CHF 40,000 for technologies to uncover underground corrosion, restoration of soil health, and painless delivery of injectable drugs
26.10.2023
TALPA inspection, Terra Preta, and Transire Bio win Venture Kick's second stage of financial and entrepreneurial support. Their projects locate corrosion damage in buried engineering structures; remove carbon and restore soil health through decentralized biochar production; and enable the painless delivery of injectable drugs.
 |
 |
 TALPA Inspection: Dr. Patrick Pfändler, Dr. Federico Orlando-Martinelli, and Lukas Bircher
|
|
 Terra Preta: from left to right, CEO Thomas Käslin and CPO Lorenz Buser
|
|
 Transire Bio: CEO Dr. Nevena Paunovic and CSO David Klein Cerrejon
|
|
TALPA Inspection - Uncovering corrosion in the underground
Most of the infrastructure in industrialized countries was built more than 50 years ago with reinforced concrete (RC). These structures are aging, above and below the ground, and corrosion is the most frequent cause of premature degradation and limits the service life.
At ETH Zurich, the interdisciplinary team of TALPA Inspection has developed an innovative technology based on electrochemical techniques to locate corrosion damage in buried RC structures. For the first time, inspecting the well-known weak point on the backside of cantilever retaining walls non-destructively and over the entire length can prolong the service life. They plan to tackle the annual global inspection market with a volume of up to CHF 25 billion. Looking ahead, they aim to adapt the technology for a contactless inspection of all types of RC structures.
The venture Kick Stage 2 funds will enable further automation of the measurements on structures by improving hardware and software. Despite the technological improvement, the team wants to strengthen their business skills to extend their sales efforts based on a conducted market analysis.
Terra Preta: Remove carbon and restore soil health through decentralized biochar production
Agricultural value chains face dual threats: degrading soils & changing climate. Whereas agricultural production is responsible for about 17% of global emissions. Urgent action is needed by corporations to reach their net-zero targets and to improve climate resilience and adaptation of their farmers and their supply chains.
Terra Preta's team, with expertise in carbon markets and sustainability consulting, as well as in B2B sales and product management, has recently been strengthened by adding team members with strong knowledge in mechanical engineering and data sciences. Their innovation includes a cost-effective and clean pyrolysis reactor to transform agricultural residues into biochar, complemented by their digital monitoring system for high-quality carbon removal credits generation. Terra Preta’s approach decarbonizes agricultural value chains and enhances the climate resilience of the supply chain while helping farmers adapt and improve their margins. All while generating carbon removal credits for the rapidly growing voluntary carbon market, projected to reach USD 10-40 billion by 2030.
The Venture Kick Stage 1 funds will allow them to expand their sales efforts and further develop their hardware and software technology.
Transire Bio: Enabling the painless delivery of injectable drugs
Each day, millions of patients have to administer their medicines through painful injections. Many drugs cannot indeed be taken orally and have to be injected because they are sensitive to degradation and/or too large to cross the gut.
Transire Bio is an ETH spin-off that takes needles out of the picture and offers a painless alternative for the delivery of these medicines. The technology is based on an octopus-inspired suction patch that patients place on the inner side of the cheek, enabling the drug to efficiently reach the bloodstream. The team comprises Dr. Nevena Paunoviç (CEO), David Klein Cerrejon (CSO), Prof. Jean-Christophe Leroux, and Prof. Zhi Luo (advisory board). With their OctoPatchTM, they aim to target a rapidly growing market of therapeutic peptides worth ca. CHF 40 billion.
The Venture Kick Stage 1 funds will allow them to validate their regulatory strategy through discussions with regulatory experts and further prepare for the fundraising.
Most of the infrastructure in industrialized countries was built more than 50 years ago with reinforced concrete (RC). These structures are aging, above and below the ground, and corrosion is the most frequent cause of premature degradation and limits the service life.
At ETH Zurich, the interdisciplinary team of TALPA Inspection has developed an innovative technology based on electrochemical techniques to locate corrosion damage in buried RC structures. For the first time, inspecting the well-known weak point on the backside of cantilever retaining walls non-destructively and over the entire length can prolong the service life. They plan to tackle the annual global inspection market with a volume of up to CHF 25 billion. Looking ahead, they aim to adapt the technology for a contactless inspection of all types of RC structures.
The venture Kick Stage 2 funds will enable further automation of the measurements on structures by improving hardware and software. Despite the technological improvement, the team wants to strengthen their business skills to extend their sales efforts based on a conducted market analysis.
Terra Preta: Remove carbon and restore soil health through decentralized biochar production
Agricultural value chains face dual threats: degrading soils & changing climate. Whereas agricultural production is responsible for about 17% of global emissions. Urgent action is needed by corporations to reach their net-zero targets and to improve climate resilience and adaptation of their farmers and their supply chains.
Terra Preta's team, with expertise in carbon markets and sustainability consulting, as well as in B2B sales and product management, has recently been strengthened by adding team members with strong knowledge in mechanical engineering and data sciences. Their innovation includes a cost-effective and clean pyrolysis reactor to transform agricultural residues into biochar, complemented by their digital monitoring system for high-quality carbon removal credits generation. Terra Preta’s approach decarbonizes agricultural value chains and enhances the climate resilience of the supply chain while helping farmers adapt and improve their margins. All while generating carbon removal credits for the rapidly growing voluntary carbon market, projected to reach USD 10-40 billion by 2030.
The Venture Kick Stage 1 funds will allow them to expand their sales efforts and further develop their hardware and software technology.
Transire Bio: Enabling the painless delivery of injectable drugs
Each day, millions of patients have to administer their medicines through painful injections. Many drugs cannot indeed be taken orally and have to be injected because they are sensitive to degradation and/or too large to cross the gut.
Transire Bio is an ETH spin-off that takes needles out of the picture and offers a painless alternative for the delivery of these medicines. The technology is based on an octopus-inspired suction patch that patients place on the inner side of the cheek, enabling the drug to efficiently reach the bloodstream. The team comprises Dr. Nevena Paunoviç (CEO), David Klein Cerrejon (CSO), Prof. Jean-Christophe Leroux, and Prof. Zhi Luo (advisory board). With their OctoPatchTM, they aim to target a rapidly growing market of therapeutic peptides worth ca. CHF 40 billion.
The Venture Kick Stage 1 funds will allow them to validate their regulatory strategy through discussions with regulatory experts and further prepare for the fundraising.