Vision
We enable our customers to make informed decisions with the help of precise data measurement by making emissions visible - for a climate-neutral future. The aim is to save 1 percent of global emissions and make water cleaner.
Mission
Our mission is to accompany wastewater treatment plants on their way to climate neutrality through the intelligent combination of precise measurement technology, software and AI-supported process optimization. We make emissions in biology visible, identify direct greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide and methane and use data-based analyses to enable targeted measures to improve treatment performance and reduce emissions. With innovative solutions and user-oriented consulting, we are setting new standards in wastewater treatment - for a sustainable and climate-friendly future
Management Team
Our journey is led by a passionate leadership team with deep expertise and a clear vision for the future.
Dr. Matthias Stier
CEO & Co-Founder
Johann Barlach
CEO & Co-Founder
Steffen Görner
CTO & Co-Founder
Fine Wolff
CAO & HR
Markus Jäckle
CTO Software
Our history
Variolytics GmbH was founded in 2020 as a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute. From the very beginning, the focus was on the development of new measurement technologies with which previously invisible processes could be precisely recorded and systematically improved for the first time. Initial devices such as Vario one and Vario two marked the technological starting point.
With the introduction of the EmiCo systems from 2022, it was possible to use them in practice and prove that direct greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide and methane can be measured in real time. This breakthrough laid the foundation for data-based process optimizations that reduce emissions and lower operating costs. In the course of further development, investors such as the Fraunhofer Technology Transfer Fund, the High-Tech Gründerfonds and the European Innovation Council joined in.
This was followed in 2024 by the market launch of EmiCo. lite, a user-friendly solution for cost-efficient and turnkey emissions monitoring.
In 2025, growth financing led by Nordic Alpha Partners secured the scaling into international markets.
Today, Variolytics and its system solutions are helping to make emissions visible, processes more efficient and climate targets more tangible.
Public recognition
The impact of our work does not go unnoticed: Variolytics is appreciated by pioneering cities, research institutions and expert juries alike. Our emission measurement systems are successfully in use in European wastewater treatment plants and have won several innovation awards. This is a visible expression of trust, scientific expertise and innovative strength.
Variolytics was honored with the VR Innovation Award 2025 in the "Micro and Small Enterprises" category. The prize awarded by the Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken Baden-Württemberg is one of the most important business awards in the southwest.
Variolytics was honored by the Commissariat Général au Développement Durable with the Greentech Innovation Award 2025 - as one of only two award-winning companies from all over Europe.
We were awarded 2nd place in the prestigious Start Up Energy Transition (SET) Award 2025 - an international competition for promising start-ups and young companies that are driving the global energy transition with innovative solutions.
Six start-ups from Baden-Württemberg and Germany were awarded the title of "KIGI Green Innovator" on May 4, 2022. 25 green start-ups were invited to Stuttgart for two days to further develop their innovations with the support of coaches, pitch their start-up ideas and expand their network.
The Stuttgart Innovation Award is presented by the state capital of Stuttgart in recognition of outstanding innovative achievements. The award recognizes the importance of innovation for the development of the business location and aims to focus on those who make a significant contribution to its success.
The CyberOne Hightech Award Baden-Württemberg is the central business plan competition for the high-tech industries in the state. Since 1998, the most forward-looking business concepts of technology-oriented start-ups and companies have been honored.
Supported by
Variolytics is supported by leading national and European funding programs. These programs confirm our innovative strength and strengthen our role as a pioneer in climate-neutral wastewater treatment and emission reduction.
The EIC Accelerator is a key EU funding program under Horizon Europe and supports start-ups and SMEs with breakthrough innovations on their way to scale-up. Variolytics was funded by the EIC Accelerator until May 2025
As part of the German government's AI strategy, the Federal Ministry for the Environment is funding projects that use artificial intelligence to overcome ecological challenges and are exemplary for environmentally, climate, health and nature-friendly digitalization ("AI lighthouses").
With 13 million euros, the Stuttgart Climate Innovation Fund is the largest municipal climate fund in Europe and supports pioneering projects in the state capital. Following the successful funding in Stuttgart-Möhringen with EmiCo, the fund is now also supporting a second project in Stuttgart-Mühlhausen, in which three EmiCo.lite systems are being used.
Supports students, graduates and scientists from universities and non-university research institutions who are interested in starting a business.