Making a measurable difference
Verdira Biotech originated as a university research project (previously known as DeTox) several years ago at the Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic Resources at the Technical University of Munich at Campus Straubing. This research was conducted at Professor Dr. Volker Sieber’s chair, initiated by Dr. Amelie Skopp and Matea Marosevic, with later additions of Katerina Zafirova and Mathilda Broders to the team. From day one, the vision was bigger than a lab result: to build something that can make a measurable impact in the real world.
How the team expanded
As the project matured, the team had to not only expand beyond its original team members, Dr. Amelie Skopp and Matea Marosevic, but also sharpen both its identity and direction, which is reflected in the rebranding from DeTox to Verdira Biotech.
Dr. Amelie Skopp is a postdoctoral fellow and current group leader of Functional Biohybrid Materials at the Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic Resources. She holds a PhD in the field of biophysics and biochemistry from The University of Texas at Dallas.
Matea Marosevic is currently a doctoral researcher at the Chair of Chemistry of Biogenic Resources. She holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Biotechnology from TUM.
Katerina Zafirova is a doctoral researcher at the Professorship for Innovation and Technology Management at TUM, led by Prof. Claudia Doblinger, at the TUM Campus Straubing for Biotechnology and Sustainability. She holds a Master’s degree from TUM with a Biotechnology and Material Science major, as part of the program Sustainable Management and Technology at TUM School of Management.
As the project gained momentum, Katerina’s role naturally expanded from course support into a team member, driving the strategy and impact activities across major milestones.
Mathilda Broders studied Law at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and spent a semester abroad in Law at the University of Calgary. She has already completed her First State Examination. As a future entrepreneur in the program, she worked as part of the team and complemented it by leading legal and compliance topics.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
The research focuses on addressing a stubborn industrial problem: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), airborne toxic chemicals that affect human health, the environment, and are heavily regulated. The vision is deliberately different from “just capturing” VOCs. The goal is to permanently eliminate VOCs, reduce hazardous waste handling, and avoid energy-intensive disposal.
By permanently eliminating VOCs (instead of only capturing them), Verdira Biotech enables triple-bottom-line impact: lower lifecycle costs and safer operations for industry while reducing compliance and liability risk, a healthier planet through reduced emissions and waste, and better protection for people and communities by cutting exposure to toxic air pollutants and by preventing leakages of such toxic compounds.
Winning 1st place at the TUM IDEAward
Winning 1st place at the TUM IDEAward 2025 was a milestone for the start-up, not just because of the trophy, but because it confirmed that their science can become a solution the world truly needs.
For the team members at Verdira Biotech, winning the TUM IDEAward provided them access to inspiring mentors and an ambitious community that pushed them to further refine their vision. Walking into such a challenge as an all-female team was transformative: it made clear that women are not merely included in deep tech entrepreneurship - instead, they are actively shaping its future.
The team member’s view: “This visibility was deeply motivating for us and, we hope, for others pondering to take the plunge. We hope more diverse teams - and especially more women - take this step and confidently claim their space in innovation.”
