Scrona joins Heraeus accelerator program in Germany

The Heraeus Accelerator was founded by the Heraeus Group, a German-based technology family business specializing in precious and special metals, medical technology, quartz glass, sensors and speciality light sources. With 20.3 billion in revenue, the 1851 founded company is one of the largest family-based companies in Germany and employs 15’000 individuals in 40 countries worldwide.

By launching the Heraeus accelerator, the company committed to supporting up-and-coming entrepreneurs in material science, technology and digitalization in building their own heritage and to providing them with a long-term partnership. In its first call for applications, ten startups pitched their solutions to the jury and only four companies from Israel, Sweden, the United States and Switzerland were selected to join the program.

Representing Switzerland is the ETH spin-off Scrona, which specializes in ultrahigh-resolution inkjet technology based on electrohydrodynamic (EHD) droplet actuation. Its nano-resolution NanoDrip printing system enables complex products, such as flat panel, displays or Life science microarrays, to be printed easily. Scrona holds a world record for printing the tinniest colour picture ever. The company is also known for its µPeek, a credit-card-sized gadget that can be attached to almost any smartphone, wirelessly connect to it via Bluetooth and turn it into a multi-functional microscope (see image).

Thanks to its proprietary Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems (MES) printheads, printing at the sub-micron level is possible, enabling additive, non-contact and digital industrial microfabrication which not only bring economic value but also guarantees better performance.

Know-how transfer of 168 years of experience
During the three-month program, selected startups will benefit from mentoring and expertise transfer from the Heraeus team, they will participate in international tradeshows and fairs to stimulate partnerships for pilot projects. The companies will also get access to Heraeus infrastructure for developing their project, accompanied by the digitalization team which brings its expertise around artificial intelligence & IoT. Thanks to Heraeus’ international presence, the startups will get access to potential customers in Europe, Asia or the US.

The program will culminate with a demo-day to celebrate the first batch of the program.

(RAN)