CHF 40,000 for first-in-class peptide therapeutics, E. coli vaccine, a deep learning platform for physics-based simulations, and therapies for bone disease
18.09.2025
Alterbiotix, Baxiva, Fainite AG (Optineura AI), and Nimverta were selected at the second financial and entrepreneurial support stage of Venture Kick. Their projects develop first-in-class peptide therapeutics against pneumococcal disease; first-in-class E. coli vaccine for the prevention of urinary tract infections; build a scalable deep learning platform for physics-based simulations; and provide safe and effective long-term therapies for bone disease.
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 Alterbiotix: Co-founders Prof. Lucy Hathaway, Kostas Alevizopoulos, & Greg Fotopoulos
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 Baxiva: CSO Dr. Tim Keys, CEO Dr. Giorgia Greter, & Head of R&D Christoph Rutschmann
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 Fainite AG (Optineura AI): CEO Alex Donzelli
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 Nimverta: Founder & CEO Dr. Amit Singh
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Alterbiotix: First-in-class peptide therapeutics against pneumococcal disease
Alterbiotix is a spin-off company (to be incorporated) based on scientific discoveries by Prof. Lucy Hathaway, at the Institute for Infectious Diseases, Univ. of Bern. The company develops novel therapeutics against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterial pathogen responsible for widespread diseases, including indications of high unmet medical need, such as meningitis and severe pneumonia (the 4th deadliest pathogen in terms of global deaths linked to antimicrobial resistance, with a mortality rate of 20-50%, and a market value of over USD 2B).
Alterbiotix targets a new intervention point shown to provide therapeutic benefits and synergy with antibiotics in relevant preclinical models. Their current lead indication is meningitis. The company’s founders include Prof. Hathaway and 2 experienced business executives, Kostas Alevizopoulos and Greg Fotopoulos. The team is supported by leading key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the fields of meningitis and pneumonia.
The Venture Kick funds will be used for business-oriented activities contributing to the development of the project and the company.
Baxiva: First-in-class E. coli vaccine for the prevention of urinary tract infections
There are over 80,000 sepsis deaths per year associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs are one of the most common infections in the world, and the vast majority are caused by the bacterium E. coli. There is no vaccine on the market for the prevention of E. coli infections.
Baxiva is developing the first-in-class E. coli vaccine for the prevention of UTIs and sepsis.
The company was incorporated in 2025, spinning out from ETH Zurich. Founders and board members include CEO Dr. Giorgia Greter, CSO Dr. Tim Keys, and head of R&D Christoph Rutschmann. Together with a team of scientists, they are developing the platform technology of Baxiva for the future of glycoconjugate vaccine development, with the potential to scale up their technology for the development of a novel class of bacterial vaccines, targeting pathogens that have previously been impossible to treat.
The Venture Kick funds will contribute towards the development of a proof-of-concept vaccine study that can progress towards clinical trials.
Fainite AG (Optineura AI): Building a scalable deep learning platform for physics-based simulations
Hardware product development relies heavily on time and compute-intensive physics-based simulations across design, testing, and manufacturing. This results in high engineering costs, delayed product launches, and limits teams from achieving optimal performance.
Fainite AG (Optineura AI) was founded by researchers and engineers from Caltech, ETH Zurich, and Google, together with former executives from leading physics simulation software companies. The team is building a versatile deep learning platform that adapts across engineering use cases with minimal effort, while inherently respecting the physics of each problem. Their solution addresses a global market of over 9 million hardware engineers in need of faster and smarter simulation tools.
The Venture Kick funds will support Fainite AG in scaling its platform to cover a broader range of engineering use cases, accelerating progress toward widespread industry adoption.
Nimverta: Developing safe and effective long-term therapies for bone disease
Age-related bone diseases, such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bone fragility, are major causes of morbidity and reduced quality of life in the elderly, where there are significant unmet clinical needs. Current therapies ignore the crucial vascular environment and lack safe, long-term anabolic options, leaving millions vulnerable to fragile bones, impaired healing, and low quality of life.
Nimverta is developing a first-in-class peptide therapy that regenerates both bone and its supporting vasculature by leveraging natural physiological pathways, unlocking the potential for safe, long-term treatment. Dr Amit Singh is the founder and CEO. Rob Chisholm is the Chief Business Officer (CBO). Prof. Anjali Kusumbe is the chief scientific officer (CSO). Nimverta benefits from a strong international scientific advisory board. In 2024, the Hypophosphatasia Market was valued at around USD 4 Bn, with Paget’s Disease treatments valued at more like USD 1B, and the Osteoporosis market for drugs valued at USD 15B.
Venture Kick funds will support market validation in terms of understanding which indication provides the best opportunity, i.e., the Hypophosphatasia market may be smaller than the Osteoporosis market, but the unmet need may command a higher price. The team will strengthen the regulatory and IP plans and prepare the foundation for early preclinical development.
Alterbiotix is a spin-off company (to be incorporated) based on scientific discoveries by Prof. Lucy Hathaway, at the Institute for Infectious Diseases, Univ. of Bern. The company develops novel therapeutics against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterial pathogen responsible for widespread diseases, including indications of high unmet medical need, such as meningitis and severe pneumonia (the 4th deadliest pathogen in terms of global deaths linked to antimicrobial resistance, with a mortality rate of 20-50%, and a market value of over USD 2B).
Alterbiotix targets a new intervention point shown to provide therapeutic benefits and synergy with antibiotics in relevant preclinical models. Their current lead indication is meningitis. The company’s founders include Prof. Hathaway and 2 experienced business executives, Kostas Alevizopoulos and Greg Fotopoulos. The team is supported by leading key opinion leaders (KOLs) in the fields of meningitis and pneumonia.
The Venture Kick funds will be used for business-oriented activities contributing to the development of the project and the company.
Baxiva: First-in-class E. coli vaccine for the prevention of urinary tract infections
There are over 80,000 sepsis deaths per year associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs are one of the most common infections in the world, and the vast majority are caused by the bacterium E. coli. There is no vaccine on the market for the prevention of E. coli infections.
Baxiva is developing the first-in-class E. coli vaccine for the prevention of UTIs and sepsis.
The company was incorporated in 2025, spinning out from ETH Zurich. Founders and board members include CEO Dr. Giorgia Greter, CSO Dr. Tim Keys, and head of R&D Christoph Rutschmann. Together with a team of scientists, they are developing the platform technology of Baxiva for the future of glycoconjugate vaccine development, with the potential to scale up their technology for the development of a novel class of bacterial vaccines, targeting pathogens that have previously been impossible to treat.
The Venture Kick funds will contribute towards the development of a proof-of-concept vaccine study that can progress towards clinical trials.
Fainite AG (Optineura AI): Building a scalable deep learning platform for physics-based simulations
Hardware product development relies heavily on time and compute-intensive physics-based simulations across design, testing, and manufacturing. This results in high engineering costs, delayed product launches, and limits teams from achieving optimal performance.
Fainite AG (Optineura AI) was founded by researchers and engineers from Caltech, ETH Zurich, and Google, together with former executives from leading physics simulation software companies. The team is building a versatile deep learning platform that adapts across engineering use cases with minimal effort, while inherently respecting the physics of each problem. Their solution addresses a global market of over 9 million hardware engineers in need of faster and smarter simulation tools.
The Venture Kick funds will support Fainite AG in scaling its platform to cover a broader range of engineering use cases, accelerating progress toward widespread industry adoption.
Nimverta: Developing safe and effective long-term therapies for bone disease
Age-related bone diseases, such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bone fragility, are major causes of morbidity and reduced quality of life in the elderly, where there are significant unmet clinical needs. Current therapies ignore the crucial vascular environment and lack safe, long-term anabolic options, leaving millions vulnerable to fragile bones, impaired healing, and low quality of life.
Nimverta is developing a first-in-class peptide therapy that regenerates both bone and its supporting vasculature by leveraging natural physiological pathways, unlocking the potential for safe, long-term treatment. Dr Amit Singh is the founder and CEO. Rob Chisholm is the Chief Business Officer (CBO). Prof. Anjali Kusumbe is the chief scientific officer (CSO). Nimverta benefits from a strong international scientific advisory board. In 2024, the Hypophosphatasia Market was valued at around USD 4 Bn, with Paget’s Disease treatments valued at more like USD 1B, and the Osteoporosis market for drugs valued at USD 15B.
Venture Kick funds will support market validation in terms of understanding which indication provides the best opportunity, i.e., the Hypophosphatasia market may be smaller than the Osteoporosis market, but the unmet need may command a higher price. The team will strengthen the regulatory and IP plans and prepare the foundation for early preclinical development.