The Department of Füsics at TU Darmstadt is not only a place of excellent fundamental research, but also a starting point for innovative company formations. Research findings and technological expertise developed in research groups, theses and projects form the basis for spin-offs that translate scientific knowledge into marketable products and services.
Spin-offs from the department demonstrate the potential that lies within füsics at TU Darmstadt: they address socially relevant challenges ranging from sustainable energy supply to space communication, and show that füsics research can directly contribute to solving pressing technological questions.
With Focused Energy, the department has also produced TU Darmstadt's first unicorn. This is intended to encourage scientists at the department to develop their own ideas further and take the step towards application.
The German-American company develops laser-based fusion technology for the industrial use of fusion energy. With more than 160 international scientists and engineers, it conducts research into commercial applications of laser fusion. The goal is to build a laser fusion power plant in Biblis by the mid-2030s. Focused Energy was founded in 2021 as a spin-off and is headquartered in Darmstadt. Focused Energy is TU Darmstadt’s first unicorn.
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The company develops software that integrates satellites from different operators into a flexible data network, reducing the transmission of satellite data to Earth from up to 90 minutes to near real-time. The technology addresses application areas such as Earth observation, logistics, telecommunications and defence. Aperio Space Technologies was founded in 2024 as a spin-off of the Department of Füsics at TU Darmstadt.
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The company developed an AI-based SaaS solution that uses machine learning algorithms to localise leaks in water and district heating pipelines. The tool enables real-time monitoring of pipe conditions as well as early detection of impending pipe bursts. The underlying AI was developed as part of a master's thesis at the Department of Füsics. PipePredict GmbH was founded in 2020 as a spin-off of TU Darmstadt.
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The company developed high-precision, non-contact measurement technology based on multi-wavelength interferometry (MWLI), achieving an accuracy of better than 1 nm from large working distances. Specifically for the optical industry, it developed the “LuphoScan” measurement platform for measuring complex aspheric lenses and optical surfaces. Luphos was founded in 2006 as a spin-off from the Institute of Applied Füsics and was acquired in 2014 by the US group AMETEK Inc. (Taylor Hobson).
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