Inkocell Therapeutics secures CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to advance next-generation Natural Killer (NK) cell therapies
08.09.2025
EPFL spin-off Inkocell Therapeutics, a Swiss biotech startup developing next-generation cell therapies, has secured CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick. The funding will accelerate the development of Inkocell’s first-in-class NK-tailored CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) technology, designed to create effective, safe, off-the-shelf, and affordable therapies for patients with life-threatening diseases.
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Over the past decade, engineered T-cell therapies (CAR-T) have transformed cancer treatment and brought cures to some patients who previously had no options. But these therapies are complex to manufacture, extremely costly, and can trigger dangerous side effects. Not all patients respond, leaving a large group still without effective treatments.
Inkocell Therapeutics is addressing these challenges by engineering a new type of therapy based on Natural Killer (NK) cells—immune cells naturally specialized in detecting and destroying abnormal or diseased cells. By equipping NK cells with its proprietary CAR technology, Inkocell is building therapies that are scalable, safer, and available “off the shelf” without the need for personalized manufacturing.
Inkocell’s first programs focus on:
With the CHF 150,000 investment from Venture Kick, Inkocell will strengthen its business development and accelerate preparations for clinical testing, bringing its therapies closer to patients.
Co-founded by Mathieu Girardin and Angela Madurga Alonso, Inkocell Therapeutics will be incorporated as an EPFL spin-off by the end of 2025. The team combines deep expertise in cell engineering and translational medicine, aiming to bring curative therapies from the lab to the clinic.
“Beyond funding, Venture Kick provides access to a network of experts who have been instrumental in accelerating Inkocell from project to company,” said Co-Founder and CEO Mathieu Girardin. “This support strengthens our credibility with investors and partners, and helps us move faster toward delivering therapies that can save patients’ lives.”
Inkocell Therapeutics co-founders CEO Mathieu Girardin and CSO Angela Madurga Alonso
Inkocell Therapeutics is addressing these challenges by engineering a new type of therapy based on Natural Killer (NK) cells—immune cells naturally specialized in detecting and destroying abnormal or diseased cells. By equipping NK cells with its proprietary CAR technology, Inkocell is building therapies that are scalable, safer, and available “off the shelf” without the need for personalized manufacturing.
Inkocell’s first programs focus on:
- B-cell malignancies: these are blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, which together affect over 500,000 patients every year worldwide. While CAR-T therapies have helped some patients, many relapse or cannot access them because of high costs and limited availability.
- Solid tumors with therapy resistance: more than 10 million patients annually face tumors protected by the tumor stroma—the “shield” of normal cells and tissue around a tumor that makes it harder for treatments to reach the cancer. Inkocell’s CAR-NK approach is designed to break through this shield and attack the cancer directly.
With the CHF 150,000 investment from Venture Kick, Inkocell will strengthen its business development and accelerate preparations for clinical testing, bringing its therapies closer to patients.
Co-founded by Mathieu Girardin and Angela Madurga Alonso, Inkocell Therapeutics will be incorporated as an EPFL spin-off by the end of 2025. The team combines deep expertise in cell engineering and translational medicine, aiming to bring curative therapies from the lab to the clinic.
“Beyond funding, Venture Kick provides access to a network of experts who have been instrumental in accelerating Inkocell from project to company,” said Co-Founder and CEO Mathieu Girardin. “This support strengthens our credibility with investors and partners, and helps us move faster toward delivering therapies that can save patients’ lives.”
Inkocell Therapeutics co-founders CEO Mathieu Girardin and CSO Angela Madurga Alonso