SciMatter’s story began in a familiar scenario for publicly funded research institutes: expensive equipment and machinery sitting unused after the end of a project. Dr. Victor Izraylit and his co-founder Dr.-Ing. Muhammad Farhan recognised potential in this problem and developed the idea of using this equipment to perform scientific services for industrial partners and startups.

‘In Brandenburg, where we come into contact with the innovative scene a lot, we saw that many of startups didn’t have the financial means to invest in expensive devices or didn’t have the necessary expertise perform high-precision analytical techniques. Our idea was to rent the necessary equipment from our institute on an hourly basis and support our customers with analytics in materials science analytics,’ explains Victor.

SciMatter’s value is that they become a part of their customers’ team and not only a service provider. ‘We are two active scientists with over ten years of experience each in this field,’ says Farhan. ‘we know the difficulties that innovation teams at startups, industrial manufacturers, and universities are facing. You can call our approach research empathy.’ He adds smiling. 

Support from Startup Port and challenges 

Like many spin-offs, Victor and Farhan faced major challenges, particularly in relation to legal issues and the start-up formalities. This is where the support of the Startup Port came into play, particularly through the contact with Dr Angelika Eichenlaub, who accompanied the start-up process.

‘The biggest support we needed came from the legal department. We are scientists and engineers and although we are immersed in the innovation scene, there are things you don’t learn on the fly – especially how to draw up legal contracts,’ recalls Victor. Working with Angelika helped them get an overview of financial planning and how to approach the business plan. ‘In practical terms, we worked with Angelika to develop the plan for how the start-up should grow and how we should develop further.’

Another important element was imparting knowledge about how to build a sustainable business model. The company was founded out of their own pocket, without external funding – an unusual step for many startups. ‘To date, we haven’t needed any additional funding as our business model is extremely sustainable: we have no costs when we don’t have any orders,’ says Farhan. 

The vision behind SciMatter and the founders’ personal motivation

 Dr. Victor Izraylit and Dr Muhammad Farhan are not only experts in their field, but also innovators who want to translate their scientific achievements into technologies for everyday life.

Victor puts it like this: ‘If you ask me who I want to be in the future, I couldn’t give you an exact answer. But I know one thing for sure: I want to see my work improve the lives of the people around me. In my role at the Helmholtz Centre Hereon, I lead innovation projects where my team and I turn scientific breakthroughs into technologies suitable for everyday use.’

With a PhD in polymer science and a degree in applied maths and physics, Victor’s focus is on developing medical devices, and he has already invented a new class of plastics. ‘I was responsible for every step of the project, from chemical synthesis to analysing the full spectrum of material properties.’

Dr Muhammad Farhan adds: ‘As co-founder and managing partner at SciMatter, I bring technology, innovation and business together to deliver breakthrough solutions in the field of polymer processing and materials development.’ Farhan also leads technology transfer projects at the Helmholtz Centre Hereon and brings extensive experience in developing and optimising materials and managing plastics processing and testing laboratories.

Learning from the start-up – tips for prospective founders

SciMatter was not only a successful spin-off, but also a ‘test balloon’ for the institute from which it originated. The foundation was not only linked to the development of the company, but also helped to further develop the institute’s transfer mechanisms.

Looking back on the foundation, Victor draws some key lessons: ‘The free economy has completely different values to science. When scientists enter the market, they have to say goodbye to a lot of what they have learnt in research. It’s also important to find the right partners and not rely on as many consultants as possible.’ Another tip: ‘Don’t be afraid to do things. It’s better to make mistakes than to do nothing.’

Victor emphasises that the time invested in the start-up was extremely valuable. Despite the challenges, they have learnt a lot and can apply this knowledge to future projects.

Outlook and future developments 

SciMatter has now been running successfully for about a year and acts as a side business to support the team’s main project: The development of a smart textile for the medtech sector. This technology is intended to make it easier to put on and take off compression stockings and thus improve patient compliance.

‘Although it would be possible to extend the SciMatter model to other scientific institutions, it would be a full-time job,’ explains Farhan. For the founders, the project is a useful addition to their main work, but at the same time offers valuable sources of income and synergy effects for their research.

Conclusion 

This story of SciMatter shows how science and industry can be successfully brought together and how start-ups can benefit from the smart use of existing resources. Founding scientists can learn from Victor and Farhan’s experience, especially when it comes to bridging the gap between research and the market.

 

Scimatter.com