PLUTA attorney Georg Jakob Stemshorn seeks investor for start-up Scantinel Photonics

Scantinel Photonics GmbH has filed for insolvency. By order dated 6 August 2025, the Local Court of Ulm then ordered provisional insolvency administration and appointed restructuring expert Mr Georg Jakob Stemshorn from PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH as provisional administrator.

The start-up develops innovative chips for autonomous driving. It has a workforce of approximately 50 employees, who have already been informed about the current situation. Their salaries are guaranteed for a period of three months thanks to specific substitute benefits provided under German insolvency law. The PLUTA team is currently arranging the pre-financing of these benefits.

Scantinel Photonics is continuing to operate. Mr Georg Jakob Stemshorn said, “The company’s technology is highly innovative. We will conduct an M&A process with the aim of securing a partner that can fully exploit the start-up’s market potential.” The PLUTA team also includes business lawyer Mr Maximilian König.

Technology with potential

The M&A experts at Dr. Wieselhuber & Partner have been engaged to conduct a structured process of finding an investor. The aim is to secure a financial partner to support the business going forward.

Scantinel Photonics CTO Mr Andy Zott said, “There is great potential in our technology and I am confident that our start-up has a long-term future. Our team is highly motivated and will support the administration team to the best of our abilities.”

The company filed for insolvency because of liquidity problems. A planned funding round (B funding) fell through due to the crisis in the European automotive industry and the associated delay to the rollout of autonomous mobility. Scantinel felt it had no choice but to initially suspend development of the world’s most advanced sensor technology for autonomous vehicles. However, the advanced sensor technology based on photonic integrated semiconductor components remains of strategic importance for Europe. Scantinel is therefore actively looking for ways to create a new basis for further development of its technology. The company was advised by attorney Mr Berthold Straetmanns from law firm Sonntag & Partner during the filing process.

Scantinel Photonics was founded in 2019 and is based in Ulm. It is a leading provider of FMCW LiDAR technology for autonomous vehicles and robotics. LiDAR (which stands for Light Detection and Ranging) is regarded as a key technology for self-driving cars. Compared to existing LiDAR technology (which utilises the time-of-flight principle), FMCW technology enables object detection at greater distances and with better reliability, especially in adverse weather conditions. FMCW LiDAR is therefore a key technology for the mobility of the future.