AeroShield Materials is an MIT spinout making the world’s most transparent silica aerogels to improve the performance of insulated glass. Aerogels are some of the most thermally insulating materials ever created, they are super-light, fire resistant, and have lower embodied carbon than glass. AeroShield’s proprietary manufacturing and integration processes maintain these properties while also offering glass-like transparency.

When bonded to glass, the aerogel acts like a macro coating that can dramatically improve the U-Value of glass products.  It is compatible with existing spacer and framing systems, and can be incorporated into existing gap thicknesses.

A thicker aerogel provides more insulation, meaning it can be tuned to hit different performance targets across a portfolio of products and future-proofs against further changes in building codes, incentive programs, and more.

eLstar Dynamics is a leading developer and provider of adaptive smart glass for a wide range of applications such as architecture, automotive and specialty markets. eLstar addresses the needs for attainable solutions by offering sustainable and affordable smart glass. By using existing manufacturing facilities, eLstar is able to produce smart glass with much lower energy and impact to the environment.

Lithium Designers GmbH is a technology-driven architecture and engineering company specializing in the digital planning and fabrication of complex building envelopes. Founded by Dr.-Ing. Alamir Mohsen, the company integrates cutting-edge research with practical applications, offering a patented system that combines parametric design (Li3_Method) with 3D-printed metal nodes (N-AM_Li3). This approach enables the creation of geometrically intricate, structurally robust, and airtight facade connections—fully aligned with BIM workflows and modern construction demands.

With roots in academic excellence and international project experience, Lithium Designers bridges the gap between innovation and buildability. The company is committed to redefining facade engineering through digital transformation, additive manufacturing, and sustainable design strategies.

Windows give us access to the beauty of what is right beyond the spaces we move through. They give us light and warmth that enhance our well-being. But current window technology is inefficient – and plays a significant role in carbon emissions.

When it comes to the health of ourselves and our planet, we should not have to compromise.

Miru believes windows are key to decarbonizing our built environments, so we have harnessed advanced dynamic electrochromic technology to help construct windows (“eWindows”) that automatically adapt to our ever-changing needs – enabling comfortable, beautiful, energy-efficient spaces.

Our eWindows are a breakthrough in glazing: smart, energy-efficient and ready for real-world impact, with the potential to eliminate up to 2 gigatons of CO₂ annually. With a growing network across North America and Europe, Miru is shaping the next generation of high-performance windows for the built environment.

OSSE is developed for a world that can no longer afford unsustainable electronics. Our organic semiconductor material, OSSE, combines conductivity and electrochromism in a single solution, offering an extremely low-cost, sustainable, and multifunctional alternative to current options. This scalable and easy-to-implement technology eliminates the need for traditional, resource-heavy components, enabling glass manufacturers to reduce their environmental impact while meeting the growing demands of the smart glass industry.

With OSSE, we’re shaping a future where smart glass is affordable, high-performing, and sustainable — from extraction to disposal.

ReViSalt GmbH, accessible at www.revisalt.com, is a technology startup of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, founded in 2022. The Freiberg-based company is revolutionizing the glass market with a novel process for the chemical speed strengthening of glass and its innovative SaltClean regeneration materials.

With chemical speed strengthening of glass, glasses can be strengthened in just a few minutes.

The regeneration materials extend the service life of salt baths by more than double, thus saving resources, energy, and costs while maintaining consistently high quality.

ReViSalt also offers consulting and salt bath analyses to optimize glass manufacturing processes. The technologies can now be used in almost all glass products and enable thinner, lighter, and more durable glass products.

In 2023, ReViSalt received a seven-figure investment from the TGFS and was awarded the IQ Innovation Prize for Central Germany, among other accolades, for its groundbreaking innovations.

UBLO Inc. is a Korean startup founded in 2018 by Korean architect Naree KIM and Dutch architect Robert-Jan van SANTEN. It makes minimalist windows with the planet and people in mind, aiming to reduce both embodied and operational carbon emissions by simplifying the component to minimize the use of frames, and creating energy efficient windows.

Step Change is for many – along with startups. We’re looking for university spinoffs, research projects or even more established companies.
Depending on what stage your company is in, you may wish to also consider attending the event as a normal speaker, participant or exhibitor.

We are focused on showcasing your ideas, products and services to help you build your business and commercialize your ideas.

Yes! In fact, some of our most interesting innovations were sparked within industries outside the glass sector. You may have a technology or application that no one in the glass industry has ever considered before. And that is the kind of disruptive thinking we’re looking for.

You can indicate your interest at any time. Step Change will accept companies for Base Camp 2023 on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration closes as soon as available slots are filled, so sign up now!

Participation fees have been deeply discounted thanks to our Step Change sponsors. It costs 850 eur/person to participate in the Step Change Base Camp 2023. This includes the conference ticket to GPD Finland 2023 and a promotional table in the Step Change area. The benefits you gain will far outweigh the amount of your participation fee in Step Change.

Glaston Corporation was the initial founder of Step Change as a startup program for the glass industry that occurred biannually in conjunction with GPD in Tampere, Finland. Today, there is a wide network of glass industry partners involved.