Startups developing inspections drones, easy geospatial data, sustainable seasonal energy storage, AI-powered cognitive tests, and accessible education for all each get CHF 10,000
22.01.2025
AITHON Robotics, Arklem AI, Iron Energy, neurodAIgnostics, and PaperCheck were selected at Venture Kick's first financial and entrepreneurial support stage. Their projects combine the capabilities of human workers with the mobility of uncrewed aerial vehicles; develop software that simplifies the complex process of working with geospatial data by providing a platform that automatically collects, processes, and visualizes location-based information from multiple sources without requiring users to write code; advance the development of a reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective solution for seasonal energy storage; harness AI to improve the speed and quality of cognitive evaluations; and provide an affordable solution with AI-powered tools that offer detailed feedback on structure, clarity, and content, while also helping students manage tasks and prepare for presentations.
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 AITHON Robotics' Team
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 Arklem AI: CEO Clémence Marcaillou and CTO Harshdeep Singh
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 Iron Energy: CEO Samuel Heiniger, CFO Daniel Bloch, and advisors Prof. Dr. Wendelin Stark and Prof. Dr. Robert Grass
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 neurodAIgnostics: Co-founders Perrine Lhuillier and Prof. Dr. Nicolas Langer
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 PaperCheck: Co-Founder Yves Zumbühl
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AITHON Robotics: Rapid Access for Hazardous Tasks
Infrastructure assets require constant inspection and maintenance to be operated safely. These tasks are expensive as they induce asset downtimes and the existing access solutions are limited. This further increases the total cost of ownership as only insufficient information on the asset condition exists. Lastly, the workers performing the work are put in constant danger of falling from heights.
AITHON Robotics combines the capabilities of human workers with the mobility of uncrewed aerial vehicles. Their drones can perch on structures, such as underneath bridges or on hydropower dams, and allow for force-intense and precise work. Through tethered flight, they can perform enduring missions and carry heavy payloads for a wide array of tasks: sensor installation, radar- and ultrasound scanning, sample collection, and repair works with mortar injection. This makes their technology a novel solution for the growing drone inspection market (~15%CAGR) at a time when asset owners are looking for faster and more precise insights into their assets.
The Venture Kick funds will contribute toward the technological maturity of their drones, by allowing them to improve the tethered power supply for high-altitude flights up to 80m.
Arklem AI: Making Geospatial Data Easy
Data scientists waste the majority of their time collecting and cleaning data from various sources, a problem that becomes even more complex with geospatial data due to multiple incompatible formats, proprietary querying languages, and the lack of industry standards.
Clémence Marcaillou (CEO) and Harshdeep Singh (CTO) both faced this problem while working as Data Scientists at IBM, Goldman Sachs, Swiss Re, Accenture, and MIT. They developed software that simplifies the complex process of working with geospatial data by providing a platform that automatically collects, processes, and visualizes location-based information from multiple sources without requiring users to write code.
The Venture Kick funding will accelerate their growth by scaling the technical infrastructure of their product with GPUs/cloud resources and expanding their market reach through strategic sales tools and targeted marketing campaigns.
Iron Energy: Sustainable Solutions for Seasonal Energy Storage
Renewable energy generation is dictated by meteorological conditions rather than energy demand. This intermittency requires energy storage solutions capable of addressing long-term seasonal imbalances, ensuring surplus summer production can meet unmet winter demand.
The founding team includes CEO Samuel Heiniger, CFO Daniel Bloch, and advisors Prof. Dr. Wendelin Stark and Prof. Dr. Robert Grass. Together, they are advancing the development of a reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective solution for seasonal energy storage. Their innovative technology uses the reversible reaction between hydrogen and iron oxide, enabling safe and straightforward handling of hydrogen—a gas that is typically explosive and highly volatile. This affordable energy storage system is a critical component for ensuring power supply in energy markets featuring renewable power supply.
The Venture Kick funds will support the scaling and improvement of the current demonstrator, paving the way for delivering the storage solution to the first customers.
neurodAIgnostics: AI-Powered Scoring Solutions for Cognitive Tests
Neuropsychologists rely on standardized tests to evaluate cognitive functions. Test scores inform diagnosing and treating complex neurological and psychiatric conditions like dementia. Traditional pen-and-paper assessments are slow to score, prone to errors, and offer limited diagnostic insights.
neurodAIgnostics harnesses AI to improve the speed and quality of cognitive evaluations. Clinicians receive reliable scores in seconds, with minimal changes to existing workflows. Richer diagnostic insights are unlocked by incorporating markers that are not captured in manual assessments. Patients benefit from shorter waiting times and improved care.
Operating in a growing cognitive assessment market valued at USD 4.5bn, co-founders Prof. Dr. Nicolas Langer and Perrine Lhuillier drive neurodAIgnostics forward thanks to complementary expertise spanning neuroscience, AI, leadership, fundraising, and communications.
The Venture Kick funding will be pivotal in refining pricing strategies and building a robust financial model to ensure sustainable growth.
PaperCheck: Making Education Accessible for All
Many students face challenges during academic writing due to limited access to feedback, tight deadlines, and high costs for professional support.
PaperCheck provides an affordable solution with AI-powered tools that offer detailed feedback on structure, clarity, and content, while also helping students manage tasks and prepare for presentations. By making high-quality academic support accessible, it ensures that students from all backgrounds, regardless of financial resources or academic family history, can unlock their full academic potential.
Founded by AI entrepreneur Yves Zumbühl, PaperCheck began as a prototype for his bachelor’s thesis. After its launch in May 2024, Jo Dietrich joined as cofounder in September, leading marketing efforts. The platform has since delivered 10,000 pieces of feedback and grown into a tool designed to empower students worldwide—estimated by UNESCO to number 250 million— through actionable insights, fostering learning and critical thinking.
The Venture Kick funds will refine the AI with additional data labeling and expand marketing to reach more students.
Infrastructure assets require constant inspection and maintenance to be operated safely. These tasks are expensive as they induce asset downtimes and the existing access solutions are limited. This further increases the total cost of ownership as only insufficient information on the asset condition exists. Lastly, the workers performing the work are put in constant danger of falling from heights.
AITHON Robotics combines the capabilities of human workers with the mobility of uncrewed aerial vehicles. Their drones can perch on structures, such as underneath bridges or on hydropower dams, and allow for force-intense and precise work. Through tethered flight, they can perform enduring missions and carry heavy payloads for a wide array of tasks: sensor installation, radar- and ultrasound scanning, sample collection, and repair works with mortar injection. This makes their technology a novel solution for the growing drone inspection market (~15%CAGR) at a time when asset owners are looking for faster and more precise insights into their assets.
The Venture Kick funds will contribute toward the technological maturity of their drones, by allowing them to improve the tethered power supply for high-altitude flights up to 80m.
Arklem AI: Making Geospatial Data Easy
Data scientists waste the majority of their time collecting and cleaning data from various sources, a problem that becomes even more complex with geospatial data due to multiple incompatible formats, proprietary querying languages, and the lack of industry standards.
Clémence Marcaillou (CEO) and Harshdeep Singh (CTO) both faced this problem while working as Data Scientists at IBM, Goldman Sachs, Swiss Re, Accenture, and MIT. They developed software that simplifies the complex process of working with geospatial data by providing a platform that automatically collects, processes, and visualizes location-based information from multiple sources without requiring users to write code.
The Venture Kick funding will accelerate their growth by scaling the technical infrastructure of their product with GPUs/cloud resources and expanding their market reach through strategic sales tools and targeted marketing campaigns.
Iron Energy: Sustainable Solutions for Seasonal Energy Storage
Renewable energy generation is dictated by meteorological conditions rather than energy demand. This intermittency requires energy storage solutions capable of addressing long-term seasonal imbalances, ensuring surplus summer production can meet unmet winter demand.
The founding team includes CEO Samuel Heiniger, CFO Daniel Bloch, and advisors Prof. Dr. Wendelin Stark and Prof. Dr. Robert Grass. Together, they are advancing the development of a reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective solution for seasonal energy storage. Their innovative technology uses the reversible reaction between hydrogen and iron oxide, enabling safe and straightforward handling of hydrogen—a gas that is typically explosive and highly volatile. This affordable energy storage system is a critical component for ensuring power supply in energy markets featuring renewable power supply.
The Venture Kick funds will support the scaling and improvement of the current demonstrator, paving the way for delivering the storage solution to the first customers.
neurodAIgnostics: AI-Powered Scoring Solutions for Cognitive Tests
Neuropsychologists rely on standardized tests to evaluate cognitive functions. Test scores inform diagnosing and treating complex neurological and psychiatric conditions like dementia. Traditional pen-and-paper assessments are slow to score, prone to errors, and offer limited diagnostic insights.
neurodAIgnostics harnesses AI to improve the speed and quality of cognitive evaluations. Clinicians receive reliable scores in seconds, with minimal changes to existing workflows. Richer diagnostic insights are unlocked by incorporating markers that are not captured in manual assessments. Patients benefit from shorter waiting times and improved care.
Operating in a growing cognitive assessment market valued at USD 4.5bn, co-founders Prof. Dr. Nicolas Langer and Perrine Lhuillier drive neurodAIgnostics forward thanks to complementary expertise spanning neuroscience, AI, leadership, fundraising, and communications.
The Venture Kick funding will be pivotal in refining pricing strategies and building a robust financial model to ensure sustainable growth.
PaperCheck: Making Education Accessible for All
Many students face challenges during academic writing due to limited access to feedback, tight deadlines, and high costs for professional support.
PaperCheck provides an affordable solution with AI-powered tools that offer detailed feedback on structure, clarity, and content, while also helping students manage tasks and prepare for presentations. By making high-quality academic support accessible, it ensures that students from all backgrounds, regardless of financial resources or academic family history, can unlock their full academic potential.
Founded by AI entrepreneur Yves Zumbühl, PaperCheck began as a prototype for his bachelor’s thesis. After its launch in May 2024, Jo Dietrich joined as cofounder in September, leading marketing efforts. The platform has since delivered 10,000 pieces of feedback and grown into a tool designed to empower students worldwide—estimated by UNESCO to number 250 million— through actionable insights, fostering learning and critical thinking.
The Venture Kick funds will refine the AI with additional data labeling and expand marketing to reach more students.