CHF 40,000 awarded to startups developing low-cost ventilators, micro-franchising novel water-filtering technology, and producing sustainable meat alternative

breathe: Improving emergency care for patients in low-resource settings

Millions of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMCIs) die every year because they have limited access to ventilators in medical emergency situations. To tackle this problem, breathe develops Swiss-quality yet affordable ventilators that are tailored to local needs, while also providing medical & technical training and supporting local production and maintenance of the equipment.

The team behind the project is composed of Dr. Thomas Lumpe (CEO), a postdoctoral researcher at the Engineering Design and Computing Laboratory (EDAC) at ETH Zurich with a Ph.D. in the field of computational design and 3D printing; Dr. Leonie Korn (CTO), a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Dynamic Systems and Control (IDSC) at ETH Zurich with a Ph.D. in the field of biomedical/electrical engineering; and Christos Vasileiou (CQO), a mechanical engineer with a background and experience in medtech startups. For the successful introduction into the market and sustainable use in low-resource settings, the team takes a holistic, user-centered approach to design a ventilator that is intuitive to use, robust, and easy to maintain, even in harsh environments.

breathe's main customers are medical facilities, NGOs, and governments in LMICs that want to increase their healthcare capacities. They manufactured five generations of fully-functional prototypes so far and conducted user studies in Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa where they collected very positive feedback from potential users and customers. breathe was further part of the AIT Singapore program to explore markets in South-East Asia as well as a member of the SECO Economic Mission to Tanzania and Kenya in February 2023.

They will use the Venture Kick financing to advance their ventilator from the prototyping level to pilot production and present it to relevant stakeholders in more African countries.

Openversum: Micro-franchising cutting-edge filter technology for potable water

Two billion people still struggle to get access to uncontaminated water and suffer from resulting water-borne diseases that can be fatal. Every year, 300,000 children do not live to see their fifth birthday while millions more have to miss school or workdays. Most of the people affected by this problem live in rural areas with lacking access to medical care and live in financial precarity.

Openversum tackles this urgent issue by combining cutting-edge drinking water filter technology with micro-franchising. The startup's novel membrane filter (patent pending) is highly efficient and cost-effective and quickly removes pathogens, heavy metals, and micropollutants from water. The filter does not require energy to run and can replace traditional methods such as water boiling, thereby preventing greenhouse gas emissions. Thanks to the startup's pilot study and local entrepreneurs in Ecuador and Colombia, over 500 people now have access to clean water. Moreover, Openversum's micro-franchising ecosystem and digital operational platform allow them to scale fast to improve millions of lives in a matter of years. The startup's innovative solution addresses a target group of 1 million people by 2025.

The founding team consists of Dr. Olivier Gröninger (CEO), who has been working on this project since 2017 as part of his Ph.D. thesis; Laura Stocco (CTO ), who is a water and behavior change expert; and Lorenzo Donadio (CTO), who is equipped with energy and data science know-how and possesses great strategic thinking. Together, they empower water entrepreneurs with the tools, materials, and business know-how to produce and distribute drinking water filters locally.

The Venture Kick funding of CHF 40,000 will be used for material production and training of 50 new entrepreneurs in Colombia.

Yumame Foods: Sustainable food based on fungi and fermentation

Current plant-based meat products are sometimes perceived as being ultra-processed and not fully sustainable due to the long, international supply chain and the complex production process. Consumers are therefore looking for new and better products.

Yumame Foods' mission is to fulfill this need and play a key role in the transition to a truly sustainable global food system. CEO and founder Eliana Zamprogna uses fungi and fermentation in a novel way to create healthy, tasty, and sustainable products that are locally produced and minimally processed. Fungi have cost-efficient growth, form structures naturally, and have excellent taste. Fermentation enhances the nutritional value and taste of food naturally and resource-efficiently. For that, Yumame collaborates with scientists, technology partners, and culinary chefs. Their products have a local supply chain and do not require novel food approval.

The founder plans to use the funds for the preparation of the first pilot-scale production and for marketing activities. Yumame Foods is building collaborations with production partners and suppliers, setting up its own fermentation infrastructure, as well as preparing the necessary regulatory requirements for market testing.