High-Tech Gründerfonds invests in Thuringian Technology Venture „HAPILA GmbH“

Start-up from Gera offers high-efficiency processes for purification of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

The shareholders and staff of HAPILA GmbH, a provider of sophisticated pharmaceutical and chemical development services located in Gera, are delighted to announce that the High-Tech Gründerfonds has invested in their company. “With this engagement by the HTGF, the ideal foundations have been laid to commercialize our high-tech crystallization technology” – said CEO, Dr. Uwe Müller.

The requirements for achieving the required quality and especially purity of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients are increasing continuously. To meet these advanced challenges of modern pharmaceutical development, different purification principles such as crystallization, chromatography and membrane-based technoloies are used. However, these procedures are expensive and have the disadvantage of wasting expensive material and so contribute significantly to the costs of production.

HAPILA has developed a continuous crystallisation process to achieve high purity combined with high yield making the process of pharmaceutical development highly cost-effective. Another advantage of the HAPILA process is its good “scalability” allowing HAPILA to develop and run the procedure from gram scale to commercial amounts very efficiently. In addition to the quality of API, this process also allows a significant upgrade in the quality of fine chemicals. HAPILA’s technology is qualified for strict GMP compliance and for handling high active substances safely.

The business unit for purification is sustained by two other business units – chemical synthesis and particle design.

HAPILA GmbH, founded in 2007, won second-place at the prestigious Thuringian Business Plan Contest with their business concept as well as with their innovative technology at the Mitteldeutscher IQ-Innovationswettbewerb. „This shows the high innovative and entrepreneurial potential of the start up and the great professionalism of the management“ is highlighting Dr. Merle Fuchs, holder of TechnologieContor and coach of HAPILA.

Dr. Bernd Goergen, Investmentmanager of the High-Tech Gründerfonds, summarises the reasons for the fund’s engagement: „HAPILA serves multiple trends in the pharmaceutical industry with its innovative counter current crystallization technology and its broad service portfolio, especially outsourcing and increased API development by biotech companies, who lack of in-depth experience in synthesis and production methods. Here we see a big opportunity and we are sure, that the highly professional and experienced mangagement team of HAPILA will be able to benefit“.

Contact:
HAPILA GmbH
Dr. Uwe Müller
Otto-Schott-Straße 9
D-07552 Gera
Tel.: +49 365 20 58 69 30
Fax: +49 365 20 58 69 39
Web: www.hapila.de
e-mail: uwe.mueller@hapila.de

About High-Tech Gründerfonds:
The High-Tech Gründerfonds invests venture capital in young technology
companies that transform promising scientific research into business
enterprises. The seed financing of up to 500 T€ is intended to shall result in a
technical prototype, a proof of concept or a proof of market. High-Tech
Gründerfonds has access to a fund volume of around 272,0 million Euro.
Investors in this public-private partnership include the Federal Ministry
for Economy and Technology, the KfW Banking Group as well as the six
industry companies BASF, Robert Bosch, Carl Zeiss, Daimler, Deutsche
Telekom and Siemens.

Contact:
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2
D-53175 Bonn
Tel: +49 228 – 965685-00
Fax: +49 228 – 965685-50
E-Mail: info@high-tech-gruenderfonds.de
www.high-tech-gruenderfonds.de

About TechnologieContor:
TechnologieContor organises innovative start ups and technology oriented entrepreneurs in business development and financing.

Contact:
TechnologieContor
Zeitzer Str. 94
D-07552 Gera
Tel: +49 171 – 4542042
E-Mail: fuchs@technologiecontor.de
www.technologiecontor.de