Solving the black box of fermentation

The project that secured them the EIC grant, ROLF (Revolutionary OnLine Fermentation Monitoring) platform, addresses a glaring problem in food and pharma: most bioreactors are black boxes. You can feed microorganisms nutrients, heat them, and stir them, but you can’t actually see what’s happening inside in real time.

Holloid’s solution combines in-line holographic imaging with machine learning to not only detect microorganisms but also classify their phenotypic states. That means producers of precision-fermented proteins, microalgae, and even pharma ingredients can optimise their processes like never before.

The impact is potentially enormous: 50–100x more efficient land use, 1,000 to 100,000x higher protein production efficiency, and significantly lower costs and emissions compared to traditional methods​.

EIT Manufacturing as a strategic support partner

While Holloid’s technology came from deep academic roots, it took the right ecosystem to help them go to market, and that’s where EIT Manufacturing stepped in.

“We got a couple of intros to some big companies, Siemens, for example,” Marcus shares. “We also got mentorship, visibility, and some great opportunities to pitch, like the BoostUp! East event, where we ended up winning two prizes.”

Markus holding up the BoostUp! East award at Manufacturing Day 2023; Photo Credit (c) Matthias Heschl

Hiring to join the dream team

With the fresh EIC funding, Holloid plans to use the grant to support both R&D and growth. The startup is also preparing to move into a new office and lab space as it scales to 25 people by year’s end.

“We’re looking for brilliant, hands-on people,” says Marcus. “Programmers, machine learning experts, firmware engineers, physicists, microbiologists, you name it. People who are practical, curious, and up for a challenge.”

Pinar agrees: “We need people who say, ‘I haven’t done this before, but I’ll figure it out.’ That’s the startup mindset we love.”

And apparently, talent already loves them back. “We’re getting amazing unsolicited applications from really smart people,” she says. What sets the Holloid team apart is the team culture. “Everyone is excited, has great work ethics, and contributes something unique,” Pinar says proudly. “Every time I see our device measuring something directly on a production line, I think, wow, we really made this happen.”

The long-term roadmap also includes healthcare. “Imagine a blood test being analysed using our platform. The idea is to bring real-time, non-invasive microorganism analysis into clinical diagnostics, enabling earlier and more precise medical insights. That’s a bit further down the line, but totally realistic.”

In collaboration with EIT Food, Holloid recently explored water monitoring use cases like detecting toxic microalgae in lakes. “If we can help people know when it’s safe to swim or drink, that’s a huge public health win,” Marcus says.

Marcus presenting Holloid’s impact.

Building for impact

Like many startups, Holloid is moving fast but not without its challenges. “We’re a lean team doing both hardware and software,” says Pinar. “That means constant prioritisation. The biggest challenge is staying focused. We could go in a hundred directions because the applications are endless.”

Marcus adds, “There’s a lot of admin and operational stuff that eats into time we’d rather spend pushing the tech forward. But that’s the reality when you’re scaling.”

Despite the hurdles, the founders are clear on what they’re most proud of. “The team,” says Pinar instantly. “Everyone is brilliant, enthusiastic, and genuinely cares about the mission. That’s rare.”

Marcus agrees but adds a deeper layer: “We’re not just building a product. We’re creating something that wouldn’t exist otherwise. We took a scientific gem that might’ve stayed in a drawer and made it real.”

And the market agrees. “Besides job applicants, we’re also getting inbound requests from partners and customers,” Marcus adds. “That tells us we’re on the right track.”