With its innovative cooling technology, AdaptX Systems GmbH has made it to the finalists of this year’s Deep Tech Award. Find out what makes the solution so unique and what steps the team is planning next.
Congratulations you are one of the finalists of the 9th Deep Tech Award! What does the Deep Tech Award mean to you and what was the motivation behind your application?
As a Berlin-based deep tech start-up, we see the Deep Tech Award as an ideal platform to present our company and our innovative solution to a wider audience. The opportunity to expand the reach of our network is particularly valuable for us. We are also motivated by the alumni network and the prize money.
Berlin is said to be one of the few German hubs for technological innovation. How do you experience the local tech infrastructure and how is it influenced by the Deep Tech Award?
Berlin offers young start-ups numerous opportunities and the chance to build a strong local network. As a TU Berlin spin-off, we also benefit from the university’s first-class infrastructure, which is a great advantage for a hardware start-up like ours. The Deep Tech Award reinforces these positive effects by increasing the visibility and recognition of innovative technologies in the region.
Let’s shift the perspective and talk about you a little more. You applied with your cooling technology. Please give us a little glimpse into your founding story and your key motivation to build this product.
The idea for our cooling technology for machine tools originated from research and is based on the doctoral thesis of one of our co-founders, Paul. In view of the promising research results and the potential of our cooling solution in terms of sustainability and efficiency, as well as the great interest from industry, we saw the opportunity for a spin-off. As a result, we successfully applied for the EXIST research transfer funding program, which has been supporting us for over a year. This funding has helped us significantly to further develop our idea and found our start-up.
Why do you think AdaptX Systems made the finalists list and why is it Deep Tech?
We competed in the Sustainable & Social Impact category and offer significant advantages in both areas. Our closed cooling system can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional cooling methods. We also reduce waste, promote a circular economy and eliminate employee exposure to aerosols or skin contact. We consider ourselves a deep tech company, as our idea is based on years of research and we have already filed our first patent.
What is the key technological innovation within your cooling technology and why does it advance the state of the art?
In conventional process cooling for machine tools, an oil-based cooling lubricant is pumped onto the component and tool in large quantities, resulting in high energy costs as well as environmental and health impacts for employees. Our innovation is a closed-loop system that completely replaces this cooling lubricant. Our system can be integrated into existing machine tools without costly modifications. We also work with significantly lower temperatures of up to -20°C, which can be individually adapted to the process. This significantly optimizes the machining process and sets new standards in the efficiency and sustainability of process cooling.
What was the biggest obstacle in your developing process? How did you overcome it?
There are always challenges and obstacles in the development process. It often helped us to talk to different people. The exchange with other founders, academic staff at the university and companies with experience in the relevant areas was particularly valuable.
How do you measure the social and environmental impact of your cooling technology, and what results have you seen so far?
The positive effects on employee health are quite obvious, as the closed system means there is no risk of aerosols or skin contact for employees. To calculate the reduction in CO₂ emissions that our solution enables, we have built a calculator that compares our solution with conventional cooling solutions. Furthermore, customer-specific boundary conditions can be adapted, as these are often very individual. We can then calculate very precisely how much can be saved by using our cooling solution.
How do you engage with local communities or stakeholders to ensure your technology meets their needs and benefits them directly?
We are in constant contact with companies from the region and other parts of Germany in order to understand the individual challenges and continuously improve our product in line with specific customer requirements.
What strategies do you have in place to scale technology and replicate its success in different regions or contexts?
In order to spread our cooling technology, we rely on traditional sales strategies to introduce our system to as many companies as possible. We are also continuously developing our system and expanding it to other manufacturing processes where our cooling technology also offers great potential.
What are your long-term goals for AdaptX Systems, and how do you plan to sustain its impact over time?
Our long-term goal is to build a successful company and introduce our innovative cooling technology to companies in the metalworking industry across the board. In doing so, we aim to make a significant contribution to reducing CO₂ emissions. To maintain our impact in the long term, we focus on the continuous development of our technology as well as strategic growth and partnerships that help us to scale and implement our solution globally.
What do you wish for in our technological or digital future?
We hope that our and similar solutions that contribute to social and environmental sustainability will be widely disseminated and implemented. This should help us to achieve our climate targets and improve working conditions worldwide.
What advice would you like to pass to young entrepreneurs and tech innovators who want to reach their goals and maybe also want to take part in the Deep Tech Award 2025? Since out of 100 applicants you made it into the finalists, we figure you have some real pro-tips here.
If you are applying for a specific category within the Deep Tech Award, explain exactly why your solution offers added value there. Prove and quantify this added value by demonstrating the specific need for your technology or innovation. Invest time in preparing your application by clearly explaining your research results, successes and the potential impact of your technology. Be convincing in communicating your vision and show how you are driving the future of technology.
Thank you so much for all your fascinating insights! Deep Tech can not wait to host you at the Deep Tech Award 2024! See you on the 11th of July!
