IT toolkit for Industry 4.0

“Developing something that’s truly needed is just wonderful – a bit like art,” says Marc Fischer. His co-founder, Moritz Walker, adds: “In addition to our passion for technology, what motivates us most is the interaction with our pilot customer and other companies. It is clear that our approach is effective and resonates with the industry.”

The two research assistants at the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (ISW) at the University of Stuttgart aim to use novomation to bridge a gap in automation technology that has been growing for decades: While IT technologies are advancing rapidly, the software systems used to control and monitor equipment are lagging behind. This “Operational Technology” (OT) – the backbone of industrial production – operates according to fixed, pre-programmed procedures and can only be adapted to modern software processes with considerable effort. The two founders are planning a platform for real-time solutions that will enable companies to integrate modern IT applications – such as security updates or an AI algorithm for data analysis – more easily and directly into their machines.

While working on their dissertations, which Walker and Fischer defended in March 2026, the idea arose to put their research findings into practice by starting a company together. In 2024, the two participated in the ICM Early Ride Program at the Innovation Campus for Future Mobility, a three-month incubator program for innovation projects developed at universities in Baden-Württemberg. “The fact that there is support and a network for startups has been a great encouragement to us. Our Early Ride coach has connected us with valuable contacts among successful founders and continues to advise us,” says Walker. 

In 2025, the two presented their prototype at an international trade fair for digital automation technology in Nuremberg, thereby winning over their pilot customer, a plant engineering company in Baden-Württemberg. Together with the company's development department, they are working on a new control architecture that is scheduled to be in operation by the end of the year. Thanks to their institute’s close ties to industry and their participation in numerous trade shows and conferences, the founders have already built up a large network. “In our experience, even in our rather conservative industry, there is a great deal of openness and willingness to help,” says Walker. “I can therefore only advise all founders to just take the plunge and reach out to people.”

“The best way to find out exactly what is needed is through discussions with companies, ideally as part of joint projects,” says Fischer. The pilot project is also very important because it allows us to determine which components are already available on the novomation platform and which ones are still missing. In the future, the platform will offer software development packages and individual tools, some of which will be open source and others available as licensed components. So far, the two postdocs have been working on their startup project in their spare time. With support from TTI—the University of Stuttgart’s Technology Transfer Initiative — they are currently working on their application for funding from the exist program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). If they succeed, they will be able to devote themselves entirely to their startup at the ISW for a year.

With their startup novomation, Marc Fischer and Moritz Walker aim to make it easier for industrial companies to integrate modern IT software into their control systems. The two founders developed their innovative solutions at the Institute for Control Engineering of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Units (ISW) at the University of Stuttgart. With the support of TTI GmbH, they are currently preparing an application for funding through the exist program, through which the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) and the European Social Fund support business start-ups originating from the academic community. The prototype, which they are continuing to develop in a pilot project with a plant manufacturer, is scheduled to be put into practical use by 2026.

Start-up stories
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