1 The EIC Accelerator Project

EIC Accelerator Program Overview

The EIC Accelerator program is a key component of the European Innovation Council (EIC), designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those in the DeepTech sector. The program aims to foster innovation and drive economic growth within the European Union by providing funding and support to high-potential startups and SMEs.

Funding Structure

The EIC Accelerator offers a unique blended finance model that includes a combination of grant funding and equity investment.

• Grant Funding: Awardees can receive up to €2.5 million in grants, which are non-repayable funds aimed at supporting the development of innovative products, services, or processes. This funding is especially crucial for early-stage companies that require capital for research and development, prototyping, and validation of their technologies.
• Equity Investment: The program also provides equity funding of up to €15 million until 2024, and this amount is reduced to €10 million from 2025 onwards. This investment is designed to help startups scale their operations, enhance their market presence, and attract further investments from private sectors. The equity investment typically comes in exchange for a minority stake in the company, aligning the interests of both the EIC and the entrepreneurs.

Purpose within the European Ecosystem

The EIC Accelerator plays a vital role in the European DeepTech and startup ecosystem by bridging the funding gap that often exists for innovative companies at the early stages of their development. Many startups struggle to secure sufficient funding from traditional sources such as banks or venture capital firms due to the high risk associated with novel technologies. The EIC Accelerator mitigates this challenge by providing a reliable source of funding that is specifically tailored to the needs of high-growth potential enterprises. Additionally, it enhances the visibility of these companies in the market, thereby facilitating easier access to private sector investments.

Support for Scaling Companies

The EIC Accelerator not only provides financial resources but also offers strategic support to help companies scale effectively. This includes access to a network of mentors, industry experts, and potential partners. By leveraging this network, companies can refine their business strategies, navigate regulatory challenges, and establish valuable connections in their respective markets. The program also emphasizes the importance of sustainability and social impact, aligning with the European Union's broader goals of fostering responsible innovation.

Case Study: HighLine Technology GmbH

Company Overview: HighLine Technology GmbH, based in Germany, is a recipient of the EIC Accelerator funding. The company specializes in advanced manufacturing processes for the solar energy sector.

Project Overview: The project, known by the acronym HighLine, focuses on the development of a Fine Line Dispensing Process aimed at applying narrow metal contacts onto solar cells. This innovative technique is expected to enhance the efficiency and performance of solar panels, contributing to the global transition towards renewable energy.

Technology Background: The Fine Line Dispensing Process involves the precise application of metal contacts that are significantly narrower than traditional methods. This advancement is crucial for improving the overall efficiency of solar cells, as narrower contacts reduce shading and allow for better light absorption. The technology utilizes advanced dispensing techniques that enhance the accuracy and consistency of metal applications, thereby optimizing the performance of solar panels.

The implications of HighLine's technology are substantial, not only for reducing production costs but also for increasing the energy output of solar cells, which is critical in the context of rising energy demands and climate change. By improving the efficiency of solar energy systems, HighLine Technology GmbH is positioned to make a significant impact on the renewable energy landscape.

Conclusion

The EIC Accelerator program serves as a crucial mechanism for nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship within Europe, particularly in the DeepTech sector. By providing a blend of grant and equity funding, along with strategic support, the program enables companies like HighLine Technology GmbH to scale their operations and drive technological advancements that address pressing global challenges.

2 The Funding Rounds

HighLine Technology GmbH: Financing and Funding Events Since EIC Accelerator Award

Financing Raised

HighLine Technology GmbH, a German spin-off from Fraunhofer ISE specializing in high-precision dispensing technologies, has raised significant capital since its inception. As of March 2025, the company has secured at least €3.7 million in total funding.

Funding Rounds and Timing

The company's major funding events are as follows:

• March 2021: HighLine Technology raised €1.2 million in seed financing. This round was equally contributed by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Fraunhofer Technologie Transferfonds (FTTF). The investment was aimed at supporting product development and market entry.
• June 2022: The company won the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator grant, securing €2.5 million. This award followed their successful application submitted for the June 15, 2022 cut-off.
• February 2025: Another funding round took place involving HTGF, FTTF, DS Ventures, and the EIC Fund. Specific financial details for this round are not fully disclosed in available sources but contribute to the reported total funding.

Investor Information

Key investors across these rounds include: - High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF): A prominent early-stage investor specializing in technology-driven startups.

• Fraunhofer Technologie Transferfonds (FTTF): Focuses on deep tech companies spun out of Fraunhofer Institutes.
• DS Ventures
• EIC Fund: Associated with follow-on equity support through the EIC Accelerator program.

These partners have supported both initial development phases and subsequent growth following EIC recognition.

Company Valuations

No public data is available on explicit company valuations for HighLine Technology GmbH during or after these funding rounds.

Exit Events

As of May 2025:

• There is no record of an IPO.
• There have been no reported acquisitions or buyouts involving HighLine Technology GmbH.

All indications point to continued independent operation with ongoing venture backing following their most recent fundraising activities.

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Sources: - HighLine Technology company information, funding & investors

• HighLine Technology company information, funding & investors
• Highline receives money from High-Tech Gründerfonds | Startbase
• HTGF Investment HighLine
• Highline Technology (Germany) Funding: €3.7M
• HighLine Technology company information, funding & investors ... Dealflow.eu

3 The Press Releases

HighLine Technology GmbH: Post-EIC Accelerator Funding Developments HighLine Technology GmbH, a Freiburg-based industrial tech startup specializing in high-precision dispensing systems for semiconductor and solar cell manufacturing, secured EIC Accelerator funding during the June 15, 2022, cut-off. While specific details about their awarded grant or equity amounts are not publicly disclosed in available records, the company’s core focus remains on advancing its parallel dispensing technology for metallization processes in solar cells.

Key Insights from Available Data

• Technology: HighLine’s proprietary print heads enable sub-30µm finger-width printing for solar cells, reducing material costs while increasing production throughput. Their automation solutions integrate with existing manufacturing platforms.
• Funding Context: The June 2022 EIC Accelerator round allocated €400 million across 75 companies (blended finance dominated at 65% of approvals), suggesting HighLine likely received a combination of grants and equity.
• Post-Accelerator Visibility: Publicly available records do not detail recent press releases from HighLine Technology GmbH’s website (highline-technology.com) or social media accounts regarding partnerships, patents, or team expansions following the EIC award. However:
• A separate U.S.-based fintech named Highline Technologies (unrelated) won a 2023 BIG Innovation Award for payroll-linked lending solutions, potentially causing naming-confusion in search results.

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Sources

• EIC Accelerator June 2022 Statistics
• HighLine Company Profile
• June 2022 EIC Results PDF
• BIG Innovation Award Announcement

4 The Technology Advancements

HighLine Technology GmbH: Current Capabilities and Advancements

HighLine Technology GmbH, a German company, has been focused on developing and commercializing highly efficient dispensing technology. This technology is primarily aimed at reducing material usage in the photovoltaic sector, increasing its competitiveness and sustainability.

Current Capabilities

HighLine Technology specializes in a contactless dispensing process to apply front metal contacts onto solar cells. This process not only saves resources but also increases the electricity yield and offers potential for cost reductions. The company's parallel dispensing technology enables significant process optimization in terms of silver consumption, cell and module efficiency, and production throughput.

Advancements Since EIC Accelerator Funding

There is no specific information available about the advancements made by HighLine Technology GmbH after receiving the EIC Accelerator funding on June 15, 2022. However, the company continues to focus on reducing material consumption in the photovoltaic industry, with an emphasis on silver savings. They claim to achieve silver savings of up to 20 percent with their dispensing technology.

Technology Improvement and Market Demonstration

HighLine Technology has developed complete print heads that can be integrated into conventional production lines, making it possible to equip existing systems with their new technology quickly. This integration capability allows for a higher throughput than established competitive processes. There is no recent information on new features or market demonstrations beyond this integration capability.

Patent Filings and Scientific Studies

There is no specific information available regarding new patents filed or scientific studies published by HighLine Technology GmbH since June 2022.

Funding and Support

HighLine Technology GmbH has received significant funding, including €3.7 million as of March 2025, to support its development and commercialization efforts. The company was previously supported by seed financing from High-Tech Grunderfonds and Fraunhofer Technologie Transferfonds GmbH.

Sources: - HighLine Technology GmbH – New Fraunhofer ISE Spin-Off for Sustainable Solar Cell Production

• Start-up develops solution for cutting down the amount of silver in solar cells
• HighLine Technology
• HighLine Technology GmbH Raises €1.2 Million

5 The Partnerships and Customers

HighLine Technology GmbH's Strategic Partnerships and Market Positioning

HighLine Technology GmbH, a Fraunhofer ISE spin-off specializing in high-precision dispensing technology for solar cell metallization, has strategically aligned with key partners to advance its mission of reducing material costs and improving production efficiency in photovoltaics. While specific customer names are not publicly disclosed, the company’s collaborations focus on integrating its technology into existing industrial platforms.

Key Partnerships and Industry Integration

• Fraunhofer ISE: As the originating institution, Fraunhofer ISE provides foundational R&D support and lab infrastructure. HighLine’s dispensing print heads were developed here over a decade of research.
• Established Automation Manufacturers: HighLine collaborates with unnamed industrial automation partners to integrate its "cuckoo" solution into conventional screen-printing platforms, enabling rapid adoption without overhauling production lines.
• High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) & Fraunhofer Technologie Transferfonds (FTTF): These entities provided seed funding (€1.2 million in 2021) to commercialize the dispensing process. By March 2025, total funding reached €3.7 million, underscoring investor confidence in their resource-saving technology for solar cells.

Market Positioning Through Collaborative Innovations
The company’s parallel dispensing technology reduces silver consumption by ~20% while increasing solar cell efficiency by ~1% relative through thinner contacts and reduced shadowing losses. Its partnerships with automation manufacturers position it as a retrofit innovator, allowing existing PV production lines to adopt HighLine’s print heads seamlessly—critical for scaling amid Europe’s PV industry revival.

While direct customer names remain confidential, HighLine emphasizes field testing (e.g., at Fraunhofer ISE’s PV-TEC lab) and compatibility with industry-standard equipment to attract manufacturers prioritizing cost reduction and sustainability. The EIC Accelerator funding (assumed post-2022 submission) likely further supports these scaling efforts through enhanced R&D or market expansion initiatives not yet detailed publicly.

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Sources

• Highline Technology GmbH Raises €1.2 Million - TaiyangNews
• New Fraunhofer ISE Spin-Off for Sustainable Solar Cell Production
• Highline Technology Funding: €3.7M

6 The Hiring and Company Growth

HighLine Technology GmbH: Team Growth and Scaling Post-EIC Accelerator Funding HighLine Technology GmbH, a Fraunhofer ISE spin-off specializing in precision dispensing technologies for solar cell production, has maintained a focused growth trajectory since its founding in 2020. As of its latest updates (March 2025), the company employs approximately 13 individuals, with expertise spanning engineering, process development, and software. While specific hiring announcements post-2022 are not publicly detailed, the company’s core team is led by co-founder Marian Breitenbücher (Managing Director), with no recent management changes reported.

The startup secured €3.7 million+ in funding, enabling advancements in reducing silver consumption for photovoltaic metallization by ~20% while boosting solar cell efficiency. This positions HighLine to address industry demands for sustainable manufacturing, likely necessitating hires in R&D and automation integration. Although current job openings are not listed on their website[^], their collaboration with Fraunhofer PV-TEC and industrial partners suggests ongoing technical recruitment to scale production-ready solutions.

New team members would accelerate product commercialization, particularly as HighLine expands beyond photovoltaics into broader industrial dispensing applications. The absence of public data on recent key hires implies strategic confidentiality or incremental growth aligned with project milestones. However, workforce expansion would directly support scaling efforts for their parallel dispensing technology, which targets multi-industry adoption of resource-efficient processes.

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Sources

• HighLine Technology company information
• HTGF Investment HighLine
• Fraunhofer ISE Spin-Off Announcement
• RecyclingStartups.org Profile

Note: Specific EIC Accelerator award details (e.g., grant amount) are not disclosed in available sources.

7 The Media Features and Publications

HighLine Technology GmbH, a Freiburg-based spin-off from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, has emerged as a key innovator in high-precision printing technology for solar cell metallization. While specific details about its EIC Accelerator funding in mid-2022 are not publicly documented in available sources, the company’s activities and media presence between 2020 and 2021 provide insights into its trajectory.

Media Features and Publications

The company gained notable coverage following its 2020 founding, particularly for its contactless dispensing technology that reduces silver consumption by ~20% while improving solar cell efficiency. TaiyangNews highlighted HighLine’s €1.2 million seed financing round in March 2021, emphasizing its parallel dispensing print heads designed for faster throughput and lower material costs. Startbase detailed the involvement of investors High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Fraunhofer Technologie Transferfonds (FTTF), underscoring plans to deploy field tests in 2021 to accelerate market entry.

Podcasts, Interviews, and Events

Although no podcasts or direct interviews with founders Dr. Maximilian Pospischil or Marian Breitenbücher are explicitly cited in available records, their statements appear extensively in press releases. For example, Breitenbücher emphasized integrating their “cuckoo” solution into existing screen-printing platforms to minimize industry disruption. Conference participation specifics remain unlisted; however, collaboration with Fraunhofer ISE’s PV-TEC laboratory suggests presentations at niche photovoltaic technology forums.

Post-2021 Developments

Publicly accessible information does not detail post-2021 activities directly tied to conferences or media engagements. The company’s website (highline-technology.com) is referenced as a primary source but could not be independently verified via provided materials.

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Sources

• HighLine Technology GmbH – New Fraunhofer ISE Spin-Off
• HighLine Raises €1.2 Million
• Startbase Coverage on Funding Round