Photosynthetic B.V., a new CWI startup, has received a convertible loan of €300.000 from Innovation Fund North Holland. Photosynthetic is a deep-tech startup working on a hardware solution for the microfabrication industry. With this financial boost the company will further develop technology for printing 3D structures on micron level.
Microfabrication industry
In the modern world, many high-tech devices are produced at the microscopic scale. For instance, the so-called Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), Lab-On-Chip (LOC) or microfluidics. Production of such systems is a complex process that requires large investment both in time and capital.
The goal of Photosynthetic is to revolutionize microfabrication industry by introducing a new, affordable, and very fast fabrication instrument. Such an instrument would work much like the conventional 3D printers, allowing generation of fully-3D prototypes in extremely short time.The technology is based on a patented technology that uses a chemical reaction controlled by light in 3D. Current technologies are based on stacking 2D structures.
Novel Technology
Novel microfabrication approach developed by Photosynthetic stems from the so-called Volumetric Lithography. It is an extremely fast 3D printing technique where the chemical reaction of polymerization is controlled in three dimensions by millions of light beams.
Alexander Kostenko, CEO Photosynthetic B.V.: “The financial boost of the Innovation Fund North Holland allows us to further develop our technology. The first steps that will be taken is finishing the prototype and the first test pilots in cooperation with our partners. This will allow us to step into the global market with greater self-confidence.”
Wouter Keij, CEO Innovation Fund North Holland: “Photosynthetic’s technology is a so called 'enabling technology' that makes it possible to print 3D structures at micron level. Especially in healthcare, but also in other areas, there is a need for ever smaller structures that support research and therapy.”
The company
Photosynthetic was founded in 2018 by Alexander Kostenko, a researcher from CWI’s Computational Imaging group, with the goal to explore and bring the novel technology of Volumetric Lithography to the market. In 2019, the company received the NWO Take-Off grant for a feasibility study and was hosted by the Demonstrator Lab of Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. This was followed by funding from Innovation Fund North Holland in 2020.
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