MILESTONES
The idea
The idea for a new, revolutionary gearbox, the "Smart Gear", was initiated jointly by Michael Michelitsch and Philipp Eisele in the course of their Master's studies at Graz University of Technology at the beginning of 2019. The initial considerations were quickly transformed into a clear and tangible vision.
1st place Start-up Garage Vol.XII
With the support of "Gründungsgarage", the academic startup accelerator of TU Graz, a business model was developed together with mentors, which was able to convince the entire jury in the final pitch and was chosen as the winner of Volume XII 2019.
Patent application No. 1 - "Koaxialgetriebe"
A patent application for the innovative gearing concept with pistons as transmission elements was filed with the Austrian Patent Office on 26.7.2019 (priority date).
AWS Large Prototypes - Funding
As a Spin-Off of Graz University of Technology, Kraken Innovations GmbH is already equipped with a foundation of expertise. Through the previous project "Smart Gear", which was initially funded by the Institute of Production Engineering and subsequently by the AWS grant "Large Prototype Grant", it was already possible to develop a state of the art technology in the lead-up to the foundation.
Patent application No. 2 - "Getriebemotor"
With the patent application "Getriebemotor" with priority 28.07.2020, the integration of an electric motor into the gear structure was registered at the Austrian Patent Office.
Incubation Science Park Graz
The business model was further sharpened through participation in the Science Park Academy and led to incubation by Science Park Graz at the end of 2020 after a convincing presentation to the Project Advisory Board. Since then, the start-up incubator has accompanied and supported the company's development with its wide-ranging expertise.
Founding
On 19 February 2021, the official launch of a strong future in the field of intelligent drive technology was made with the founding of Kraken Innovations GmbH, based in Graz, by the shareholders Philipp Eisele, Michael Michelitsch and Daniel Fürhapter.
SFG Start!Klar plus - Funding
As one of five young companies, Kraken Innovations GmbH was granted Start!Klar Plus funding by the Styrian Business Promotion Agency SFG in April 2021. This serves to finance entrepreneurial activities.
FFG Patent.Scheck - Funding
On 21 May 2021, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) agreed to fund applications for further transmission innovations.
Trade registration
Kraken Innovations GmbH is a member of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce in the trade of mechatronics for machine and production technology.
Transfer of patents
Both inventions (“Koaxialgetriebe” and “Getriebemotor”) were developed and patented by joint research with TU Graz. The granted patents and further patent applications were acquired from TU Graz in August 2021. All future IPs of the ongoing cooperation will be filed directly by Kraken Innovations GmbH.
Trademark protection
The trademark "Kraken Innovations" was registered in the European Union in June 2021. The official granting as an EU trademark followed in September 2021.
Talks with investors
With the half-year existence of Kraken Innovations GmbH and the milestones achieved so far, the first talks with interested investors started in October 2021. The high investment requirement in the area of R&D is to be secured by onboarding of investors.
Patent application No. 3 - "Koaxialgetriebe"
With the patent application "Koaxialgetriebe" with priority 16.11.2021 a new functional principle for the kinematics of the gearbox was applied for at the WIPO.
Microsoft for Startups programme
At the end of 2021, Kraken Innovations GmbH was accepted into the Microsoft for Startups programme, which provides valuable cloud resources for the patented transmission concept and enables faster access to potential customers.
Current action
In the process of continuous further development of a market-ready prototype, the current technical focus is on the integration of sensors as well as the development of a holistic drive module including aspects such as predictive maintenance, machine learning, communication interfaces, etc. In addition to the intensive work on the state of the art, the creation of a corporate infrastructure, marketing and the development of a strong and diverse partner network will be in the foreground in the coming months. In the context of these projects, there is a high need for investment, which is to be covered by investors both in the form of provided capital and by means of support services in the manufacturing and business areas.