Interview with Feeltronix, Venture Kick’s 500th project.
14.08.2017
Last month, nearly 10 years after its creation, Venture Kick supported its 500th project. This project is Feeltronix from EPFL (LSBI lab), which develops a technology capable of stretching the mechanical limits of electronics for wearables. We interviewed Hadrien Michaud, one of the three co-founders about Feeltronix’ innovation:
 From left to right: Aaron Gerratt, Hadrien Michaud, Arthur Hirsch
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Why did you decide to embrace the entrepreneurial path?
We filed the first patent application to protect our innovation in 2015. After receiving interest several potential future customers and industrial partners, we were frustrated not to be able to meet their demand because we lacked the structure to industrialize our application. We then started to think of a spin-off which would be able to make things happen and grow bigger.
What differentiates your product from others and why are you excited about it?
We integrate sensors chips into rubber-based devices that can be flexed and stretched millions of times without losing performance. This combination of robustness and adaptability is unique and can be adapted to complex structures such as human bodies and used for applications such as body monitoring or movement tracking.
Industrial companies, such as consumer electronics companies, are looking for compliant circuits that you can bend, twist or stretch many times, but they don’t have cost effective and robust solutions to do so. It is indeed very challenging to wire components into ultra-compliant circuits. This is where we come in as we can provide our extremely stretchable solution!
We are an IP-intensive company, with one patent application already filed and two applications to be filed in the coming month.
What does the collaboration between 3 co-founders look like?
We are a team of engineers by training but we split our efforts to cover all the aspects related to the transfer of our innovation from academia to industry. Aaron is focusing on the hardware side: how to manufacture the product and upscale the production in a cost-effective manner. The seed funding that we already secured mainly serves this purpose. Arthur is developing and improving the core technology, and I am taking care of the rest (laugh), including business development and advertising the technology outside the lab. We meet very regularly to decide on the main orientations of the venture and shape our first product prototype. We will all be dedicating 100% of our time to the venture after Arthur defends his PhD thesis in October.
You just won the first stage of Venture Kick; how will it help you develop your project?
Venture Kick seed money is a very useful funding that helps us implement basic but crucial elements such as our website or trademark protection.
Besides the money, the network is the most valuable asset. We have the opportunity to meet business angels and more experienced profiles who can help us on topics such as legal aspects, which are crucial for an IP-intensive venture like ours. Being connected with other startups is also a real advantage.
If we win the next stages, we will focus on marketing a device designed for movement quantification.
What is the next step?
The next step is to secure additional funding to reinforce our IP position and launch a “green light” proof of concept in optimal conditions. This is why we start with seed funding such as Venture Kick and have applied to EPFL seed grants such as the NCCR Spind Fund grant and Innogrant.
Finally, we are looking forward to our first Kickers Camp at the end of September!
About Feeltronix:
Feeltronix has developed a proprietary platform technology that stretches the mechanical limits of electronics and provides solutions for wearable and compliant systems. The technology is compatible with equipment used in the manufacture and assembly of electronic circuits, and enables unmatched mechanical elasticity and electronic performance in soft circuits.
Feeltronix joined venturelab’s Acceleration Workshops in Autumn 2016 at EPFL, which helped them get first entrepreneurial hints.
Website: https://feeltronix.com/
We filed the first patent application to protect our innovation in 2015. After receiving interest several potential future customers and industrial partners, we were frustrated not to be able to meet their demand because we lacked the structure to industrialize our application. We then started to think of a spin-off which would be able to make things happen and grow bigger.
What differentiates your product from others and why are you excited about it?
We integrate sensors chips into rubber-based devices that can be flexed and stretched millions of times without losing performance. This combination of robustness and adaptability is unique and can be adapted to complex structures such as human bodies and used for applications such as body monitoring or movement tracking.
Industrial companies, such as consumer electronics companies, are looking for compliant circuits that you can bend, twist or stretch many times, but they don’t have cost effective and robust solutions to do so. It is indeed very challenging to wire components into ultra-compliant circuits. This is where we come in as we can provide our extremely stretchable solution!
We are an IP-intensive company, with one patent application already filed and two applications to be filed in the coming month.
What does the collaboration between 3 co-founders look like?
We are a team of engineers by training but we split our efforts to cover all the aspects related to the transfer of our innovation from academia to industry. Aaron is focusing on the hardware side: how to manufacture the product and upscale the production in a cost-effective manner. The seed funding that we already secured mainly serves this purpose. Arthur is developing and improving the core technology, and I am taking care of the rest (laugh), including business development and advertising the technology outside the lab. We meet very regularly to decide on the main orientations of the venture and shape our first product prototype. We will all be dedicating 100% of our time to the venture after Arthur defends his PhD thesis in October.
You just won the first stage of Venture Kick; how will it help you develop your project?
Venture Kick seed money is a very useful funding that helps us implement basic but crucial elements such as our website or trademark protection.
Besides the money, the network is the most valuable asset. We have the opportunity to meet business angels and more experienced profiles who can help us on topics such as legal aspects, which are crucial for an IP-intensive venture like ours. Being connected with other startups is also a real advantage.
If we win the next stages, we will focus on marketing a device designed for movement quantification.
What is the next step?
The next step is to secure additional funding to reinforce our IP position and launch a “green light” proof of concept in optimal conditions. This is why we start with seed funding such as Venture Kick and have applied to EPFL seed grants such as the NCCR Spind Fund grant and Innogrant.
Finally, we are looking forward to our first Kickers Camp at the end of September!
About Feeltronix:
Feeltronix has developed a proprietary platform technology that stretches the mechanical limits of electronics and provides solutions for wearable and compliant systems. The technology is compatible with equipment used in the manufacture and assembly of electronic circuits, and enables unmatched mechanical elasticity and electronic performance in soft circuits.
Feeltronix joined venturelab’s Acceleration Workshops in Autumn 2016 at EPFL, which helped them get first entrepreneurial hints.
Website: https://feeltronix.com/