Qurie, a Freiburg-based startup developing next-generation electrocaloric cooling systems, has secured €2.2 million in Seed funding. The round was jointly backed by HTGF | High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Technology Transfer Fund TT49, and Aepikur GmbH.
The company is developing electrocaloric refrigeration systems that operate without compressors, refrigerants, or pressure build-up. Qurie said its technology is designed to deliver quieter, more efficient, and more sustainable cooling solutions compared to conventional refrigeration systems.
The company’s technology is targeting the HVAC market as the industry faces increasing regulatory, technological, and economic pressures to transition toward cleaner and more energy-efficient systems. Qurie’s approach is based on electrocaloric cooling technology, which aims to eliminate the need for traditional refrigerants and compressor-based architectures.
According to commentary shared in response to the funding announcement, the Seed round represents a key milestone as the company works to commercialize technology developed over the past decade and bring it into industrial applications.
KEY QUOTES:
“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.”
Dr. Christian Vogel, CEO And Co-Founder, Qurie
“Qurie’s €2.2M Seed round with HTGF, TT49 and Aepikur is not just about replacing compressors or refrigerants.
It is the moment where Christian Vogel and Kilian Bartholomé must turn a ten-year Fraunhofer technology into a product industrial customers can install and trust.
If the active electrocaloric heat pipe works only in controlled settings, then industrial enclosure cooling remains a niche pilot; if lifetime stability, servicing and cost hold in real cabinets, then HVAC adoption can start from a very practical wedge.”
Thomas Koene, Clarity Before Investing, Seed & Series A, Life Sciences & Industrial Technologies, Europe
