Niostem
Entrepreneur First '19Berlin, DE · Founded 2019 · 2 known investors
Niostem develops a drug-free, wearable device based on stem cell research to treat hair loss and promote hair regrowth. The company targets consumers experiencing hair thinning, citing pilot study results such as increased hair density.
Also known as Mane Biotech · Mane Biotech GmbH · niostem
Founders & leadership
Niostem was founded in 2019 by Carlos Chacon and Samuel Jellard.
Investors · 2
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Niostem is the product brand of Mane Biotech GmbH, a German company that develops and sells a wearable headset intended to treat pattern hair loss without drugs or surgery. The device applies low-level electrical stimulation (described by the company as bioelectrical stimulation) to the scalp with the stated aim of reactivating dormant hair follicle stem cells so that hair regrows naturally. Usage is designed around a 30-minute daily session; the device is stated to have around 20 hours of battery life and is paired with a companion smartphone app.
The app, published on Google Play by ManeBiotech, lets users control the device, set reminders, log progress and take and compare hair photographs, and is listed in the Health & Fitness category with more than 1,000 downloads. The company also reports work on machine-learning tools to quantify and assess hair growth over time from smartphone images. Marketing materials cite pilot-study outcomes (hair loss stopped in 95.4% of subjects after three months and 100% after six months; average hair density increase of 19.3% over six months) and a claim of being 3.4x more effective than medication.
The underlying research originates with cell biologist Dr. Carlos A. Chacón-Martínez, who studied hair follicle stem cells at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing. Rather than suppressing testosterone as pharmaceutical treatments do, the company's approach is positioned as regenerative stimulation of hair stem cells.
Founding story
Founded in 2019 in Berlin by Emil Aliev and Carlos Chacón-Martínez. Chacón-Martínez, a Colombian-born cell biologist from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, researched hair follicle stem cells and their potential for skin and hair regeneration; Aliev previously worked in M&A at Capitalmind. The company began with drug discovery for accelerating wound healing, then moved to smart electronic bandages intended to reproduce drug-like effects in the body, and finally shifted from skin growth to hair growth because skin and hair follow the same biological growth principles and demand for hair loss solutions was large. The first prototype was built into a swim cap with screws, cables and a large black electronics box; it was uncomfortable and unattractive but worked.
Business model
Direct-to-consumer hardware sales via the company's own online shop and, historically, a crowdfunding pre-order campaign. The website offers a subscription starting at EUR 89 per month with a six-month minimum term, free replacement electrodes shipped every three months during the subscription, the option to cancel and return the device, and ownership of the device after 14 months. A one-off retail price of EUR 1,230 was cited at market launch, together with a 180-day money-back guarantee. The founder states the company intends to expand both D2C and through B2B2C partners.
Revenue comes from device sales and from recurring monthly subscription payments that convert to device ownership after 14 months, with consumable electrodes included during the subscription period.
Traction
More than 3,500 units sold and shipped worldwide as of June 2025; over 2,000 pre-orders from 2023-2024 were produced and delivered by January 2025, after which the company reported one-to-two day shipping. The companion Android app has over 1,000 downloads.
Latest developments
In 2025 the company reported completing a large randomized double-blind study of the wearable with about 100 participants (Dermatest documents 101 subjects), concluding the device was safe and effective against hereditary hair loss. It cleared its 2023-2024 pre-order backlog by January 2025 and moved to one-to-two day delivery, and is working on ML/AI tools for smartphone-based hair growth measurement. The Google Play listing for the companion app shows an update dated 2026-08-04.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned as an alternative to drug treatments (creams, pills), shampoos and hair transplantation for pattern baldness, differentiating on being drug-free, non-invasive and side-effect-free. The founder states an ambition for niostem to become the leading player in the hair regeneration market.
Drug-free, non-invasive mechanism that stimulates hair stem cells rather than suppressing testosterone; clinical testing including a double-blind randomized controlled trial with 101 subjects conducted under dermatological monitoring by Dermatest, which awarded the wearable its "5-star-guarantee" seal after finding excellent skin tolerability and no irritation or allergic reactions.
Technology
Low-Level Electrical Stimulation (LLES) delivered through a helmet-style wearable with integrated sensors, described as reactivating hair follicle stem cells within the follicle to trigger natural regeneration. The hardware is combined with software: an app provides positioning guidance via live sensor feedback, adherence support, reminders and photo-based progress tracking. The company describes ongoing development of ML/AI tools for smartphone-based quantification of hair growth, and uses AI internally for code review, customer-service automation and administrative processes. The company refers to its approach as "Stem Cell Reactivation Technology".
Go-to-market
Product was launched through an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, which exceeded its EUR 50,000 goal within seven minutes and raised EUR 1.5 million in 2023. Sales now run through the company's own webshop, supported by a website hair quiz for qualification, customer testimonials and before/after imagery. Future distribution is planned via both direct-to-consumer and B2B2C partnerships.
Consumers with androgenetic (pattern) hair loss. The company originally focused on men but its randomized double-blind study included both men and women, and it positions the product for men and women worldwide.
Geography
Headquartered in Cologne, Germany (Stüttgerhofweg 1, 50858 Köln), with the company originally started in Berlin. The team of 18 is distributed across four countries, and units have been sold worldwide.
History
After starting with two co-founders in Berlin, the founder spent a period working alone in Cologne before finding a second co-founder; the team subsequently grew to 18 people across four countries. Development was supported by roughly EUR 200,000 from the German federal government's research allowance (Forschungszulage), secured with funding specialist INNOMAGIC. The wearable was introduced through an Indiegogo campaign that raised EUR 1.5 million in 2023, followed by production and delivery of over 2,000 pre-orders by January 2025 and completion of a randomized double-blind clinical study reported in 2025.
Risks & controversies
Efficacy claims (e.g. 3.4x more effective than medication, 19.3% average density increase, hair loss stopped in 100% of subjects at six months) originate from company-commissioned studies and marketing materials rather than independent peer-reviewed publications provided here; the Dermatest assessment cited covers skin tolerability and efficacy testing commissioned by Mane Biotech GmbH. The product is priced at a premium (EUR 1,230 at launch or EUR 89/month with a six-month commitment), and one source's own website copy contains typographical errors. Fulfilment of 2023-2024 crowdfunding pre-orders extended into January 2025.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsThe niostem Android app, published by ManeBiotech in the Health & Fitness category with 1K+ downloads, shows an update date of 4 August 2026.
In an interview with deutsche-startups.de, co-founder Carlos Chacón-Martínez described the company's pivot from wound-healing drug discovery to hair regrowth, a team of 18 across four countries, and over 3,500 devices sold and shipped worldwide.
Dermatest reported no relevant skin reactions, no irritation and no allergic contact dermatitis in the test area, and awarded the niostem Wearable its 5-star-guarantee seal.
A double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial under dermatological monitoring assessed skin tolerability and efficacy of the niostem headset on hair growth, hair loss and hair quality after three and six months of daily use in 101 subjects; the founder reported the device was found safe and effective against hereditary hair loss.
More than 2,000 pre-ordered units from 2023 and 2024 were produced and delivered by January 2025, after which the company said it could ship within one to two days.
Niostem introduced its wearable through a product crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, raising EUR 1.5 million in 2023. The EUR 50,000 goal was exceeded within seven minutes and the first production batch sold out.
The company started selling its helmet-style wearable to consumers via Indiegogo, with a planned regular retail price of EUR 1,230 and a 180-day money-back guarantee.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Niostemniostem.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Niostem do?
- German deep-tech company selling a drug-free wearable headset that uses low-level electrical stimulation to regrow hair.
- Who founded Niostem?
- Niostem was founded by Carlos Chacon, Samuel Jellard in 2019.
- Who are Niostem's investors?
- Niostem's investors include Entrepreneur First.
- Where is Niostem headquartered?
- Niostem is headquartered in Berlin, DE.