr/week
- Location: Göttingen
Who we are
The development of a single drug takes on average 10 years and costs 1.3B$ today. On top of that, most diseases remain untreatable. We imagine a world where the most severe diseases can be treated and cured. Our goal is to design effective therapeutic proteins in days at a tiny fraction of today’s drug discovery cost.
Cinference uses deep learning to design new protein therapies instead of discovering them in a costly and lengthy experimental process. Our multi-disciplinary approach to protein design allows us to explore the uncharted territory of the protein sequence space, enabling us to design proteins with superior therapeutic effects.
Our timing is perfect! 2021 has been a breakthrough year for biology. Google AlphaFold solved the 50-year-old grand challenge of protein structure prediction. This breakthrough marks the beginning of a new age in protein therapeutics and a first glimpse into the potential of machine learning to understand hidden principles of protein design. There couldn’t be a better time to join us on the journey to free millions of people from their diseases.
We are funded by some of the best investors in the world and are about to disrupt the classical drug development model.
Learn more about our core values here and watch a short intro video here
Your role
As a working student, you will be directly working with the scientists in our wet lab. Your main responsibility will be protein work and in addition, helping with laboratory management.
Your responsibilities
We are looking for an enthusiastic working student to join our biology team in Göttingen. Key tasks include:
- General lab work: Preparation of buffers, reagents, and media.
- Molecular biology: Performing ****PCR and recombinant DNA cloning.
- Bacterial work: Preparation of competent cells, transformation, and expression of therapeutic proteins.
- Protein characterization: Purify target proteins, perform biophysical assays.
- Laboratory management: Maintain ELN, inventory, and device maintenance.
- Collaboration: Analyze data and prepare presentations for the engineering team.
About you
We know – sometimes, you can’t tick every box. We would still love to hear from you if you think you’re a good fit!
- Currently enrolled as a student at a university doing a major in biochemistry or related fields.
- Strong scientific background in molecular biology and protein biochemistry.
- Experience in DNA cloning and bacterial protein expression.
- Hands-on experience in protein purification and quality control.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and interest in startups.
- Strong drive, sense of ownership.
- Good communication skills in English.
What we offer
- Be part of a caring, ambitious, honest, and diverse team. People at Cinference have worked at organizations such as McKinsey, IBM Lab, Max Planck Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before.
- Impact. Shape a young company and its culture from the beginning to achieve its mission – creating a world in which the most severe diseases can be cured.
- Learn directly from our Scientists designing and optimizing high throughput therapeutic protein screening methods in a multidisciplinary deep-tech start-up and get insights into protein design, the biotech, and pharma industry.
- Appreciation. Competitive working student salary of 12€/hr. Regular events with the Göttingen team. Furthermore, the Life Science Factory is a highly innovative place with many startups and startup-related events.
Application
To apply and learn more about this position contact Christian and Nikolay via wetlab@cinference.bio with your CV and Cover Letter. In the email subject, please add “Working Student Protein Biology”.
The Cover Letter should include the following: Your technical expertise and how you have applied them in previous projects, your motivation for joining Cinference, and the earliest starting date.
We are looking forward to your application!
get in touch with our mentors
Get expert support from our mentors and investors. Especially in the early stages, start-ups need tailored support in meeting their challenges. Our experts are successful life science founders, investors, and scientists who are always eager to share their specific expertise to sustainably boost innovative projects.
Dr. Grit Zahn
Head of Research at Eternygen GmbH I Drug Development, Company building, technology transfer
Grit is a biochemist and has been active in drug development for more than 20 years. She has held a number of positions at many institutions and companies, working as a researcher at the Charité university medical center in Berlin; in drug development at the Jerini AG biotech company where she helped develop a product to market maturity; in technology transfer at ipal GmbH; and today at Eternygen GmbH, where she is head of research and also advises other biotech companies.
LinkedIn Profil Grit Zahn
Simona Schindler
Venture Manager I Biotech Venture Building
Simona is a Venture Manager at Blue Ribbon Partners and as such accompanies early-stage (spin-off) start-up projects from the life sciences in their strategic company development. After more than 6 years in the academic-scientific field, Simona now focuses on the interface between science & business. She has also led the design and development of the Life Science Entrepreneurship Academy in Berlin and regularly conducts workshops on “Structured Translation” and “Team Development”.
LinkedIn Profil Simona Schindler
Valentin Christian Splett
Advisor & Entrepreneur I Go To Market & Sales Scale Up for Health Technology and Life Sciences Ventures
Valentin has held leading marketing, sales and consulting positions in biotechnology and medical technology in the USA, Switzerland, and Germany for 13 years, including CCO at Ability Switzerland AG, a medical-equipment spinoff of ETHZ. He is involved in more than 200 go-to-market and sales scale-up projects in the health tech and life science sectors. Moreover, Valentin is co-founder of a new company in orthopedic surgery, lecturer at the FHGR, and board member at visionary AG.
LinkedIn Profil Valentin Splettshoutout to our partners!
