CHF 40,000 for an AI-based nutritional tracking, a single-photon processing for computational imaging, and an autonomous mobile robots for construction

AlpineWell: Nutrition for the golden years: Combating malnutrition with advanced meal drinks
A significant number of elderly individuals are at risk of malnutrition due to factors like reduced appetite, difficulties in swallowing, and challenges in monitoring food intake. The consequences of this malnutrition include frailty, muscle loss, and increased healthcare costs. Many medical drinks available today aim to address this problem by being rich in calories, vitamins, and high-quality amino acids. However, these drinks often fall short in terms of taste acceptance. One reason for their lack of appeal is the distinct off-flavors from the vitamins used and the synthetic nature of many of their ingredients.
Enter AlpineWell, an initiative born from a team of interdisciplinary researchers at ETH Zurich. This team is working on a next-generation medical drink that combines taste, natural ingredients, and optimization for Medpass. Their innovative approach involves adding micronutrients in such a manner that they are imperceptible to the elderly palate but remain bioavailable for absorption. The potential market for this product is very large, considering the global elderly population is projected to double by 2050.
With the backing of Venture Kick, AlpineWell's primary focus will be on client acquisition, with an emphasis on hospitals and elderly care facilities. This funding will also support the sourcing of key raw materials for product development. Additionally, part of these funds will be directed towards expediting the regulatory approval process, ensuring the drinks can be covered by health insurance providers. AlpineWell profile on Venture Kick

NovoViz: single-photon processing for computational imaging
NovoViz designs and manufactures single-photon computational engines in different technology nodes for applications that demand high sensitivity and high speed but cannot handle large amounts of data. The primary purpose is to make single-photon technology more accessible to everyday users, as currently, available single-photon cameras are specialized pieces of equipment with high technological demands. The team aims to enable novel research in fields such as quantum imaging and machine vision by reducing the complexity of experimental setup and overall costs. The technology used at NovoViz is established on 2 patent applications and more than 10 years of research.
Their complementary team includes the following members: CEO Dr. Andrada Muntean, CTO Dr. Andrei Ardelean, CFO MSc.-MBA Samuel Cheng, MSc. Ekin Kizilkan, MSc. Utku Karaca and advisor Prof. Dr. Edoardo Charbon.
The Venture Kick funds will be used to develop prototypes and set up their infrastructure. NovoViz profile on Venture Kick

Robotic On-Site Technologies (ROST): Autonomous mobile robots designed to make construction safer, more efficient, and sustainable
The construction industry is currently facing an unprecedented skilled labour crisis anticipated to impact the sector for the next decade. The average age of construction workers has risen to 40 years, resulting in over 70% of these individuals suffering from chronic pain or injuries by the end of their careers. Particularly in the field of plastering, attracting motivated new recruits is becoming a significant challenge. 
At Robotic On-Site Technologies (ROST), the founders are committed to addressing these challenges through the deployment of autonomous construction robots specifically designed and engineered for the plastering industry. Their innovative product employs a unique additive manufacturing technology developed, transforming the multi-step plastering process into a streamlined, thin-layer, plaster 3D printing technique. This approach reduces the required workforce by half, eliminating the most strenuous and repetitive tasks, and enabling the plasterers to have a more attractive, healthy workflow on-site.
The interdisciplinary team behind this project met at ETH Zurich and has skills ranging from the fields of architecture, digital fabrication, and robotics, and from the construction industry. The research team includes Eliott Sounigo, project lead(co-founder), Dr. Selen Ercan Jenny, leading the scientific development(co-founder), Ping-Hsun Tsai, in charge of the software development for the robotic plastering system(co-founder), Dr. Johannes Pankert, an expert in robotic control systems(Senior advisor) and Valentino Russo, an expert in the construction industry with over a decade of experience managing a plastering company(non-executive founder). They are advised by Prof. Dr. Ena Lloret-Fritschi, Prof. Fabio Gramazio, Prof. Matthias Kohler, as well as Prof.Dr. Marco Hutter. In Europe, the plastering (surface finishing) market within the construction industry holds a  substantial volume of €19bn. ROST aims to disrupt this market by digitizing construction sites, initially in Switzerland, where labour costs are among the highest in Europe.
With the funds received from the Venture Kick Stage 2, ROST plans to upgrade its current prototype to develop its MVP, enabling it to initiate its first pilot project. Robotic On-Site Technologies profile on Venture Kick