Marketing content

Why to invest

Transforming Transplant Care:
Pirche AG provides an innovative digital diagnostics platform. Its advanced predictive capabilities help transplant patients enhance their quality of life significantly and achieve longer survival with their transplant organ.

Technology Leadership in attractive Healtcare Markets:
Pirche holds 25 granted patents and has demonstrated medical efficacy in over 250,000 patient cases. Its digital diagnostic platform meets lab standards, ensuring reliable and accurate health care.

Rapid Revenue Growth:
After almost a decade worth of research the Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is expected to increase from around $1 million in 2024 to between $25million and $50 million by 2028. This is backed by the upward scaling of highly profitable SaaS (Software as a Service) agreements with transplant centers and clinics globally.

Strong Industry Partnerships & Government-Backed Recognition:
B2B contracts with major industry players such as ThermoFisher Scientific ensure additional ARR and seamless integration into the global IT landscape of clinics. Pirche's technology is supported by government-backed research initiatives in the EU, Germany, and Canada. Applications to US-government grants are pending.

Seasoned Leaders:
Thomas Klein, Founder & CEO, brings over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience in healthcare and IT, supported by a skilled team. Dr. Jürgen Schumacher, co-founder and former CEO of the multi-billion dollar company Qiagen, has anchored a group of experienced high-net-worth individuals investing over one million euros in this round, continuing their longstanding support.

Attractive Exit Strategies:
Pirche AG offers promising exit opportunities, including a potential trade sale by 2026, an IPO within two years to fund digital therapeutics, or valuable annual dividend distributions for long-term investors.

Thomas Klein, Founder & CEO, Pirche AG

“At Pirche AG, we fiercely commit to deliver the best possible match for organ transplant patients. A decade of research and development has provided the medical evidence that our technology improves patient outcomes. By combining real-time AI-supported immunological simulations with genetic typing, we offer an exclusive prediction pipeline that enhances transplant success and optimizes cancer treatments.

Investing in Pirche is not just about attractive financial returns - it's about transforming healthcare and improving lives. As the founder and CEO, this is something that deeply resonates with me and everyone on our team. Join us in making a profound impact on the future health care.” 

Thomas Klein, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Pirche AG

Investment information

Type:
Equity offering
Invested so far:
€2,090,900.30
Equity offered:
1.07 – 5.15 %
Price per share:
€15.85
min investment 20 shares
Transaction costs:
1.50 %
Number of existing shares:
2,129,337
Fully diluted shares:
2,325,310
Pre-money valuation:
€36,856,163.00
Offered units:
194,220
Broker:
Oneplanetcrowd International B.V
License:
ECSPR

Overview

Company profile

Patients in need of organ transplants often face long waiting periods. After finally receiving a transplant, their bodies frequently reject the new organ within a few years due to low compatibility and the limitations of immunosuppression measures. This rejection reduces patients' quality of life and leads to high healthcare costs. In fact, 50% of all transplanted organs fail to function within 5–10 years, causing many patients to face life-threatening complications or even death.

Mission:
Every patient needing an organ transplant deserves the best possible match. Pirche is devoted to enhancing organ matching accuracy to prolong the lifespan of transplanted organs and improve patients' quality of life.

Technology:
Pirche’s cutting-edge digital diagnostic platform leverages genetic typing and real-time AI-supported immunological simulations to provide precise, personalized medical decision support. Our technology aids specialists in transplant medicine by optimizing patient outcomes and in oncology by tailoring cancer treatments to individual genetic profiles. The platform is seamlessly integrated with leading laboratory IT systems, using standard data points that are readily available. This ensures a ‘Plug and Play’ experience.

Proven Medical Impact:
With over 80 peer-reviewed publications and 250,000+ patient cases, the medical efficacy of Pirche’s technology is well-documented. Our platform has been shown to predict patient outcomes, reduce complications, and enhance quality of life. For healthcare providers, this translates to lower costs per patient and improved success rates in both transplantation and cancer treatments.

Market Adoption:
Our primary focus is on the lucrative U.S. clinical transplant market, where we anticipate generating $25 million to $50 million in sales from our pipeline over the next few years. Till its commercialization in 2022, Pirche has consequently expanded its presence. Over 850 clinics and users have access to the platform through research contracts, which are now being converted into commercial agreements. We hold 25 issued patents and have several pending, securing our proprietary advancements globally until at least 2043. Our technology is also recognized and supported by government-backed research initiatives in the EU, Germany, and Canada.

Team:
Founded in Berlin, Pirche AG is the brainchild of healthcare entrepreneur Thomas Klein and Dr. Eric Spierings from the University Medical Center Utrecht. (UMCU). Dr. Spierings is a leader in the field of histocompatibility analysis and the inventor of the algorithms on which the Pirche platform is based. Together with a team of skilled experts and seasoned investors, they have propelled Pirche from inception in 2015 to a clinically and commercially viable enterprise by 2019.

Company Info 

Company name: Pirche AG
Managing Director: Thomas Klein (founder & CEO)
Business ID number: HRB 113682 B
Founding Year: 2015 (spin-off)
Address:

Nördliche Münchner Straße 27a
82031 Grünwald
Germany

ZEN Building
Newtonlaan 115
3584 BH Utrecht
Netherlands

266 Main Street
Medfield, MA 02052
USA
Industry: Heathcare
Number of employees: 15
Locations: Munich-Grunwald, Utrecht, Berlin, Boston-Medfield
Website: pirche.com
Social Media: ​

Products and services

Pirche AG is at the forefront of revolutionizing medical decision support across several critical areas of healthcare.

Solid Organ Transplantation:
The global organ transplantation market is worth $20 billion. Pirche's digital platform revolutionizes organ transplantation by helping physicians and clinical labs make better decisions about organ matching. Every year, over 600,000 patients globally await a kidney transplant, but only about 110,000 receive one. Pirche's precise algorithms improve the survival rate of transplanted organs, reducing the need for second or third transplants and saving more lives. The platform's effectiveness is proven in over 80 scientific publications and 250,000 patient cases. More than 850 leading institutions worldwide have research access to the platform, which integrates seamlessly with top laboratory service providers like Thermo Fisher and Werfen-Immucor.

Solid Organ Transplantation

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT):
For patients with compromised immune systems or bone marrow due to diseases like leukemia and lymphoma, SCT is a critical treatment. Pirche enhances donor and recipient matching for cord blood, haploidentical, and mismatched unrelated donor transplants, significantly improving patient outcomes. The SCT market is valued at over $2 billion, and Pirche is well-positioned with strong industry partnerships and a robust network of clinical labs and hospitals.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Oncology:
Each year, 17 million people are diagnosed with cancer, with 9.5 million deaths annually. Through the European Commission-funded ULISES Project (https://ulises-project.eu/), Pirche is part of a groundbreaking effort to train the immune system to detect and fight cancer. The platform is being adapted to help "reprogram" cancer cells, making them more recognizable to the immune system whereas Pirche ordinarily aims to reduce immune system reactions. This innovative approach offers new hope for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers. The cancer therapeutics market is projected to reach $180.19 billion by 2026, with Pirche poised to contribute to the personalization of cancer treatments.

Oncology

How does it work?

Due to the shortage of organ donors, only 1 in 4 of the 600,000 kidney patients on the global waiting list receives a transplant. The rest are ruled ineligible or die while waiting. The main issue is that doctors know too little about the immune relationship between donor and recipient, this is what primarily leads to early organ failure. Currently, only blood groups and 12 genome locations are compared along with considering the sex of donor and recipient. This limited matching allows predictions for only a few years post-transplant and is the reason why 50% of all transplanted organs are no longer functional within 5–10 years. This results in reactive medical care, early organ loss, multiple transplantation procedures, severe complications or death.

The problem: Pain points causing early graft loss

Pirche offers a digital solution for immune risk profiling using epitope-based technology, which is used to predict immune system reactions to a transplant procedure. It works with clinical lab results that are already standard practice. Pirche’s technology combines genetic typing with real-time AI-supported simulations, using over 34,000 alleles to analyze the immunological match between donor and patient. This complex analysis, which involves 10^38 possible variances, is made accessible through a user-friendly platform for clinical use, the TxPREDICTOR.

Pirche scores help clinicians stratify transplant risk and offer a decision support system looking 15–20 years into the future. This includes improved, personalized post-transplant care. Our AI-driven technology has the potential to transform transplant medicine and cell therapies, offering a significant opportunity for investors interested in advancing healthcare.

The solution: Pirche digital diagnotics algorithems

Business model

Two doctors working with the Pirche platform

Pirche AG’s business model focuses on generating revenue through diverse streams while leveraging its unique technological capabilities and strategic partnerships to offer unparalleled precision, integration, and efficacy in medical diagnostics.

Core Business Model

Pirche AG’s core business model revolves around providing its advanced digital diagnostic platform through Software as a Service (SaaS) agreements with transplant institutions. These agreements allow customers to directly access Pirche’s cloud-based analysis platform, as well as integrate with other vendors in the transplant space via APIs. The primary focus is on kidney transplant centres in the United States, particularly those with a history of early adoption of innovative technologies.

Geographical Presence

Pirche AG made its first foray into the European market over three years ago, primarily through pilot research contracts with leading medical and academic institutions including the Charité Medical University (Berlin), Zürich Medical University and University Medical Center Utrecht. The company is currently focused on building commercial brand awareness among clinicians in the highly lucrative US market through regional and national scientific meetings, strategic partnerships such as with ThermoFisher Scientific or Werfen, and an active clinical network.

Revenue Streams

  • Software as a Service (SaaS) Licensing to Healthcare Providers: Pirche AG provides its digital diagnostic platform on a subscription basis to hospitals, clinical labs, and healthcare providers. These subscriptions are tiered based on institution size and patient volume, ensuring scalability and tailored solutions.
  • Industry Partnerships: Collaborations with major laboratory service providers like Thermo Fisher and Werfen-Immucor generate revenue through integration fees and joint ventures, enhancing the platform's reach and utility.
  • Consulting, Data Analytics and Licensing: As the unrivalled industry leader in epitope matching algorithms, Pirche provides valuable insights and analytics to pharmaceutical companies and research institutions leveraging the PIRCHE platform, leading to potential partnerships and revenue from data licensing.

Customer Segments

  • Hospitals and Healthcare Providers: Targeting large hospitals and healthcare systems that handle high volumes of organ transplants, cancer treatments, and stem cell transplants.
  • Independent Clinical Laboratories: Collaborating with leading laboratories that require advanced matching and analysis capabilities for their diagnostic services.
  • Research Institutions: Partnering with academic and medical research institutions that can utilize Pirche’s platform for clinical studies and trials.
  • Pharmaceutical Companies: Offering data insights and collaboration opportunities to pharmaceutical companies developing treatments for transplantation and oncology.
  • Industry Leading Companies: Business to business contracts with giants of the transplant medicine space such as Werfen-Immucor and ThermoFisher to facilitate Pirche access.

Distribution Channels

  • Direct Sales: Employing a direct sales force to engage with hospitals, healthcare providers, and clinical labs, providing demonstrations and consultations to secure subscriptions and partnerships.
  • Partnerships: Making Pirche seamlessly available for clinics by leveraging our existing partnerships with major laboratory service providers and integrating into their globally available software suites.

Cost Structure

By leveraging its cost structure based on publicly available and auditable transplant volumes, Pirche AG aims to establish itself as a leading provider of digital diagnostic and decision support platforms, transforming the landscape of organ transplantation, stem cell transplantation, and oncology treatments.

  • Employee Costs: Pirche’s strength rests in its employees and the vast majority of costs are direct employee costs.
  • Sales and Marketing Costs: Allocating resources for marketing campaigns, sales activities, and customer acquisition efforts.
  • R&D Expenses: Investing in the continuous development and improvement of the platform’s technology.
  • Operational Costs: The platform’s infrastructure maintenance is fully provided by Amazon Web Services, meaning that all operational costs, including providing customer support and managing partnerships are minimal.

Impact

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or 'Global Goals') are part of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and constitute the international framework for sustainable development until 2030. These SDGs are intended to put an end to poverty, inequality, and climate change.

SDG 3

Pirche AG significantly contributes to reducing premature mortality from non-communicable diseases and enhancing patient well-being. The company's advanced epitope matching technology improves the precision of donor-recipient matching, reducing the risk of post-transplant complications and early graft loss. This leads to better long-term health outcomes for transplant patients. Additionally, Pirche's platform supports effective post-transplant monitoring, enabling early detection and intervention of potential complications, thereby improving patient well-being and survival rates.

SDG 5

Pirche contributes to healthcare environments where both men and women have equal access to medical treatment. Specifically, biological factors impact mothers, as pregnancy creates exposure to fetal proteins leading to the frequent development of anti-HLA (human leukocyte antigen) antibodies against these proteins. The presence of anti-HLA antibodies in the blood, a condition known as sensitization, complicates matching women with compatible organ donors. Pirche’s T-Cell Memory (Tmem) feature gives special consideration to high-risk transplant groups such as pregnant women and mothers, ensuring gender equality in healthcare outcomes.

SDG 12

Pirche AG enhances the sustainable management and efficient use of medical resources. The company's technology improves donor-recipient matching and reduces transplant complications, leading to more efficient use of donated organs and minimizing waste. This results in fewer repeated medical procedures, medications, and hospitalizations, thereby reducing medical waste and lowering the environmental impact of healthcare activities.

Market

Market

Pirche AG operates in the highly specialized and rapidly growing healthcare diagnostics market, focusing on three main sectors: organ transplantation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and oncology. The company's unique technological capabilities and strategic partnerships enable it to offer unparalleled precision, integration, and efficacy in these fields.

Organ Transplantation Market

The organ transplantation diagnostic market is poised for significant growth, with an expected annual increase of 8-10% as transplant rates rise in the US. With approximately 40,000 solid organ transplants each year at a charge of $1,500 per transplant, Pirche's total addressable market (TAM) is around $70 million. This TAM could potentially double as Pirche expands its platform offerings.

Globally, the organ transplantation market is valued at $20 billion, addressing the critical need for precise organ matching to reduce transplant rejection rates and improve patient outcomes. Over 600,000 patients annually await kidney transplants alone, highlighting the substantial demand for advanced diagnostic solutions. Pirche’s unique position as the only validated provider for both T and B cell algorithms, protected by three patent families filed in the US, EU, and Asia, gives it a significant competitive advantage. With no commercial competitors currently in the market, Pirche is well-positioned to establish strong utility and workflows within clinics, making it challenging for future competitors to penetrate.

Organ transplantation diagnostic market

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT) Market

The SCT market, valued at over $2 billion, involves treating patients with compromised immune systems or bone marrow due to diseases like leukemia and lymphoma. Pirche's technology significantly enhances donor-recipient matching, leading to improved patient outcomes in this critical area.

Oncology Market

The cancer therapeutics market is projected to reach $180.19 billion by 2026. Pirche’s innovative contribution to personalizing cancer treatments through genetic typing and AI-supported simulations addresses a significant need in oncology. With 17 million people diagnosed with cancer annually and 9.5 million deaths, there is an urgent demand for effective and individualized treatment options.

Strategic Positioning

Pirche AG leverages its advanced technology and strategic partnerships to provide precise, personalized medical decision support, positioning itself uniquely in these high-demand and high-impact markets. By creating and leading a new digital diagnostic market for organ transplants whilst simultaneously expanding its influence in SCT and oncology, Pirche AG is set to drive substantial growth and innovation in the healthcare diagnostics sector through the infiltration into an emerging digital diagnostic market.

Management

  

Thomas Klein, Founder & CEO

Thomas Klein

Founder & CEO

Thomas has over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur with a strong technological background. He founded Pirche and co-founded NOXXON Pharma in 1997, where he served as CEO until Pfizer invested in 2006. In 2004, he co-founded Arcway, the first spin-off from the Hasso-Plattner Institute, a leading center of excellence for IT engineering. He served as its chairman until its sale in 2010. From 2006 to 2020, he was the business development advisor and legal representative for all of Pluristem's (NASDAQ: PSTI) European clinical trials.

  

Eric Spirengs, PhD, Inventor of Pirche and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board

Eric Spirengs, PhD

Inventor of Pirche and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Spierings invented the Pirche algorithm for predicting HLA-derived T-cell epitopes and has supported its development from prototype to production. Since 2008, he has been an independent principal investigator at the Center of Translational Immunology and an EFI-accredited lab director at the University Medical Center Utrecht, merging diagnostic histocompatibility testing with research and teaching. His research focuses on T-cell responses related to organ and stem-cell transplantation, aiming to translate new knowledge into clinical practice. He has authored over 90 publications, has an h-index of 29, and has led minor H antigen projects within the 14th and 15th International HLA & Immunogenetics Workshops.

  

Bethany Dale, PhD, Vice President - Global Commercialization

Bethany Dale, PhD

Vice President - Global Commercialization

Bethany holds a PhD in Molecular Physiology from Vanderbilt University and trained in transplant immunology at Johns Hopkins. As Vice President of Global Commercialization, she combines her scientific expertise with over a decade of experience in HLA typing, antibody analysis, and cfDNA in the transplant field across medical affairs, business development, and strategy. She plays a crucial role in Pirche’s leadership team, driving business development, commercial strategy, marketing, partner relationships, and communications.

  

Matthias Niemann, Vice President - Technology

Matthias Niemann

Vice President - Technology

Matthias transforms the Pirche algorithm from a research prototype into a commercial tool-suite. He supports global research teams, co-authors publications, and presents at international conferences. With a Master's in Computer Science and Bioinformatics from Freie Universität Berlin, Matthias developed a kidney transplant database and worked on lab information systems at Charité University Hospital. His research focuses on epitope matching models and machine learning in clinical data.

Distribution of registered company shares*

Distribution of company shares

HW Vermögens- und Beteiligungsverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH (19.4 % Votes)
A fund backed by a prominent German industrial family conglomerate, which has employed over 150,000 people in Europe for more than 100 years. They specialize in impact investments, particularly in early high-risk phases of the healthcare sector.

Match Point Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. GbR (17.3 % Votes)
This civil law partnership consists of several investors who are all entrepreneurs or senior managers from well-known companies, bringing diverse expertise and strategic guidance to Pirche.

Beck + Fraundienst Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG (15.9 % Votes)
A fund established by two families originally from the real estate sector, now expanding their investment portfolio to include the healthcare industry.

GRP Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
Matchline Vermögensverwaltungs- und Beratungsgesellschaft mbH (11.6 % Votes)
A single-family fund with roots in the real estate sector, now investing in healthcare to support innovative solutions and advancements.

Science Holding GmbH (10.5 % Votes)
The family fund of Jürgen Schumacher, an early anchor investor in Pirche. Jürgen co-founded Qiagen, a billion-dollar biotech company, and is renowned as a business angel for numerous projects, particularly in healthcare. He is also a co-investor in Matchpoint GbR and Cytolon GbR.

Matchline GmbH (10.4 % Votes)
The family fund of Thomas Klein, founder and CEO of Pirche AG. Thomas brings his visionary leadership and commitment to advancing healthcare technology.

Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) (6.9 % Votes)
One of the world’s leading promotional banks, KfW has been dedicated to improving economic, social, and environmental living conditions worldwide since 1948, under the mandate of the Federal Republic of Germany and the federal states.

Cytolon Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. GbR (3.0 % Votes)
This civil law partnership includes several investors who are entrepreneurs or senior managers from prominent companies in Germany and Switzerland, contributing their extensive business acumen and industry knowledge.

*A detailed list of all shares, including virtual shares, can be found in the KIIS.

Company structure

Company structure

Pirche AG’s European headquarters are located in Grünewald, Germany, while Pirche Inc., a 100% daughter firm based in Medfield, Massachusetts, serves as our US headquarters. Two more offices situated in Berlin, Germany and Utrecht, Netherlands serve primarily as our Research and Development hubs, focusing respectively on IT/software development and Bioinformatics.

Use of funds

Icon 1

Maximum Scenario

(€1,000,135 - €2,000,270 collected in the financing round)

  • 50 % transplant market penetration USA
  • 25 % R&D, market entry post-transplant/immunosuppressant care
  • 25 % R&D, digital therapeutics in allogeneic cell therapy

Icon 2

Medium Scenario

(€500,226 - €1,000,135 collected in the financing round)

  • 80 % transplant market penetration USA
  • 10 % R&D, market entry post-transplant/immunosuppressant care
  • 10 % R&D, digital therapeutics in allogeneic cell therapy

Icon 3

Minimum Scenario

(€400,054 - €500,226 collected in the financing round)

  • 90 % transplant market penetration USA
  • 10 % R&D, market entry post-transplant/immunosuppressant care

Investor Amount
1 10 existing investors (including the founder and one new shareholder), all of whom have a proven track record as entrepreneurs, in some cases also in the health care sector, have invested in this financing round €1.1 million

Financial figures & growth

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Valuation (updated)

Icon Money

In this A-Growth financing round, current investors and a new industry expert have invested €1.1 million at a share price of €15.85. With the registered share capital prior to the financing round at €1,997,475 and a €2 million convertible loan from a major industrial collaboration partner, this investment reflects a pre-money valuation of about €36 million.

This valuation is market-confirmed and well-justified by robust growth expectations. The business plan projects sales of up to €50 million by the financial year 2028, with a SaaS-typical EBITDA margin leading to an EBITDA of up to €33 million.

It is important to highlight that SaaS agreements in the healthcare sector, while involving a relatively long sales cycle of 12–18 months due to the complexity of integrating digital platforms, result in extremely stable customer relationships over many years. This stability is further bolstered by the technological platform's exclusive property rights, which extend until 2043, with no visible technological alternatives currently on the horizon.

In summary, strong projected financial performance, coupled with the long-term stability of customer relationships and the exclusivity of the technological platform, robustly support the current valuation.

Pirche's planning predicts a break-even point in the summer of 2026, primarily driven by sales in the USA. The company operates with two complementary business models. The most significant factor is recurring revenue from Software as a Service (SaaS) contracts with clinics. Commercial contracts have already been secured with leading clinics in the USA and Europe, with additional contracts either in progress or planned for 2025 and 2026, as outlined in the business plan. Additionally, Pirche charges its industry partners fees for providing an interface that allows their software suites and customers to work seamlessly with the Pirche technology. This has generated monthly recurring revenues in the high five-figure dollar range for almost two years.

To achieve break-even by mid-2026, Pirche is planning a further equity capital round of approximately €2-3 million in the second half of 2025, based on a significantly increased valuation. This will be accompanied by ongoing investments in technology expansions and market development.

Phase

Year

Shares

Payments

Shareprice
Seed Phase

2008 - 2014

 781,372 €7,696,474.00 €9.85
Startup Phase 2015 - 2020 1,216,103 €6,502,361.55 €5.35
Growth Phase 2022 - 131,862 €2,090,012.70 €15.85
TOTAL 2,129,337

Exit scenarios

Icon 1

Trade Sale:
The most likely exit scenario is a trade sale to one of the conglomerates in the health care market. This is so far evidenced by initial (verbal) inquiries by industry conglomerates seeking to strengthen their position in the field of digital transplant diagnostics through an add-on acquisition of our company. The long term patent protection of Pirche's technology puts it in a unique position globally. Once the company is reaching break-even in the field of transplantation medicine, as is planned to occur around 2026, attractive potential acquisition offers can be expected.

Icon 2

IPO:
Due to the additional opportunities in the areas of cell therapies and oncological treatments, an IPO (alternatively to a trade sale or after a business carve-out) may be targeted in 2–3 years in order to raise the necessary funds to invest in the area of digital therapeutics. This would bring more potential upside and liquidity to the current investors.

Icon 3

Annual dividend distributions:
Alternatively, due to its large and growing markets and high profit margins, Pirche AG has the opportunity to thrive as an independent digital diagnostics company in the field of transplantation medicine. Therefore, the possibility of ongoing dividend distributions makes Pirche an attractive investment for long-term investors, who may benefit from those distributions or choose to effect an individual exit through secondary share sales.

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Investment related documents

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Updates

Note:

In this update section you will find new, project-relevant information that we receive.

Invesdor does not conduct a separate review of information received after the start of the financing phase.

UPDATE from 21.08.2024: Heart transplant patient Elmar Sprink on Pirche

"I had a heart transplant 12 years ago. 8 months after the transplant, I started competing in running again and now I am active in triathlon, trail running, MTB, mountaineering and skiing. Only 2 years after the surgery I finished the Ironman WC in Kona, Hawaii.

Elmar Sprink

Elmar Sprink

I was lucky to receive a well-matched donor heart, which gave me my life back. I support Pirche because this future-oriented digital diagnosis can help transplant patients and their doctors precisely assess risks before a transplant, potentially ensuring better organ survival and quality of life in the long term."

- Elmar Sprink

For more information, please visit elmarsprink.de

UPDATE from 19.08.2024:
Strategic Partnership with tcbalance: Extending the Financing Campaign

Pirche is pleased to announce a significant strategic collaboration with tcbalance Biopharmaceuticals, a pioneering leader in cell therapeutics. This partnership represents a major advancement, as it opens a direct participation for Pirche to the rapidly growing allogeneic cell therapy market and expanding the company’s business opportunities. Pirche Founder and CEO Thomas Klein says:

Thomas Klein, Founder & CEO

"The exclusive Pirche technology will be used for the first time in the development of allogeneic cell therapies and the 'off-the-shelf' selection using immune risk profiles in the areas of severe diseases. This is a significant step for Pirche towards the wider business of digital therapeutics.

In light of this exciting development and its potential to significantly enhance Pirche's growth trajectory, the financing campaign has been extended by two additional weeks. This extension allows more investors the opportunity to participate in this groundbreaking venture as the company moves into a new and promising business field."
 

UPDATE from 15.08.2024:
Frequently Asked Questions & Webinar recording from August 13, 2024

To address the most common inquiries, answers to frequently asked questions have been provided by Pirche. Additionally, for those who couldn’t attend, the recording of their second webinar is now available. This information offers valuable insights into Pirche’s progress and future plans, ensuring all potential and current investors have the details needed to make informed decisions.
 

In this round, we are seeking up to €3.1 million in growth capital, with €1.1 million already secured from renowned investors which includes current investors.

We do not publish the names of the investors behind the funds that we name as shareholders on the Invesdor site. But in one case, Science Holding, we’ve been given permission to name the owner Dr. Jürgen Schumacher, co-founder and ex-CEO of Qiagen, now a multi-billion Euro company. Another renowned investor and ex-CEO of a multi-billion Euro company in the field, for example, just joined this round with an investment of over €250k.

Not so far. We plan to break even by mid of 2026 and annual dividend distributions is a planned option by then; see our exit scenarios for further information.
We have an experienced team in the US which is focused on market access, supporting the regulation of the platform, clinician education and company exposure. A lot of the adoption of novel technologies in recent years in the medical space has taken place in the US market, so we aim to leverage this fact along with the experience of our US based team to execute our plans for market expansion in the transplantation and allogeneic therapy fields.
The European market is less homogeneous than the US market, given that each country within Europe has its own standards, regulations and requirements that must be individually adhered to. However, from the company’s inception, a central part of our business model has been to partner directly with leading academic, research and medical institutions in Europe, providing them with SaaS contracts that grant them access to our platform. This includes internationally renowned institutions such as Charité University Hospital in Berlin, University Medical Center, Utrecht and University Hospital of Zurich. We are also in talks with leading institutions in the UK and are continuing to expand our footprint across mainland Europe.
We can go to market, and we are in the market, with our current platform for pre-transplant risk assessment. For the next step, the post-transplant monitoring of immunosuppression, we are seeking FDA and European approval (in selected territories) by 2025/26. This gives us the chance to greatly enhance the fees for our services. But all calculations for break even by mid 2026 are based on the services that we provide today.
Around €20 million has been invested in Pirche. During the almost 10 years of development of the platform, all technological innovations have been consistently patented. The direct costs for this amount to several hundred thousand Euros in total. These are mainly in fees for patent attorneys, the patent offices around the globe and own directly attributable personnel costs. The annual fees amount to several tens of thousands of Euros. In return, Pirche has an exclusive role in the entire field of epitope matching in the use of B- and T-cell receptors, e.g. for risk analysis services regarding a transplantation. With further patent applications in 2023, the platform has very strong protection for another 19 years and can fend off competition through the patents alone.
The US and, for us, key European countries such as the UK, the Netherlands and Germany are always covered. Other countries such as France, Spain and Denmark are also covered with selected patents. In Asia, some patents are granted and applications are currently out in Singapore. Applications are also being filed in China, but we are very cautious about disclosures because we do not always trust the neutrality of the patent office there.

We are further developing an enhanced utility that combines multiple AI predictors into one holistic score. As the only product for T cell analysis, we are also the only company primed to create the combination product. Additionally as xenotransplantation grows we are tackling this head on with our most recent findings presented this past June at the American Transplant Congress (ATC). Furthermore, as cell therapies move into allogeneic off the shelf approaches we have the ability to work with partners starting from the R&D phase all the way through open clinical trials.

Crucially, we also aim to broaden the applicability of the platform within the transplant space (liver, heart, pancreas, lung). It is foreseeable that we could increase our valuation up to 5 times its current level with our R&D and diversification plans.

For this, you can refer directly to the three exit scenarios on the project page which will most likely become relevant in 2026:

  1. Trade sale
  2. IPO
  3. Annual dividend distribution
While this is a possibility down the line, the technology that would allow fully functional, stem cell generated, 3D printed organs to be used in transplantation is still at least several decades away. Xenotransplantation represents the current frontier for alternative transplant treatments and Pirche is already well positioned to partner with clinics, regulatory bodies and the transplant industry to deliver the gold standard for matching swine kidneys as an alternative to human donors within 5 years.
We work with highly trained people in the healthcare sector and with scientists and various specialists. To find and on-board the right people, we put in a lot of effort and have, as an example, established an office in Utrecht, as this is a leading European (even global) hot-spot for bioinformatics and immunology. Our network is wide and this puts us in the fortunate position of consistently having access to the right people.
In the field of epitope matching there are two academic technologies offered which originate from the universities of Pittsburgh and Leiden. However, they do not offer a platform and have limited capacities for application and analysis and no business strategy. We are the only company that has a commercially available predictor for T-Cell based transplantation risk, which puts us in a unique and protected position.
Another pandemic! Just when the product was ready, from 2020 to the beginning of 2022, we found ourselves more or less frozen, as the clinics were mostly focussed on pandemic response. However, as the product now goes straight to the market (and once it has been established in a clinic) the SaaS contracts can continue uninterrupted, even during a pandemic. Our risk reduction strategy is focussed on the attractive transplant market, with a very clear medical need.

The company is on target to achieve break-even in 2026 without additional investment under specific conditions: reaching the full €2.1 million from the current crowdfunding campaign, meeting projected sales figures, and maintaining exclusive focus on transplantation medicine. However, Pirche has already informed crowdfunding investors about the potential for an additional investment of €2-3 million in the latter half of 2025. This investment could be directed especially towards expanding the technology/platform within the cell therapy sector. Pirche would consider this step if it enhances the company's market position and valuation in relation to anticipated exit scenarios.

No, we only work with clinics, the lab directors or the treating physicians such as nephrologists or surgeons. We are not B2C. We are, if you like, with our SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) contracts solely B2B.


 

UPDATE from 08.08.2024: Meet Pirche investors & supporters

Dr. Holger Bengs, Chemist, Founder & CEO BCNP Consultants GmbH

Dr. Holger Bengs

Chemist, Founder & CEO BCNP Consultants GmbH
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“I first heard about Pirche at a presentation at the German Biotech Days in Wiesbaden in 2023 and found the technology and clinical results very convincing. If you dive deeper: a very experienced management, already seven-figure sales in one of the largest markets, the USA, a very solid patent base in Europe, America and Asia, global market leaders in the diagnostics industry as partner companies and fully committed life science investors who know from their own experience how to turn a technology leader into a global market leader. It is one of the rare opportunities to be able to invest in such a budding champion via crowd-financing. I am involved and will now follow Pirche AG's path from Germany to becoming a global champion in the digital healthcare industry with even more interest: Kidney transplantation is just the beginning of a very likely top success story.”
 

“PIRCHE stands for unique innovation in the biotech sector and thus strengthens the entire sector in Europe and beyond. That is why I have invested and wish Thomas and the team great success.”

Johannes Ehrhardt, CEO & Co-Founder Bluquist

Johannes Ehrhardt

CEO & Co-Founder Bluquist
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Reginald Y. Gohh, Professor of Medicine

Reginald Y. Gohh

Professor of Medicine, Georgetown Medstar Hospital
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“The field of transplantation has long been accused of using a “one size fits all” approach to patient care. With the introduction of Pirche, we now have an exciting new tool to provide more personalized care to our patients and hopefully improve long-term graft outcomes.”

“PIRCHE is an outstanding portfolio company of our Science Holding investments with a fantastic #team and a revolutionary technology to significantly push transplant and immunotherapy for the benefit of patients. This is an exciting opportunity to invest.”

Dominik Schumacher, CEO and Co-founder Tubulis GmbH

Dominik Schumacher

CEO & Co-founder Tubulis GmbH
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UPDATE from 08.08.2024: Webinar recording from August 7, 2024

UPDATE from 02.08.2024: Webinar announcement

Two upcoming webinars are designed to introduce you to the world of Pirche! Whether you're curious about the innovative technology, eager to learn about the origins, or interested in the mission and goals, these webinars are the perfect opportunity to get all your questions answered.

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What to Expect:

  • Discover the groundbreaking Pirche technology
  • Learn about the inspiring story behind the founding
  • Understand the core values and ambitious goals
  • Find out why you should be a part of the journey

Don't miss this chance to engage with the team and gain valuable insights into Pirche.

Register for August 7, 2024, 3 PM CET or Register for August 13, 2024, 5:30 PM CET*

*The webinar on August 14, 3 PM CET has been rescheduled to August 13, 5:30 PM CET

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