Successful University spin-out from Aarhus is going global

By

Line Breckling

November 26, 2021

The Aarhus University spin-out, RadiSurf recently closed a deal with the private equity fund, KCK, landing them a significant investment and catapulting them into a new league. They are tripling their employees over the next years, building a new headquarter in Aarhus and expanding to locations in the US and Asia.

CEO and Founder Mikkel Kongsfelt started RadiSurf in 2015 based on his PhD project in nano-science. RadiSurf produces a unique polymer brush technology where a nano-Velcro like structure coats the surface of a material and gives it the ability to adhere to different materials, in many aspects similar to glue, but with a unique set of properties. What’s also unique is that Radisurf can produce this coating on a large scale.

Growing into a global company

Using this coating is not a new solution. It was done in research plus thirty years ago. But the production was expensive, slow, and toxic.

“We transformed this into a solution that is scalable. We can do it in an environmentally friendly way, that’s quick, safe, and recyclable,” explains Mikkel Kongsfelt.

This year, RadiSurf was acquired by a private equity fund, boosting the company with more than DKK 100 million over next few years. The investment enables RadiSurf to build the world’s first factory for the production of polymer brush coating agents in Aarhus – ready for global distribution.

“It is time to scale the business,” explains Mikkel Kongsfelt, “we’re now building our new headquarters just down the road and a location in the US. We’re also planning on expanding to Asia.”

Planning a global future from Aarhus

The acquisition and investment turn focus towards building a global presence for RadiSurf. However, the centre for the technology will remain in Aarhus, which is expected to evolve into a world-leading knowledge hub for polymer brushes and advanced surface processes.

Keeping the headquarters in Aarhus, was important for RadiSurf for two main reasons.

“There is an incredible environment in Aarhus and our collaboration with Aarhus University is extremely important to us. And of course, our employees are located here. As a specialized knowledge-built company, our employees are our most important value,” states Mikkel.

The strong collaboration with Aarhus University and the ambitions to kickstart a world-leading surface processes hub makes Aarhus an area worth investing in for Mikkel Kongsfelt. Giving back to the innovation environment in Aarhus is a priority of his.

“I think there is great value in contributing to an even better and stronger environment for innovation in Aarhus,” finishes Mikkel Kongsfelt.

Explore RadiSurf here.

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