Novel Drugs and Innovative Medical Device Startups win CHF 40,000
31.05.2019
Venture Kick’s jury chooses medtech spin-offs Frater and KOVE, as well as Synendos Therapeutics, whose pharma innovation may free hundreds of millions of people from stress, depression and anxiety.
 Winners Frater, KOVE and Synendos Therapeutics
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 Frater co-founder Andreas Frasnelli
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 KOVE founder Yannick Devaud
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 Synendos Theapeutics co-founder Andrea Chicca
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Frater GmbH: preventing hypothermia
Hospital patients, especially those rescued after exposure in high mountains or cold water, are at risk of hypothermia. Stabilizing their temperature is critical for medical staff, both inside and outside the usual hospital environment. Andreas Frasnelli, a medical doctor and St. Gallen graduate, who heads the Department of Emergency Medicine in Visp, Switzerland, used eight years’ experience of helicopter rescue missions to develop patented coatings that heat infusion lines without the need for batteries.
Hospital patients, especially those rescued after exposure in high mountains or cold water, are at risk of hypothermia. Stabilizing their temperature is critical for medical staff, both inside and outside the usual hospital environment. Andreas Frasnelli, a medical doctor and St. Gallen graduate, who heads the Department of Emergency Medicine in Visp, Switzerland, used eight years’ experience of helicopter rescue missions to develop patented coatings that heat infusion lines without the need for batteries.
Interest from veterinary doctors has led Frasnelli and co-founder Hannes Spögler to broaden market development to include applications for large and small animals.
"The Kickers Camp was great – because it was that hard. You get very direct feedback, which breaks your tunnel-vision. It's the most important thing. The feedback comes with potential solutions, ways to solve every issue and get the business running faster. In the end I really enjoyed it! It switches your mindset from scientific – trying to explain things – to business: showing solutions to problems."
KOVE: saving babies before birth
Treating fetuses during pregnancy risks triggering premature birth. Currently the surgical instruments used in the womb often damage the fetal membrane, causing early births in 80 percent of cases. Biotech engineer Yannick Devaud developed a device that reduces this risk, during his PhD at EPF Lausanne and the University Hospital of Zurich. Safer fetal surgery will open the path for safer treatment of fetuses.
Devaud, whose grandmother comes from the Brazilian Amazon, named the startup KOVE, which means 'to live' in the Amazon’s Tupi-Guarani language. "The Amazon is an area of blooming life and constant renewal. We save babies before they are born. We want families to stop having to mourn the death of a child," he says.
The startup has won approval for a large trial of the device in sheep and interest from established companies in the field of fetoscopy. The company will look to raise seed investment in 2019. Devaud also enjoyed training from Venture Kick "The Kickers Camps question everything. They're very intense days. It helps you re-think all your concepts. You get questions that push you and bring you deeper into the parts of business development that make sense."
The startup has won approval for a large trial of the device in sheep and interest from established companies in the field of fetoscopy. The company will look to raise seed investment in 2019. Devaud also enjoyed training from Venture Kick "The Kickers Camps question everything. They're very intense days. It helps you re-think all your concepts. You get questions that push you and bring you deeper into the parts of business development that make sense."
Synendos Therapeutics AG: novel drugs for anxiety and stress
An estimated four percent of the world’s population suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Current treatments aren't very efficient and have limited safety. Synendos hopes to commercialize new drugs to treat PTSD, as well as other mood and anxiety disorders such as depression. The spin-off from the University of Bern’s Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine has a cutting-edge understanding of the transport mechanism of endocannabinoids across cell membranes, and is developing inhibitor drugs to restore the brain’s normal activities more precisely and with fewer side effects than current treatments.
"We've reached another world in our thinking about Synendos since the start of the year!" said Synendos co-founder Andrea Chicca. "The Kicker Camp was extremely useful in understanding the key elements to pitch to non-pharma stakeholders and investors. It helped build a vision for corporate development to take account of different strategies and scenarios. Decisions taken now, will impact our options two or three years from now. The camp helped us refine and add detail to those plans."
Venture Kick's support allowed Synendos to attend partnering events and meet potential investors in Switzerland and Europe. Due to the spin-off's advanced development, the startup is in active discussions with 15 investors to raise either a 5 million franc seed round to enter into phase 1 clinical trials, or a round of about 20 million francs, with funding linked to corporate milestones, to take the company to the end of phase 1b trial.
Venture Kick's support allowed Synendos to attend partnering events and meet potential investors in Switzerland and Europe. Due to the spin-off's advanced development, the startup is in active discussions with 15 investors to raise either a 5 million franc seed round to enter into phase 1 clinical trials, or a round of about 20 million francs, with funding linked to corporate milestones, to take the company to the end of phase 1b trial.