Freiburg-based climate technology startup Qurie has raised
€2.2 million in funding from High-Tech Gründerfonds, Technology Transfer Fund TT49 and Aepikur GmbH.
The HVAC industry is facing increasing regulatory and
environmental pressure as the European Union phases out conventional
refrigerants under the F-Gas Regulation. Existing alternatives to
compressor-based cooling systems have struggled to achieve commercially
competitive operating costs, creating demand for new approaches to sustainable
cooling infrastructure.
Founded in 2026 by Dr Christian Vogel andDr Kilian Bartholomé as a spin-off from Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement
Techniques IPM, Qurie develops refrigeration systems based on electrocaloric
materials, which change temperature when electric fields are applied or
removed.
The company uses electrocaloric effects within stacked
material structures to create solid-state cooling systems with minimal
mechanical components. At the centre of the platform is a patented active
electrocaloric heat pipe technology developed at Fraunhofer IPM over more than
a decade.
Dr Kilian Bartholomé said the company’s heat pipe
technology enables more efficient heat transfer and higher pumping frequencies
than conventional liquid-based systems, helping make the platform commercially
competitive.
Qurie’s systems are designed to achieve higher theoretical
efficiency than conventional compressor-based cooling technologies, with the
potential to reduce energy consumption. The architecture is also intended to
support smaller and more flexible cooling systems for applications including
industrial enclosure cooling, electronics, medical devices, automotive systems
and building infrastructure.
The HVAC industry is facing a fundamental transformation –
regulatory, technological and economic. We have reached a point where we can
demonstrate that our technology not only works, but also makes economic sense.
This is the moment we have been working towards,
said Dr Christian Vogel.
The company plans to initially target industrial enclosure
cooling before expanding into commercial refrigeration, medical technology,
electronics and automotive markets.
The new funding will support continued technology
development, while an additional research programme funded by the German
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy will support development
activities through the end of 2026.