CHF 40,000 for Glioblastoma cell-therapy, molecular wearables for maternity care, and taste innovation
23.06.2025
GlioCART, MoleSense, and Tasteomics were selected at Venture Kick's second financial and entrepreneurial support stage. Their projects fight Glioblastoma at its core thanks to the first CAR-T cell therapy specifically targeting both the tumor and the immunosuppressive myeloid compartment; pioneer molecular wearables for real-time, non-invasive continuous monitoring of key maternity inflammatory proteins and hormones in a simple, wear-and-forget manner; and develop a new paradigm in flavor enhancement by leveraging special botanical extract formulations.
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 GlioCART: CEO Dieter Willmann, CBO/CTO Patrice Zeis, CMO Gregor Hutter, & CSO Valerio Sabatino
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 MoleSense: CEO Dr. Gian Luca Barbruni
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 Tasteomics: Research Lead Juerg Gertsch & CEO Daniel Batora
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GlioCART: Fighting Glioblastoma at its Core
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, with a median survival of only 15 months. The standard of care has remained unchanged for over two decades. A key therapeutic challenge lies in the profoundly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
GlioCART is developing the first CAR-T cell therapy specifically targeting both the tumor and the immunosuppressive myeloid compartment, focusing on glioma-associated microglia/macrophages (GAMs) and other tumor-associated myeloid cells that enable immune evasion via the CD47-SIRPα axis.The startup is led by a multidisciplinary team: Dieter Willmann (CEO), Gregor Hutter (CMO), Patrice Zeis (CBO/CTO), and Valerio Sabatino (CSO), combining expertise in business strategy, clinical research, immuno-oncology, data science, and platform development.
In Stage 1 of the Venture Kick program, GlioCART finalized its GMP plasmid strategy, planned validation runs for September 2025, strengthened its IP portfolio, and completed a detailed market and financial analysis, laying the foundation for clinical readiness.
MoleSense: Molecular Wearables for Maternity Care
When a mother’s water breaks too soon, doctors face a critical dilemma: delay birth and risk infection, or deliver early and risk lifelong complications. With no tools to quantify these risks, mothers endure invasive tests while doctors make life-or-death calls.
MoleSense, led by Dr. Gian Luca Barbruni, pioneers molecular wearables for real-time, non-invasive continuous monitoring of key maternity inflammatory proteins and hormones in a simple, wear-and-forget manner. By integrating personalized molecular data with biology-aware machine intelligence, they are unlocking insights to improve early diagnostics and tailored treatments, starting with preterm births, potentially impacting over 8 million pregnancies annually in Europe and the US alone.
The team plans to utilize Venture Kick financing to enhance business development and customer access. www.molesense.ch
Tasteomics: Improving Human Health Through Taste Innovation
The mission of Tasteomics is to improve human nutrition and health through the development of innovative solutions for taste receptors. Food producers face challenges in gaining a competitive edge in taste while meeting regulatory and consumer demands on health and sustainability, leaving an unmet need for natural and healthy flavorings that can improve the taste profile of food and efficiently reduce sodium, sugar, or fat.
Tasteomics develops a new paradigm in flavor enhancement by leveraging special botanical extract formulations, the first functional positive allosteric modulators (fPAMs) of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR). The CaSR is a commercially valuable taste receptor that elicits the kokumi sensation: the enhancement of the intensity, continuity, and fullness of basic tastes. Unlike the current products in the USD 15 billion flavoring industry that act by activating the receptor, the ingredients of Tasteomics push the functional response beyond 100%, enabling significant sensory effects and the efficient reduction of sugar, fat, and salt in food.
The founding team includes Dr. Daniel Batora and Prof. Dr. Jürg Gertsch, dedicated biochemists with a strong background in research and innovation. The startup has conducted an extensive market discovery program and validated the most promising applications of its ingredients in the relevant manufacturing environment.
The Venture Kick funds will be used to finance the development of the first commercial products optimized to key applications through established industry partnerships.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, with a median survival of only 15 months. The standard of care has remained unchanged for over two decades. A key therapeutic challenge lies in the profoundly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
GlioCART is developing the first CAR-T cell therapy specifically targeting both the tumor and the immunosuppressive myeloid compartment, focusing on glioma-associated microglia/macrophages (GAMs) and other tumor-associated myeloid cells that enable immune evasion via the CD47-SIRPα axis.The startup is led by a multidisciplinary team: Dieter Willmann (CEO), Gregor Hutter (CMO), Patrice Zeis (CBO/CTO), and Valerio Sabatino (CSO), combining expertise in business strategy, clinical research, immuno-oncology, data science, and platform development.
In Stage 1 of the Venture Kick program, GlioCART finalized its GMP plasmid strategy, planned validation runs for September 2025, strengthened its IP portfolio, and completed a detailed market and financial analysis, laying the foundation for clinical readiness.
MoleSense: Molecular Wearables for Maternity Care
When a mother’s water breaks too soon, doctors face a critical dilemma: delay birth and risk infection, or deliver early and risk lifelong complications. With no tools to quantify these risks, mothers endure invasive tests while doctors make life-or-death calls.
MoleSense, led by Dr. Gian Luca Barbruni, pioneers molecular wearables for real-time, non-invasive continuous monitoring of key maternity inflammatory proteins and hormones in a simple, wear-and-forget manner. By integrating personalized molecular data with biology-aware machine intelligence, they are unlocking insights to improve early diagnostics and tailored treatments, starting with preterm births, potentially impacting over 8 million pregnancies annually in Europe and the US alone.
The team plans to utilize Venture Kick financing to enhance business development and customer access. www.molesense.ch
Tasteomics: Improving Human Health Through Taste Innovation
The mission of Tasteomics is to improve human nutrition and health through the development of innovative solutions for taste receptors. Food producers face challenges in gaining a competitive edge in taste while meeting regulatory and consumer demands on health and sustainability, leaving an unmet need for natural and healthy flavorings that can improve the taste profile of food and efficiently reduce sodium, sugar, or fat.
Tasteomics develops a new paradigm in flavor enhancement by leveraging special botanical extract formulations, the first functional positive allosteric modulators (fPAMs) of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR). The CaSR is a commercially valuable taste receptor that elicits the kokumi sensation: the enhancement of the intensity, continuity, and fullness of basic tastes. Unlike the current products in the USD 15 billion flavoring industry that act by activating the receptor, the ingredients of Tasteomics push the functional response beyond 100%, enabling significant sensory effects and the efficient reduction of sugar, fat, and salt in food.
The founding team includes Dr. Daniel Batora and Prof. Dr. Jürg Gertsch, dedicated biochemists with a strong background in research and innovation. The startup has conducted an extensive market discovery program and validated the most promising applications of its ingredients in the relevant manufacturing environment.
The Venture Kick funds will be used to finance the development of the first commercial products optimized to key applications through established industry partnerships.