AI for Breast Cancer Detection and Water-Saving Sewers
27.02.2019
Entrepreneurs developing artificial intelligence for breast cancer screenings, and for sewer and drainage maintenance, as well as software for smarter small hotels and a device for speedier mass spectrometry analysis each won 10,000 francs pre-seed capital from the Venture Kick national startup support program.
 b-rayZ co-founders Andreas Boss, Cristina Rossi and Alexander Ciritsis
|
 |
 Hades co-founders Dominik Boller, Eric Wolf and Christian Koch
|
|
 RoomPriceGenie co-founders Ari Andricopoulos, Marvin Speh and Jörg Siegel
|
|
 SwissSource founder Elena Tobolkina
|
|
The innovative founders from the University Hospital of Zurich and Swiss universities have three months to build their business cases before returning to pitch again to another jury of experts and investors.
b-rayZ: AI to improve breast cancer detection
Breast cancer kills more than half a million women annually. Co-founders Cristina Rossi, Alexander Ciritsis and Andreas Boss, image specialists and radiologists at the University Hospital of Zurich, are using artificial intelligence to make it easier and cheaper to detect abnormalities in breast tissue. Their software, which reads mammograms as well as an experienced radiologist, indicates when an initial x-ray image should be supplemented by an ultrasound scan and if the image quality complies with international standards. This saves clinicians' time, and patients unnecessary delays and travel.
Hades: AI to improve sewer maintenance
Urban drainage systems are vital for public health and environmental protection, managing rainwater and removing wastewater from households. The maintenance of Europe's 2.5 million kilometers of public drains is becoming more difficult due to ageing infrastructure, urbanization and heavier rainfall. Hades' co-founders Dominik Boller, Christian Koch and Eric Wolf blend environmental engineering, and computer and data scientist knowledge from the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (ETH) and Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). Their team is using deep learning, cloud computing and data analysis to help cities become more sustainable and resilient.
RoomPriceGenie: dynamic pricing for small hotels
Revenue management for many small hotels merely means a high-season and a low-season. That old-fashioned approach doesn't make sense to co-founders Ari Andricopoulos, author of 49 Tips to Supercharge your Revenue, Marvin Speh, and Jörg Siegel. The trio, linked to the ETH, the University of St. Gallen, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, blend backgrounds in the travel, finance and data industries. They are refining an algorithm to help small hotels fill their rooms throughout the year and increase revenue by as much as 15 percent.
SwissSource Sàrl: faster mass spectrometry tests
Preparing and analyzing samples using mass spectrometry are elaborate processes that can take from 4 to 24 hours in total. Such delays can cause biological materials to deteriorate, reducing the value of data gained. SwissSource founder Elena Tobolkina, who researched methods of chemical and biochemical analysis during her PhD at Switzerland’s École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), is developing a device based on patented electrostatic spray ionization technique to make analyzing any sample, from any surface, simpler and quicker for researchers.