We’re Hiring – Photonics Scientists (m/f/d)
Copyright: STIFT // GMM AG
DeepEn GmbH Secures Seven-Figure Seed Round and Prestigious EIC-Transition Grant for Novel Holographic Endoscopes
DeepEn GmbH, a pioneer in holographic endoscopy technology, has successfully closed a seven-figure seed financing round from the investors bm|t, MBG Thüringen, and Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland. This investment will accelerate the development and commercialisation of the world’s thinnest microscopy tools designed to advance neuroscience and biomedical research.
In addition, NEUROGATE, a collaboration between the startup and three European institutes, has secured €2.5 million of funding from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition Programme in January 2025. Together, the consortium aims to advance the minimally invasive technology to a variety of new applications.
Investing in Neurophotonics Innovation
DeepEn’s endoscopes use advanced algorithms and holographic techniques to control laser light as it travels through a single optical glass fibre. When the fibre is inserted into an organ like the brain, it can bundle the light beam into a clean focus point, enabling laser scanning microscopy in previously inaccessible, deep tissue regions. This innovative technology has been endorsed by the 2024 Life Sciences Award of the European Microscopy Society.
Prototypes of the microscopy devices have already been used to image neurons and cancer cells in animal models. With the investment, the DeepEn team, led by CEO Dr Sergey Turtaev, plans to finalise and launch its first product, the NeuroDeep® in-vivo microscopy system, while accelerating the development of next-generation holographic endoscope technology for even more advanced applications.
With bm|t, MBG Thüringen, and Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland, DeepEn has gained three seasoned investors with valuable experience in the optical ecosystem in central Germany. “We warmly welcome our new investment partners on board and want to thank them for their trust in DeepEn’s team and technology,” says Turtaev. “Together, we will pursue our vision of enabling the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for neuronal diseases through our powerful imaging tools.”
Successful Transfer of Cutting-Edge Research
Starting in 2011, Prof. Dr Tomas Čižmár, a later DeepEn co-founder, worked on the holographic endoscope technology at the University of St. Andrews and the University of Dundee in Scotland. In 2016, Sergey Turtaev joined the research group during his doctoral studies. In 2017, the scientists relocated to the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz IPHT) in Jena, Germany, where they continued their work, funded by the prestigious ERC consolidator grant LIFEGATE.
In 2020, DeepEn’s commercialisation journey began thanks to the EXIST Transfer of Research program from the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, leading to a spin-out of DeepEn in early 2024. “This company is a prime example of how high-quality research, which has led to outstanding publications, is rapidly translated into a solid product,” says Prof. Dr Jürgen Popp, Scientific Director of Leibniz IPHT. “The team’s speed and dedication are impressive.”
DeepEn was among the 25 Falling Walls Venture Cup winners in autumn 2024 and was awarded the Thuringian Innovation Prize for young companies.
European Cooperation for Technology Translation
The potential of holographic endoscopy has also been recognised in Brussels. In January 2025, the collaborative project NEUROGATE was awarded €2.5 million by the European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition under Horizon Europe. “With this project, we are transforming the most recent scientific discoveries into valuable solutions for users, allowing monitoring of neuronal activity under natural conditions with unprecedented precision,” says Prof. Čižmár.
In addition to Leibniz IPHT and DeepEn, two international partners are involved in NEUROGATE: the Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences (ISI) in Brno and Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders (NERF) in Belgium. NERF, an interdisciplinary research centre for neurotechnology, is supported by imec, the life sciences institute VIB, and KU Leuven. “We’re excited to apply our expertise in advancing neurotechnology applications to better understand the brain and develop new therapeutic strategies for neurological diseases,” says Sebastian Haesler of NERF.
The Investors
About bm|t: Based in Erfurt, bm|t is the leading address for corporate investments in Thuringia. bm|t currently manages twelve funds with a total volume of around EUR 445 million, which invest in innovative companies in almost all sectors and in all phases of corporate development — both in the start-up and growth phases or in company succession situations. Further information is available at: www.bm-t.de
About Sparkasse Jena-Saale-Holzland: Since 1828, Sparkasse has been rooted in the region, providing financial services, advisory support, and funding for businesses and communities. As the largest regional financial partner, it enhances quality of life through digitalisation, financing, and public programmes. Sparkasse actively supports the region’s economy, education, sports, and culture. It fosters innovation by backing start-ups like DeepEn GmbH and, together with the Business Angels Club Jena e.V., has created a platform connecting start-ups with private investors to strengthen the regional start-up ecosystem. Further information is available at: www.s-jena.de
About MBG Thüringen: As a strong and reliable partner, Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Thüringen mbH offers small and medium-sized enterprises mezzanine and equity investments to strengthen equity capital for start-ups, consolidation, or successions. Companies partnering with MBG thus have a sound basis for solid development and sustainable growth. Further information is available at: www.mbg-thueringen.de
Copyright: Head image (STIFT – GMM AG ); Image of hand (DeepEn Westermann); Team (STIFT – GMM AG )
DeepEn at FENS 2024: Bringing Holographic Endoscopes to the Heart of Neuroscience
Holographic Endoscope in Action!
In June, the whole DeepEn team, had the fantastic opportunity to showcase the prototype of an ultrathin endoscope live at FENS 2024, Europe’s largest neuroscience conference, in Vienna.
The event gave us a chance to connect with an incredible community of neuroscientists, from Principal Investigators (PIs) to PhD students and industry colleagues. We were thrilled that everything worked out so well and that we could demonstrate how minimally invasive, hair-thin microendoscopy can be applied in deep-brain calcium imaging to such a large and relevant audience.
Holographic endoscope technology has long been confined to a few specialised photonics labs scattered around the world, with only a small number of researchers able to use it to explore biological questions through limited collaborations. However, holographic endoscopes have proven their value as powerful microscopy tools providing high-resolution spatial and temporal imaging in deep tissue regions—such as the amygdala and brainstem—that are notoriously difficult to access with other optical methods.
Therefore, we were proud to demonstrate a miniaturised, yet robust holographic endoscope system that can empower new, exciting discoveries in laboratories worldwide in the future.
Preliminary imaging results from Prof. Janelle Pakan
On the first day of the FENS2024 conference, during the Photonics for Brain Workshop led by our DeepEn co-founder Tomas Cizmar, Prof. Janelle Pakan presented, among other great results, imaging results from a previous collaboration with DeepEn at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN) and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Magdeburg.
In her study, a holographic endoscope was used to examine deep brain cerebellar circuitry in mouse models. The DeepEn system was used to record calcium signals from mossy fibres. Observing the activity of these deep-seated brain cells in correlation with the organism’s locomotion and speed could yield new insights into the functioning of cerebrocerebellar pathways.
Thanks to Prof. Pakan for the great project and for presenting the calcium imaging results to the broader neuroscience community!
Engaging with the Neuroscientists
The interest in holographic endoscopy at FENS 2024 exceeded our expectations.
Throughout the four-day event, many researchers visited the DeepEn booth to see the live demos and discuss how this cutting-edge technology could advance their own work. We were also impressed and inspired by the wide range of topics covered in the scientific program and at the poster sessions.
We walked away from the conference with many new ideas, potential collaborations, and a deep gratitude for the researchers who took the time to engage with us. We can’t wait to see where the future takes the rapidly advancing field of holographic endoscopy and how it will continue to advance brain research worldwide.
See NeuroDeep® in action at 2 Demo Days in October
Experience the developmental system of the world’s first holographic microendoscope in action in Magdeburg or Vienna.
An exciting time for DeepEn’s team. We proudly present the result of 2 years of work during 2 demo sessions at the end of October. The minimally invasive microendoscope NeuroDeep goes on tour. Busy times!
Demo #1 at 3rd Day of Intravital Microscopy – 23.10 and 24.10 in Magdeburg
This event is organized by the team “Intravital Microscopy” of German Bioimaging, an association of experts to connect practical performers of intravital microscopy and exchange techniques, methods, tips, and tricks. As such, it is very fortunate that this year, the Day of Intravital Microscopy is held at our partner institute in Magdeburg, the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, short LIN. Not only will two members of the DeepEn team show you the current performance of our NeuroDeep test system, but our co-founder Prof. Dr. Tomas Cizmar will also give a presentation about the the photonic technology behind it.
Demo #2 at IEEE Sensors 2023 – 30.10. in Vienna
If you are in Vienna and joining the IEEE Sensors, you can meet us for a demonstration on the 30th of October. The IEEE Sensors brings together almost 1000 researchers, engineers, and industry players for one of the most impactful gatherings with a focus on sensors and sensor systems. Optical fibres have been used for a long time as sensors, for example, to measure heat, deformation, or the concentration of chemicals. However, the possibility of using fibres for imaging should be very new to many in the community. We are looking forward to the feedback from the experts after our demonstration of our minimally invasive deep brain imaging system.
Excited for the first Demo
The functionality of the system has already been tested in different Neuroscience labs all over Europe. Now we want to demonstrate it to the critical eye of the public in order to collect even more valuable feedback. And of course, there is always excitement involved. Will the intricate optoelectronic heart of NeuroDeep work under the unpredictable and suboptimal conditions during a live demo? We are willing to try!
Contact
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Bringing Neurophotonics to Laser World
First time as a Strat-up at Europe’s biggest Photonics Trade Show
From June 27th to June 30th, 2023, our DeepEn colleagues Sergey (CEO) and Jiri (CTO) embarked on a significant journey to attend the Laser World of Photonics conference in Munich, one of Europe’s largest and most important photonics events. Their primary objective was to showcase the innovative potential of microendoscopy in the field of neurophotonics.
For Sergey, this marked his inaugural visit to a photonics convention not as a scientist but as a business leader. The two co-founders were on a mission to present DeepEn’s vision of introducing the first commercially available microendoscope for neuroscience applications. NeuroDeep® 1.0 represents an advanced laboratory setup that utilizes state-of-the-art holographic principles to facilitate microscopic imaging through an incredibly thin fiber. This technology is designed to serve as an endoscopic probe for minimally invasive imaging of living brain tissue.
Depending on the circumstances, NeuroDeep has the capacity to enable neuroscientists to achieve high-resolution or high-speed imaging of deep brain regions. This opens up possibilities for structural and functional imaging in critical areas such as the hippocampus, amygdala, or brain stem, all without the need to extract the overlying tissue.
NeuroDeep can already reliably resolve submicrometric features, such as dendritic spines, which can be imaged using commonly used fluorescence-labelling techniques. This capability can allow researchers to better observe changes caused by neurodegenerative diseases over time. To make deep brain neuron activity visible NeuroDeep can also be used for calcium imaging techniques. In the near future, DeepEn aims to tackle what is widely considered the holy grail of neuroimaging: voltage imaging, which would enable the visualization of neuron action potentials at significantly higher frequencies.
At the Laser World of Photonics in Munich, our project received substantial interest and attention. We shared a booth with colleagues from the research association Leibniz Health Technologies, and we are immensely grateful to them for providing us with this opportunity.
The thinnest endoscopes in the world – article in magazine chemiepharma-innovation.ch
The DeepEn team is working at full speed and with motivation to make hair-thin endoscopes developed at the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology usable for broad applications in neuroscience and medicine.
You want to learn more about DeepEn, our technology and the spin-off? Then read the article „The thinnest endoscopes in the world“ by B2B Swiss Medien AG from the magazine Innovation Chemie Pharma.
📍 Jena, Germany | Full-time
DeepEn is a spin-off company from Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology that develops minimally invasive microendoscopes for neuroscience applications. Using holographic light control, we transform a single optical fiber into a hair-thin imaging device, bringing microscopy into deep brain regions. We are translating over a decade of research (from Tomas Cizmar’s groups) into a reliable tool to empower neuroscience researchers and advance future medical diagnostics.
We’re looking for a Photonics Scientist to drive R&D and product development at the forefront of optical and imaging technologies.
🛠 Your Role:
• Develop and implement production workflows for innovative optical systems
• Contribute to cutting-edge R&D in a prestigious EIC project
• Develop software for hardware control and implement holographic algorithms
• Conduct functional testing and optimise system performance
• Collaborate with end-users in neuroscience experiments
🎯 Ideal Candidate Profile:
• Background in physics, engineering, IT, or a related field
• Experience with fibre optics, optoelectronics, and instrument development
• Proficiency in C/C++, Python, and LabVIEW
• Strong problem-solving and teamwork skills
• Willingness to travel for lab tests, conferences, and exhibitions
🌟 What We Offer:
✅ Work in a deep-tech start-up
✅ A collaborative, interdisciplinary team
✅ Competitive salary & work-life balance
✅ A family-friendly and inclusive workplace
💡 Join DeepEn GmbH and shape the future of ultra-thin endoscopes!
✍ No need for a formal cover letter—just share a couple of lines on why you are interested and attach your CV. We’ll reach out shortly
📩 Apply now: career@deepen-imaging.com
📮 LinkedIn Job post: https://lnkd.in/ee6VMNaM
📍 About life in Jena: https://lnkd.in/eMmFYzXy
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