The world's hottest probes come from Munich! The Munich-based startup Vectoflow is shaking up the flow measurement technology market with probes that are not only smaller and more robust than any other, but can also reach temperatures of up to 1800°C. Business is booming, and the Munich-based founders' goal is correspondingly confident: In three years, Vectoflow aims to become the world's leading provider of flow measurement technology.
What do gas turbines, Formula 1, drones, and extractor hoods have in common? Exactly, airflow plays a certain role in all of them. In order to accurately determine speed or angle of flow, sensors are used for measurement. What sounds simple at first glance has sometimes proven difficult in practical implementation. Katharina Kreitz, Christian Haigermoser and Florian Wehner They couldn't accept this any longer and founded the startup Vectoflow. Katharina on her motivations:
"We spent a lot of time in fluid mechanics during our studies, and all three of us always had the same problem: sensors that weren't suited to the application, sensors that broke easily, and software that was difficult to understand even with a doctorate in aerodynamics. So we thought there had to be a better way."
3D printing provides the solution
The challenge: to develop probes that can be perfectly adapted to the respective application area, that are smaller and more robust and can also be integrated into almost all existing systems.
The specialist team's idea: The probes are manufactured using a 3D printing process based on the powder bed fusion principle. Selected areas of a powdered base material (powder bed) are fused together using a laser beam. This allows each probe to be customized in size, shape, and material to meet customer requirements, and it's also significantly more stable because it's manufactured in one piece. Founder Katharina:
"Our probes are more robust, flexibly adapted to any application location, and significantly smaller than most others on the market. This is important because a probe is intended to measure the flow and not have any additional influence on it. We have developed the smallest probe in the world and also the hottest probe in the world, with operating temperatures of 1800°C. Furthermore, we can measure significantly more accurately than our competitors, which is due, among other things, to our software and our calibration algorithm."
“We also like to go out for pizza with our investor.”
For two and a half years now, the Munich-based startup has been serving the diverse needs of its customers, including Audi and Siemens. Vectoflow seems to have recognized a real need with its development, as business is doing well, as Katharina assures us: Cash flow is positive. With AM Ventures, they also have an investor on board who is more than just a financier and shareholder. When asked what is particularly important to them regarding their investor, Katharina says:
"Personal contact! We also enjoy going out for pizza with our investor. It's important to us that he also provides us with technical support."
Technical support is always welcome, even though all three founders are specialists in their fields. Katharina studied mechanical engineering with a specialization in aerospace at the Technical University of Munich and subsequently earned an MBA from the Collège des Ingenieurs in Paris. During her studies, she worked at BMW, Airbus, and NASA, always in the field of flow measurement technology. At BMW, she met Christian, who had a doctorate in fluid dynamics. Together they began developing the idea for the innovative probes. Katharina's MBA classmate Florian rounded out the founding team, which is now structured as follows: Katharina primarily takes care of sales and production, Christian mainly handles software and calibration, and Florian handles product development and finance.
Lots of support from the Munich network
The team is a good fit, and so is the collaboration with the investor. What about the city? Does the startup feel at home in Munich? A resounding "yes" from Katharina, a true Munich native. But regardless, the founders emphasized that they have received a lot of support from the Munich network:
"We received strong support from UnternehmerTUM right from the start: first with EXIST and then through the Techfounders program. As winners of the Munich Business Plan Competition, we also received support from BayStartUp. We are currently part of the ESA BIC Incubator in Oberpfaffenhofen."
And the three founders are also optimistic about the future. If Katharina has her way, things will go up, right to the top:
"We want to become the leading provider of flow measurement technology in the next three years. Worldwide!"
The chances of that happening are certainly not bad.
