ABOUT

United in Curiosity

We are a diverse team of scientists, engineers, and passionate minds from various fields, all united by a love for discovery.

Dr. Kathrin Brenker

Co-founder & CEO
“The shredder”

Luis Köbele

CTO & Co-founder
“The Slam Dunk Maestro”

Philipp Helwig

Production Specialist & B.Sc. Student
“The Spin Master”

Maximilian Willaredt

Production Specialist & M.Sc. Student
“The knockout Champ”

Dhruv Shah

M.Sc. Student & Intern, Embedded Systems Engineering
“The wicked cricket Wiz”

Nour Habib

Science Community Manager, M.A. student English Literature
“The Sauce-Boss”

Dr. Kathrin Brenker

Founder Story!

I am a former optogenetics scientist and during my PhD, I struggled with the chronic lack of suitable illumination devices! I was the only opto-researcher in a otherwise hardcore immunology research group. So, I had to figure everything out by myself: Where do I get light sources? How much power do I need? Why do my cells die after illumination? How can I adapt light sources to different experimental setups?

Although a fun learning experience, it took forever until I was actually able to generate results for my thesis. Does every lab have to go through this tedious process of light assay development from scratch? 

So, I pitched this idea in front of some people, then some more people and finally had the confidence to write a startup grant for opto biolabs. It turned out many people were excited about optogenetics and how a small company from the black forest could have a global impact in this research area.

It was clear that I needed help for this project. A LOT of help. I still sometimes wonder why Luis decided to join opto biolabs and become my cofounder, but it was definitely the best thing that could have happened. We launched the pxONE and optoWELL, survived the pandemic, during which we developed a dozen more product ideas that we want to realize in the years to come.

With our products, we want to establish standards for optogenetic illumination and experimentation. Our customizable light devices enable software-controlled illumination output. You can compare – or even exchange – illumination protocols with your direct colleagues or your collaborator on a different continent. I also hope that our devices will make optogenetic research more accessible for smaller labs that don’t have years of experience building their own LED-devices.

Opto Biolabs in Numbers

Coffee-fuelled breakthroughs
Impossible ideas attempted
Nerdy debates sparked
Orca facts shared
Office plants surviving
Laughs shared annually
Our History

About Us

Check out
what’s going on
in the company!

What happened

  • We received the EXIST Startup funding which was the initiation of opto biolabs
  • We won the CYBERONE High-tech Award in the category LifeSciences & HealthCare
  • Our founder Kathrin invited to give a talk about optogenetics during the TEDx Heidelberg event
  • We won 3rd place during the international SPIE startup challenge in San Francisco
  • We received the Junge Innovatoren Funding
  • Our founder Kathrin was listed as MIT innovator under 35 – Europe
  • We received the Attract research grant to develop optogenetic cell sorting!
  • We launched our first product! The pxONE for optogenetic flow cytometry!
  • Matthias Bissinger, CEO of Bissinger Medizintechnik, joined us as an investor! Through his investment, we received the Pre-Seed BW Funding from the LBBW. We are grateful for Matthias’ trust and his investments was essential for the product development of the optoWELL illumination device.
  • Dr. Philipp Baaske, CEO of NanoTemper Technologies, joins us as an investor! Together with him, we received the Pre-Seed BW Funding from the LBBW. We are so thankful for Philipp’s trust and his investment allowed us to focus on product development of the optoSORT system and product launch of the optoWELL during the pandemic. 
  • We launched the optoWELL device for flexible illumination of the 24 well culture plates!
  • Hightech Summit & CyberOne 2021
  • We moved into our own office space at the Freiburg Innovation Center (FRIZ)! Finally, we have lots of room for development, brainstorming, production and are amongst other tech-startups from Freiburg. It’s a fantastic, collaborative environment!
  • German Innovation Award
    Opto biolabs received the German Innovation Award Gold 2023 for their innovative illumination device for optogenetic research: The optoWELL
  • OPW96
    Meet OptoWELL-96: Your new Illumination-Powerhouse for 96 parallel Experiments
  • Forum Gesundheitsstandort BW, 5. Jahresveranstaltung, Liederhalle Stuttgart
    Our founder Kathrin was invited to share insights on how to strengthen the biotech/healthcare tech transfer infrastructure in BW and Germany.
    forum-gesundheitsstandort-bw.de/jahresveranstaltung-2023
  • Dr. Philipp Baaske joins opto biolabs as angel investor!
  • First robotic integration of the optoWELL
    The INM Saarbrücken is the first institute to fully integrate the optoWELL into a liquid handling robot for fully automated optogenetic HTS.
  • Break Even
    The trust by our customers worldwide enabled us to live from your support alone!
  • Website relaunch
Our Mission

We enable your best research, yet!

At Opto Biolabs, we illuminate the path to discovery with precision-engineered optogenetic devices that deliver light with the accuracy of a micropipette. 
We empower researchers to push boundaries, accelerate breakthroughs, and publish faster, all while fostering reproducibility and innovation.

Diversity isn’t just something we celebrate—it’s at the core of who we are. Our team is a vibrant mix of scientists and engineers, leaders of all genders, and professionals from across the globe.
At Opto Biolabs, we thrive because diversity isn’t just our strength—it’s our superpower.

Our investors

Together we grow – our funding partners!

Opto biolabs has received over €700k in non-dilutive funding from our partners which allowed them to launch 4 products and get off the ground. Now, we are looking for partners to develop the next big innovation with us!

Contact us if you want to get involved!

Our values

Upholding our values

We Are One Team

Building a company from the ground up takes courage and teamwork. We spend a lot of time together—at work, during conferences, and even just for fun. Trust and respect are the foundation that lets us step out of our comfort zones and tackle new challenges, knowing our team has our back. Every success is a shared success.

Whatever You Do – Do It With Passion!

We believe that anything is possible with a positive, passionate mindset. Passion is contagious—it fuels the team and inspires us to give it our all. We love what we do, and we bring that energy to every task.

Stay Curious!

Yes, we’ve spent hours debating the feeding habits of orca whales, and we’re proud of it! Curiosity is at the heart of who we are. It’s the superpower that sparks open-mindedness and drives innovation.

Diversity Makes Us Happy

We see diversity as an asset, not a challenge. Located close to the University of Freiburg, we welcome international students and cherish the exposure to different cultures, mindsets, and—of course—delicious international cuisines! 😊

Our Customers Are Our Heroes

Our customers are the real superheroes, pushing boundaries in novel therapies, optogenetic tools, and bioproduction processes. We’re proud to support their groundbreaking work as a reliable partner in their mission to change the world.

Committed to Sustainability

We aim to make a big impact on optogenetic research and a small impact on the planet. By reusing packaging materials, optimizing production efficiency, and designing durable, high-quality devices, we minimize waste at every step. Each device is handmade in Germany with care and precision.

We’re always looking to improve—if you have suggestions on how we can be even more resource-conscious, we’d love to hear from you!

AWARDS

Outstanding – Recognized by scientists. Celebrated by industry.

We received several awards for our technology and business idea since we started opto biolabs in 2018