Illutherm was named “Startup of the Year” by Frankfurt Forward. The spin-off from the TU Darmstadt Institute of Materials Science prevailed with its business idea against five other young companies from Hesse at the final event in Frankfurt.

The Illutherm team led by MaWi alumni Lukas Porz and Michael Scherer is developing an innovative process for energy-efficient heating of materials using blue LEDs. The idea originated during Lukas Porz's doctoral studies at the Institute of Materials Science. The company is currently working on replacing large industry plants with compact LED furnaces. The first industrial-scale pilot is planned to go into full-load operation at the end of 2028.