Founding story October 2022 FUSE
© ACKISIONAnsgar T. Kirk, Cornelius Wendt, Alexander Bohnhorst and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Zimmermann have not only won numerous prizes with their development, such as the university prize in the Startup-Impuls start-up competition, but have also received a lot of funding. With FUSE, they have developed something that has never existed before - a device for the rapid measurement of tiny electrical currents.
Whether it's quality control of food, drinking water or pharmaceuticals, the detection of environmental pollution and viruses or security checks at the airport, measuring the smallest electrical currents is a central component of chemical or physical analysis everywhere. The more precise, the better.
The device from the founders of FUSE could make the work of testing laboratories easier and lead to even more accurate results. The range of possible applications is huge. In order to further develop their idea and make it marketable, the founders have set up ACKISION GmbH with the help of starting business, the joint start-up consultancy of hannoverimpuls and Leibniz Universität Hannover.
Ansgar - how does FUSE work?
The trick is that FUSE virtually collects the flow. It is difficult to see how much water is coming out of a dripping tap, but with a measuring cup underneath it is very easy. This allows us to measure both small and large currents quickly and reliably. FUSE works with measuring currents in the order of femtoamperes. In comparison with a socket, this corresponds to around one quadrillionth of the current in a socket. Figuratively speaking, anything is possible, from the weight of a pinch of salt to that of an ICE railcar. The current meter can eliminate previous deviations in measurement processes, saving a lot of time. What used to take 30 minutes now takes just under 60 seconds.
Why is it so important to be able to measure this current?
Let's take the example of drinking water testing. Here, of course, it is important to check whether and how many pollutants are contained in the water. To do this, a standard measuring device analyzes the water and generates a current that depends on the level of contamination. And it is precisely this current that is measured and analyzed by FUSE. The fewer contaminants there are, the less current flows. And the finer this tiny current can be measured, the better the analysis possibilities. FUSE can therefore be used wherever very precise measurement results are required. This is about safety and prevention.
© ACKISIONHow did you come up with the idea of FUSE?
We have been working together as a team for over eight years at the Institute for Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering and Metrology at Leibniz Universität Hannover. The initial impetus for FUSE came from a manufacturer of analytical devices who was not satisfied with the current market offering. The fact that others also believe in our product has been demonstrated by the acquisition of funding. All the research and development work was only made possible with the EXIST research transfer grant of over 720,000 euros.
What are your tips for other founders?
Students and academics can get extensive information on self-employment at starting business. Go there and ask about opportunities and funding, just like we did. Without starting business and the start-up funding, we probably wouldn't have dared to take this step out of our lab. Now we can continue to develop FUSE and make the world a little more measurable.
Contact details:
ACKISION GmbH
Dr.-Ing. Ansgar T. Kirk
0511 7624864
kirk@ackision.com
© ACKISIONThe next application phase for the Startup Impuls competition, in which you won 15,000 euros in prize money and individual advice worth up to 8,000 euros provided by Gehrke Econ last year, starts on October 12. How important was the prize for FUSE?
Very important, because we received tailor-made advice from the Gehrke Econ professionals in areas such as taxes, law and business management - important expertise for the next step forward.
Oliver Vogt, Managing Director and Partner at the Gehrke Econ Group, on working with the FUSE team:
It was great to be able to help shape the future of such an exciting scientific project as FUSE with our expertise.
Ansgar, how do you rate the collaboration with hannoverimpuls overall?
We received support from all sides right from the start. Be it with the spin-off, the acquisition of funding and, of course, the preparation for participation in the Startup-Impuls competition.
Marcus Rohde, project manager of starting business at hannoverimpuls, on the collaboration with theFUSE founders: "The engineers from ACKISION GmbH deliver cutting-edge research. FUSE is a great example of how young scientists can tackle a problem during their doctorate and put their findings into practice. The development has truly unique selling points on the market and countless areas of application.