CHF 40,000 for a scientific collaboration platform, innovative biocompostable packaging, and mid-infrared lasers.
23.07.2025
Axy, PeelPack, and SCALE were selected at Venture Kick's second financial and entrepreneurial support stage. Their projects transform scientific gatherings into dynamic, personalized knowledge ecosystems; create innovative biocompostable packaging from upcycled potato peels using proprietary novel Bioplastic technology; pioneer cost-effective and power-efficient lasers for scalable manufacturing and testing.
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 Axy: CFO Malav Patel, CTO Aarsh Patel, CEO Nisheet Patel, & CAIO Pablo Tano
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 Peelpack: CEO Veaceslav Driglov & CTO Massimo Bagnani
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 SCALE: CEO David Stark & CTO Killian Keller
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Axy: Building the Future of Scientific Collaboration
Scientific conferences are meant to spark discovery and collaboration, but researchers face massive challenges: information overload, missed connections, and lost opportunities. Important abstracts get buried in 1,000-page booklets, critical collaborators go undiscovered, and post-conference value quickly evaporates.
Created by scientists frustrated with missing half of what mattered at conferences, Axy transforms scientific gatherings into dynamic, personalized knowledge ecosystems. Their platform supports the entire conference journey—before, during, and after—helping researchers discover relevant abstracts, build personalized agendas, and connect with potential collaborators who share their focus. With a playful interface and offline recommender system that learns preferences, Axy has already supported conferences with over 1,000 attendees, earning enthusiastic feedback from researchers worldwide.
With Venture Kick funding, Axy will complete their Journal Club application, expand their Organizers' platform, conduct beta tests across multiple scientific conferences, and launch their comprehensive brand presence, accelerating their mission to dramatically boost the value of scientific gatherings everywhere.
Peel Pack: Turning potato waste into compostable packaging for fresh produce
The fresh produce industry faces a significant challenge with plastic packaging waste. Retailers and consumers increasingly demand sustainable alternatives, yet existing options often fall short on performance for delicate fresh goods or lack true compostability, contributing to environmental pollution and food waste within the supply chain.
Founded by Veaceslav Driglov (CEO), Massimo Bagnani (CTO and inventor of the core technology), and Daria Reisch (Co-founder), Peelpack addresses this by creating innovative biocompostable packaging from upcycled potato peels using proprietary novel Bioplastic technology. Their punnets offer performance comparable to plastic, including cold chain and humidity resistance, and integrate seamlessly into existing packaging processes. The global punnet packaging market is substantial, projected at $5.8 billion by 2034, with a rapidly growing segment for biodegradable solutions.
Peelpack intends to utilize the Venture Kick funds to produce 100,000 units for a large-scale pilot project with leading Swiss Food retailers and progress with securing intellectual property through the patent application process.
SCALE: Mid-infrared lasers for portable multicolor sensing
Sensors based on mid-infrared lasers are bulky, heavy, expensive, and power-hungry, restricting their scalability and application space. This is largely due to the inefficiency of current laser chips, which feature large footprints and require costly testing to match the application.
SCALE is commercializing the next mid-infrared laser technology to overcome these barriers. CEO David Stark and CTO Killian Keller combine profound expertise in semiconductor lasers and integrated photonics. They are pioneering cost-effective and power-efficient lasers for scalable manufacturing and testing. This technology unlocks portable and multicolor sensing at scale. The initial focus is the laser-based gas sensor market, expected to reach USD 586M by 2026. Beyond gas sensing, the technology opens the door to high-impact markets, such as non-invasive glucose monitoring.
Venture Kick funding will be used to finalize a packaged prototype that is ready for customer use. This prototype will be a key tool for attracting early adopters and securing pilot projects. These funds will be further used to engage with the supply and customer chain.
Scientific conferences are meant to spark discovery and collaboration, but researchers face massive challenges: information overload, missed connections, and lost opportunities. Important abstracts get buried in 1,000-page booklets, critical collaborators go undiscovered, and post-conference value quickly evaporates.
Created by scientists frustrated with missing half of what mattered at conferences, Axy transforms scientific gatherings into dynamic, personalized knowledge ecosystems. Their platform supports the entire conference journey—before, during, and after—helping researchers discover relevant abstracts, build personalized agendas, and connect with potential collaborators who share their focus. With a playful interface and offline recommender system that learns preferences, Axy has already supported conferences with over 1,000 attendees, earning enthusiastic feedback from researchers worldwide.
With Venture Kick funding, Axy will complete their Journal Club application, expand their Organizers' platform, conduct beta tests across multiple scientific conferences, and launch their comprehensive brand presence, accelerating their mission to dramatically boost the value of scientific gatherings everywhere.
Peel Pack: Turning potato waste into compostable packaging for fresh produce
The fresh produce industry faces a significant challenge with plastic packaging waste. Retailers and consumers increasingly demand sustainable alternatives, yet existing options often fall short on performance for delicate fresh goods or lack true compostability, contributing to environmental pollution and food waste within the supply chain.
Founded by Veaceslav Driglov (CEO), Massimo Bagnani (CTO and inventor of the core technology), and Daria Reisch (Co-founder), Peelpack addresses this by creating innovative biocompostable packaging from upcycled potato peels using proprietary novel Bioplastic technology. Their punnets offer performance comparable to plastic, including cold chain and humidity resistance, and integrate seamlessly into existing packaging processes. The global punnet packaging market is substantial, projected at $5.8 billion by 2034, with a rapidly growing segment for biodegradable solutions.
Peelpack intends to utilize the Venture Kick funds to produce 100,000 units for a large-scale pilot project with leading Swiss Food retailers and progress with securing intellectual property through the patent application process.
SCALE: Mid-infrared lasers for portable multicolor sensing
Sensors based on mid-infrared lasers are bulky, heavy, expensive, and power-hungry, restricting their scalability and application space. This is largely due to the inefficiency of current laser chips, which feature large footprints and require costly testing to match the application.
SCALE is commercializing the next mid-infrared laser technology to overcome these barriers. CEO David Stark and CTO Killian Keller combine profound expertise in semiconductor lasers and integrated photonics. They are pioneering cost-effective and power-efficient lasers for scalable manufacturing and testing. This technology unlocks portable and multicolor sensing at scale. The initial focus is the laser-based gas sensor market, expected to reach USD 586M by 2026. Beyond gas sensing, the technology opens the door to high-impact markets, such as non-invasive glucose monitoring.
Venture Kick funding will be used to finalize a packaged prototype that is ready for customer use. This prototype will be a key tool for attracting early adopters and securing pilot projects. These funds will be further used to engage with the supply and customer chain.