CHF 10,000 for Startups Developing AIs for Knowledge Management and Automakers, Self-Tests for STIs, Shades That Produce Solar Power, and a Device to Scan Lab Animals
07.10.2019
Discover the five winning projects – NxSights, SELPH, neurobotX, iWin, KaleiBox – and teams that each receive 10,000 francs and entrepreneurial training from Venture Kick.
 |
 |
 Deborah Gillet (ceo).jpg) NxSights, Sacha Thorey (CMO) and Déborrah Gillet (CEO)
|
|
 SELPH's co-founders Marius Jatautas and Niyazi Ulas Dirc
|
|
 neurobotX's CEO Diana-Deca
|
|
.jpg) iWin's CPO Paolo Corti
|
|
.jpg) KaleiBox's CEO Wuwei Ren
|
|
NxSights : ICT / AI personal assistant and knowledge management system
Déborrah Gillet, co-founder and CEO, decided to translate her impact on organizational strategy within a scalable digital consultant as a specific conception of consulting. Its solution is focusing on the mere ability to articulate pre-existing knowledge in an all-inclusive visual representation. It is targeted at top managers within corporates such as global finance or supply chain directors for a top pharma company. Adding a feature to mailboxes like Outlook or Gmail, their users can get a quick grasp of past periods of time and see the main topics based on color density, hot topics based among others on sentiment analysis and sender position. Since December 2018, they gathered a team of six people among which with complementary skills in cognition, machine learning and UX design, among which Head Data Science Thomas Diggelmann is still in Master Physics at ETH Zürich. They are working on finalizing a prototype to map keywords within a circular treemap to be used for first client pilots. With data acquired, they will start training mapping and visualization algorithms. They are currently in discussions with partners in Israel and Germany.
https://nxsights.com/
SELPH : Medtech / A self-test device for Sexually Transmitted Diseases
A million STDs are acquired every day worldwide, and half of them remain undiagnosed. To help solve this problem, EPFL masters students Marius Jatautas and Niyazi Ulas Dirc founded SELPH, which aim is to create a convenient and accurate self-test hardware device for STDs with an additional 24/7 consultation service. Users will be able to order the test device and screen themselves in 15 minutes anonymously without going to a doctor's office and avoiding all the unnecessary barriers. In addition to this, people using the SELPH phone app will be able to get a 24/7 worldwide access to consultations with a professional medical doctor, to discuss any concerns related to STDs. If the test results are positive, users will receive several options where to seek further help in their location. They are currently improving the development a prototype of a SELPH reader are starting to work on the prototype of the test strip.
NeurobotX : AI for the automotive industry, inspired by the brain’s navigation system
All the automotive industry is currently making decisions using computationally heavy visual input for autonomous navigation. NeurobotX can do this much faster and in a more computationally inexpensive manner by mimicking the brain's navigation system. CEO Diana Deca is a neuroscientist from the EPFL is one of the top researchers in neuroscience. She invented a method to measure input-output computation in single neurons in awake mice and co-founded Los Angeles' $100-million neurotech startup, Kernel. She has worked with the leaders in the neurophysiology field. They target all major car companies such as Audi, BMW, and Tesla to any company that uses software. Currently they have a draft website, and are planning the proof-of-concept simulation on their platform.
iWin: Proptech / Shading device producing clean energy
Buildings today consume still too much energy and have huge margin of improvement. IWin aims at improving the solar protection of the buildings, reducing the cooling energy and producing renewable energy within the window. They have developed and patented an innovative window solution that integrates thin, flexible film photovoltaic cells into window blinds, without compromising the design and the operation of the system. It protect buildings from overheating in the summer, reduces energy bills and produces renewable electricity. IWin is durable, thanks to its integration inside double-glazing units, and repays the initial cost in less than 10 years, faster than any other rival blind solution. They overcame the proof of concept phase and have deposited their first international patent. The first working prototype have been validated thanks to simulation analysis and the support of measurements. With their industrial partner, they validated the market number and the manufacturing feasibility together with a CIGS photovoltaic manufacturer. The Venture Kick funds will be used to finance in part the activities related to the implementation of the business plan like meetings, market analysis, scouting of competitors, surveys or participation to exhibition.
https://iwin.ch/
KaleiBox: 3D fluorescence imaging device for small animals
Wuwei Ren, an ETH student and CEO of KaleiBox imagined a solution to facilitate drug discovery and biomedical research. KaleiBox proposes a three-dimensional optical imaging device for small-animal imaging. The KaleiBox solution combines sophisticated image reconstruction algorithm with compact hardware design, which makes the 3D imaging portable, accurate and practical. Fluorescence signal down to 10 mm deep can be resolved with a spatial resolution of 1-2 mm. The device aims at a low price (cost less than 5% of PET) and offers customers repeatable and longitudinal in vivo experiments.
KaleiBox.ch
Déborrah Gillet, co-founder and CEO, decided to translate her impact on organizational strategy within a scalable digital consultant as a specific conception of consulting. Its solution is focusing on the mere ability to articulate pre-existing knowledge in an all-inclusive visual representation. It is targeted at top managers within corporates such as global finance or supply chain directors for a top pharma company. Adding a feature to mailboxes like Outlook or Gmail, their users can get a quick grasp of past periods of time and see the main topics based on color density, hot topics based among others on sentiment analysis and sender position. Since December 2018, they gathered a team of six people among which with complementary skills in cognition, machine learning and UX design, among which Head Data Science Thomas Diggelmann is still in Master Physics at ETH Zürich. They are working on finalizing a prototype to map keywords within a circular treemap to be used for first client pilots. With data acquired, they will start training mapping and visualization algorithms. They are currently in discussions with partners in Israel and Germany.
https://nxsights.com/
SELPH : Medtech / A self-test device for Sexually Transmitted Diseases
A million STDs are acquired every day worldwide, and half of them remain undiagnosed. To help solve this problem, EPFL masters students Marius Jatautas and Niyazi Ulas Dirc founded SELPH, which aim is to create a convenient and accurate self-test hardware device for STDs with an additional 24/7 consultation service. Users will be able to order the test device and screen themselves in 15 minutes anonymously without going to a doctor's office and avoiding all the unnecessary barriers. In addition to this, people using the SELPH phone app will be able to get a 24/7 worldwide access to consultations with a professional medical doctor, to discuss any concerns related to STDs. If the test results are positive, users will receive several options where to seek further help in their location. They are currently improving the development a prototype of a SELPH reader are starting to work on the prototype of the test strip.
NeurobotX : AI for the automotive industry, inspired by the brain’s navigation system
All the automotive industry is currently making decisions using computationally heavy visual input for autonomous navigation. NeurobotX can do this much faster and in a more computationally inexpensive manner by mimicking the brain's navigation system. CEO Diana Deca is a neuroscientist from the EPFL is one of the top researchers in neuroscience. She invented a method to measure input-output computation in single neurons in awake mice and co-founded Los Angeles' $100-million neurotech startup, Kernel. She has worked with the leaders in the neurophysiology field. They target all major car companies such as Audi, BMW, and Tesla to any company that uses software. Currently they have a draft website, and are planning the proof-of-concept simulation on their platform.
iWin: Proptech / Shading device producing clean energy
Buildings today consume still too much energy and have huge margin of improvement. IWin aims at improving the solar protection of the buildings, reducing the cooling energy and producing renewable energy within the window. They have developed and patented an innovative window solution that integrates thin, flexible film photovoltaic cells into window blinds, without compromising the design and the operation of the system. It protect buildings from overheating in the summer, reduces energy bills and produces renewable electricity. IWin is durable, thanks to its integration inside double-glazing units, and repays the initial cost in less than 10 years, faster than any other rival blind solution. They overcame the proof of concept phase and have deposited their first international patent. The first working prototype have been validated thanks to simulation analysis and the support of measurements. With their industrial partner, they validated the market number and the manufacturing feasibility together with a CIGS photovoltaic manufacturer. The Venture Kick funds will be used to finance in part the activities related to the implementation of the business plan like meetings, market analysis, scouting of competitors, surveys or participation to exhibition.
https://iwin.ch/
KaleiBox: 3D fluorescence imaging device for small animals
Wuwei Ren, an ETH student and CEO of KaleiBox imagined a solution to facilitate drug discovery and biomedical research. KaleiBox proposes a three-dimensional optical imaging device for small-animal imaging. The KaleiBox solution combines sophisticated image reconstruction algorithm with compact hardware design, which makes the 3D imaging portable, accurate and practical. Fluorescence signal down to 10 mm deep can be resolved with a spatial resolution of 1-2 mm. The device aims at a low price (cost less than 5% of PET) and offers customers repeatable and longitudinal in vivo experiments.
KaleiBox.ch