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About MyPilz
Get to know us
"We share the fascination for the role of fungi in our ecosystems and the vision of the regenerative use of nature as a model for the future."
In February 2022, MyPilz was founded to share this passion. Our goal is to develop sustainable solutions and support pioneering projects with the most advanced methods in fungal research.
Wolfgang Hinterdobler is an enthusiastic natural scientist and biotechnologist. His studies in botany at the University of Vienna enabled Wolfgang to visit the Tropical Research Station La Gamba in Costa Rica. Here he investigated secondary metabolites of tropical fungi that live in symbiosis with plants. Fascinated by the complex interactions between fungi and plants, he continued his work at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and obtained his PhD with the topic "Chemical Communication of Fungi" at the Vienna University of Technology.
Wolfgang wants to use this know-how for the development and implementation of sustainable and resource-saving projects. With the founding of MyPilz, he is turning a lifelong fascination into a profession.
René Lux is a business economist by passion. He grew up on a farm in Upper Austria and attended the Commercial Academy in Eferding. After several semesters of economics and law at the JKU Linz, love brought him to Vienna. There he worked for Wombats City Hostels for 10 years in different leading positions.
Since 2020, René supports sustainable startups as a business consultant. He became fascinated by the kingdom of mushrooms during his training as a permaculture designer. The potential of fungi as a solution to many problems of our time impressed him so deeply that he founded the company MyPilz with Wolfgang in 2022.
Miriam Schalamun is a passionate biotechnologist with a particular passion for innovative sequencing technologies and bioinformatic data analysis. She is especially fascinated by nanopore sequencing, which she successfully established as part of her master's thesis on plant systems at the Australian National University in Canberra.
During her PhD at the Vienna University of Technology on “Cellular signaling in fungi”, Miriam deepened her interest in fungi and their interactions with the environment. She carried out her practical work at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology.
Today, Miriam contributes her extensive expertise and passion for fungal research as Head of Research and Development at MyPilz.
Our vision
Our vision is to raise awareness for the role of fungi in nature.
We are committed to preserving and protecting ecosystems so that we can continue to explore and understand them in the future.
Careers
”You should give up whatever job you have and just quit. Just stop now, and devote the rest of your life to mushrooms.
Gary H. Lincoff
Press
Native soil fungi for modern agriculture
Article from 05.09.2024 by Nadine Maehs on 3Sat NANO
“To make farmland more resistant to heat, drought and pests, one possible solution can be found in the soil itself - in the form of fungi. An Austrian start-up wants to help agricultural businesses to strengthen their soil with native, specifically selected fungi from their own soil and increase yields at the same time. Some farms in Lower Austria are already using the method.”
How native fungi can strengthen the soil
NO heute “ Fungal research against climate change”, broadcast date: 07.08.2023
“A local start-up wants to help farmers to make their soil more resilient to drought, heat and pests and increase their yields with the help of individually adapted fungi. Two farms in Lower Austria are already using the method.
Few people feel the effects of climate change as directly as farmers. Drought and extreme weather are affecting the soil in their fields and impacting their harvests. Ways are needed to strengthen the soil. This is where the fungal research start-up MyPilz comes in. It searches for spores of beneficial fungi directly in soil samples from farms. [...]”
Native recycling specialists
Article from the Permaculture MAGAZINE 2023 by Dr. Wolfgang Hinterdobler
A plea for our local soil fungi
A living and healthy soil is the basis for sustainable agriculture. Currently, the overuse of our soils is threatening the biodiversity of the microorganisms living in them, such as fungi and bacteria. With them, we are losing the most diverse and oldest architects of our ecosystems. New and strong solutions are needed to preserve the soil ecosystem for future generations.
Soil fungi are the recycling specialists of nature. They play a key role in the carbon and nutrient cycles of our planet by permanently binding CO2 through the decomposition of biomass and providing important nutrients for the plants with which they live in symbiosis. The fine branched fungal filaments loosen the soil, increase its water retention capacity and are significantly involved in the formation of humus. [...]”
The invisible world
October 2023, Stefan Nimmervoll, Unser Hof, Blick ins Land
„Soil fungi are crucial to the success of agriculture. A start-up is now helping farmers to create optimal growing conditions.
A fungal researcher from Lower Bavaria and a farmer from Upper Austria: this duo embarks on an expedition into the soil universe. There is plenty to discover there. Among other things, fungi that colonize the area directly below the ground and interact with the plants there. Depending on the region, soil type and cultivation method, the range of species can vary considerably. The fungal filaments are microscopically small and can hardly be distinguished from one another, unless you are Wolfgang Hinterdobler. The researcher founded MyPilz together with René Lux.
“René brings his agricultural expertise to the table as a farm owner and I know a lot about fungi,” says the doctor of biotechnology in an interview with unserhof. In a laboratory in Vienna's 12th district, the company sequences the DNA of samples sent in. [...]”
Why fungi are a miracle weapon for climate protection
21.04.2023, David Kotrba, futurezone
“They make trees healthier, allow them to grow faster and absorb more CO2. And you can eat them.
Fungi are quite frugal. They don't need much to thrive. They are an important component of healthy ecosystems and a valuable food for many people. They could play an important role in the fight against climate change. On the one hand by allowing forests to absorb larger quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and on the other hand because they can be used to produce a lot of food for people with little effort. [...]”
A breeding ground for new ideas
30.03.2023, Elisabeth Eder, Wiener Wirtschaft
“New companies are springing up like mushrooms in Vienna. Almost like the fungi that Wolfgang Hinterdobler and René Lux grow in their laboratory in the 12th district. The two entrepreneurs founded MyPilz GmbH last year - one of 9051 new companies that were established in Vienna in 2022.
“Our daily lives would be unimaginable without the special properties of fungi. We use many of their ingredients as medicines, such as antibiotics. We use enzymes from wood-degrading species to produce paper and modern biofuels. And not to forget, they fulfill countless functions in stable ecosystems and are mainly responsible for healthy soils, whether in forests or on agricultural land,” says René Lux. [...]”
Native soil fungi for modern agriculture
Article from 05.09.2024 by Nadine Maehs on 3Sat NANO
„Um landwirtschaftlich genutzte Flächen gegen Hitze, Trockenheit und Schädlinge resistenter zu machen, findet sich eine mögliche Lösung im Boden selbst – und zwar in Form von Pilzen. Ein österreichisches Startup will landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben dabei helfen, ihre Böden mit regionalen, gezielt selektierten Pilzen aus der eigenen Krume zu stärken und gleichzeitig den Ertrag zu steigern. Einige Betriebe aus Niederösterreich nutzen das Prinzip bereits.“
The invisible world
October 2023, Stefan Nimmervoll, Unser Hof, Blick ins Land
„Soil fungi are crucial to the success of agriculture. A start-up is now helping farmers to create optimal growing conditions.
A fungal researcher from Lower Bavaria and a farmer from Upper Austria: this duo embarks on an expedition into the soil universe. There is plenty to discover there. Among other things, fungi that colonize the area directly below the ground and interact with the plants there. Depending on the region, soil type and cultivation method, the range of species can vary considerably. The fungal filaments are microscopically small and can hardly be distinguished from one another, unless you are Wolfgang Hinterdobler. The researcher founded MyPilz together with René Lux.
“René brings his agricultural expertise to the table as a farm owner and I know a lot about fungi,” says the doctor of biotechnology in an interview with unserhof. In a laboratory in Vienna's 12th district, the company sequences the DNA of samples sent in. [...]”
Native recycling specialists
Article from the Permaculture MAGAZINE 2023 by Dr. Wolfgang Hinterdobler
A plea for our local soil fungi
A living and healthy soil is the basis for sustainable agriculture. Currently, the overuse of our soils is threatening the biodiversity of the microorganisms living in them, such as fungi and bacteria. With them, we are losing the most diverse and oldest architects of our ecosystems. New and strong solutions are needed to preserve the soil ecosystem for future generations.
Soil fungi are the recycling specialists of nature. They play a key role in the carbon and nutrient cycles of our planet by permanently binding CO2 through the decomposition of biomass and providing important nutrients for the plants with which they live in symbiosis. The fine branched fungal filaments loosen the soil, increase its water retention capacity and are significantly involved in the formation of humus. [...]”
How native fungi can strengthen the soil
NO heute “ Fungal research against climate change”, broadcast date: 07.08.2023
“A local start-up wants to help farmers to make their soil more resilient to drought, heat and pests and increase their yields with the help of individually adapted fungi. Two farms in Lower Austria are already using the method.
Few people feel the effects of climate change as directly as farmers. Drought and extreme weather are affecting the soil in their fields and impacting their harvests. Ways are needed to strengthen the soil. This is where the fungal research start-up MyPilz comes in. It searches for spores of beneficial fungi directly in soil samples from farms. [...]”
Why fungi are a miracle weapon for climate protection
21.04.2023, David Kotrba, futurezone
“They make trees healthier, allow them to grow faster and absorb more CO2. And you can eat them.
Fungi are quite frugal. They don't need much to thrive. They are an important component of healthy ecosystems and a valuable food for many people. They could play an important role in the fight against climate change. On the one hand by allowing forests to absorb larger quantities of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and on the other hand because they can be used to produce a lot of food for people with little effort. [...]”
A breeding ground for new ideas
30.03.2023, Elisabeth Eder, Wiener Wirtschaft
“New companies are springing up like mushrooms in Vienna. Almost like the fungi that Wolfgang Hinterdobler and René Lux grow in their laboratory in the 12th district. The two entrepreneurs founded MyPilz GmbH last year - one of 9051 new companies that were established in Vienna in 2022.
“Our daily lives would be unimaginable without the special properties of fungi. We use many of their ingredients as medicines, such as antibiotics. We use enzymes from wood-degrading species to produce paper and modern biofuels. And not to forget, they fulfill countless functions in stable ecosystems and are mainly responsible for healthy soils, whether in forests or on agricultural land,” says René Lux. [...]”
Investment
Fungi shape our future
MyPilz is an innovative company that aims to make modern fungal research accessible to SMEs and farmers. In order to further expand our laboratory, develop new products and services and drive our growth, we are looking for committed people who would like to support us on this journey.
If you are interested in investing in MyPilz, we look forward to hearing from you. We would be happy to inform you about the various opportunities to become part of MyPilz and shape the future of fungal research together.
