Startups leveraging allosteric biochemistry for cancer immunotherapy, using graphene for solar cells, delivering innovative protein technologies, providing a software to assist physiotherapists, and revolutionizing heating control each win CHF 10,000

Adoram Therapeutics: Leveraging allosteric biochemistry for patients
Existing therapies are not efficacious in many types of solid tumors because of an immunosuppressive environment that is caused by a variety of factors, including high adenosine levels. Adoram Therapeutics' most advanced asset, currently at the preclinical stage directly addresses this challenge, and the novel molecules were patented last year. The A2AR negative allosteric modulator (NAM) drug candidate is intended to restore the immune system in high-adenosine tumors such as pancreatic, stomach, esophageal, lung, and cervical cancers, and therefore has the potential to improve the lives of millions of patients. 
The company was incorporated in 2022 as a spin-off from the University of Geneva. Founders and Board members include CEO Dr. David Pejoski, CSO Dr. Hesham Hamed, and drug discovery advisor Prof. Leonardo Scapozza. Together with a team of scientists; Aurélie Gouiller, Camille Suess, Sébastien Tardy, Margot Boujut, and Margaux Héritier, they are developing a suite of small molecule allosteric modulators for different cancer and non-cancer indications based around GPCR drug targets, the largest class of receptors in the human genome. Small molecule drugs with an allosteric mode of action are sought-after in drug development because of their clear advantages over conventional drugs, such as increased potency as well as safety.
The Venture Kick funds will contribute to selecting a drug candidate that can be progressed toward human clinical trials. adoram.ch

GraphEnergyTech: Unleashing the power of graphene for solar cells
Even if they are easier to produce and as efficient as silicon photovoltaics, perovskite solar cells are not an industrial reality yet because of the noble metal electrodes required, which are costly but also bring instability to the perovskite layer. Silicon solar cells use energy-intensive silver (and aluminum) as the back contact electrode. Currently, silicon PV already uses 11% of annual silver production and previsions state that by 2050, 85-98% of the current silver reserve will be used up. Thus, the associated cost will rocket, given the current boom for PV installations.
GraphEnergyTech brings together world leaders in advanced solar cell design and graphene to enable the production of low-cost, high-efficiency solar photovoltaic systems. The Management team is composed of CEO Thomas Baumeler, CTO G. Kakavelakis, and CSO E. Alharbi. They hold patents for the production of high-conductivity graphene electrodes that dramatically reduce the cost and environmental impact of the production process for perovskite and silicon solar cells. Perovskite solar cells use a vacuum-deposited gold layer to form the backside electrical contact, which is prohibitively expensive and energy-intensive. GraphEnergyTech is bringing a solution that can enable the industrial manufacture of perovskite solar cells, and solve the coming silver crisis in silicon PV. The Photovoltaics market is huge and exponentially growing. Perovskite solar cells market is on the verge of becoming a reality, and GraphEnergyTech technology is a key turn-maker in this regard. Analysts' consensus suggests a CAGR of 30% for a market start in 2024, accounting for USD 3.48 billion by 2027. Silicon solar cells market is an order of magnitude bigger, with 120.56 billion estimated in 2026 with a CAGR of 6.6%. 
the team plans to use Venture Kick financing on three levels: technology, scale-up, and commercialization. graphenergytech.com

Procavea Biotech: Delivering innovative protein technologies
The delivery hurdle is widely recognized as the biggest challenge in the development of RNA/oligonucleotide therapeutics. Procavea Biotech has developed a unique drug delivery platform based on nonviral protein cages that have the potential to break this deadlock. These protein particles are non-toxic, biodegradable, compatible with a wide range of cargo, and can be targeted to specific cell types. In comparison to the currently available technologies, Procavea’s unique platform is particularly promising in its ease of manufacture and engineerability. 
To bring this technology to the market, the soon-to-be-incorporated company will focus on developing the first drug product for an as yet undisclosed disease indication. The founders have extensive scientific expertise in the area of protein engineering - the core competence of Procavea Biotech. Dr. Tom Edwardson, Senior Scientist at ETH Zurich, and Donald Hilvert, Professor Emeritus (ETHZ) are the inventors of Procavea’s proprietary technology with experience in the design of protein functions. Dr. Richard Quaderer, managing director at RhySearch, brings experience in bioprocess development and technology management. The technology platform was developed at ETH Zurich and is protected by two patents. While this novel delivery system has broad potential, the startup's initial focus is on the Antisense and RNAi Therapeutics market, which includes ASO, siRNA, and miRNA-based therapies with a great need for innovative delivery solutions. This sector was valued at 3.7 Bn USD in 2020, with a 9% CAGR. However, growth is hampered by the limited choice of delivery systems, especially for extrahepatic targets. Procavea is uniquely positioned to make an impact in this space, helping to realize the true potential of RNA-based therapies and get them to the patients who need them. Long term, the startup will develop its own therapeutic pipeline to create the most value from the technology platform. 
The Procavea team plans to use the Venture Kick financing to boost their business development. procavea.com

WakeUp Healthcare: Software assisting physiotherapists in creating tailored treatment plans
Pelvic dysfunction is a chronic condition that requires personalized physiotherapy treatment. The current pelvic physiotherapy practice is outdated. Physiotherapists prescribe exercises to patients in outdated ways. The challenge for the patient is remembering how to exercise correctly and integrating the exercises into the daily routine. Once the physiotherapy program is finished, patients have to continue exercising to maintain progress and keep improving. However, with no proper guidance or support, it is almost impossible. This results in patients coming back into the health system, which is a drawback physically and mentally and incurs costs.
WakeUp Healthcare is led by CEO Ieva Paludneviciute. Their software assists physiotherapists in creating tailored treatment plans that fit the individual needs of each patient. WakeUp Healthcare's software provides pelvic physiotherapy patients with higher-quality physiotherapy visits and improves their adherence to exercising at home. At the core of WakeUp Healthcare's solution is a recommendation-based system that constantly analyses symptoms, treatment methods, and their effectiveness. Their evidence-based solution will be certified by the two biggest and leading pelvic physiotherapy associations in Switzerland and co-created with the Bern University of Applied Sciences. Pelvic dysfunction is a global problem. In Europe alone, there are 80 million women who suffer from this condition. They will start with the Swiss market as their proof of concept.
They plan to use the Venture Kick funds to launch the first MVP without personalization and collect and analyze data.

Yuon Control: The next-generation heating control for single-family homes
The current control systems installed in most of the family houses do not optimally adjust to the needs of the customers and are often not optimally adjusted to the building. Due to the increased environmental awareness among the population, rising energy prices, as well as government control measures, there is great interest in energy-saving and resource optimization.
Yuon Control's new control algorithms allow for saving energy with the existing heating system. The team composed of CEO Josef Timoteo Jenni, CFO Mehmet von Burg, and CTO Lorin Mühlebach, developed a new generation of the heating controller. It uses state-of-the-art hardware and the latest advancements in self-learning algorithms and model predictive control. This helps to automatically optimize the heating system and increases comfort by preventing overheating. Therefore, their technology can save up to 25% of energy. Their control system autonomously learns the thermal properties of a building and optimizes the heating control strategy.  New control strategies and optimized parameters can reduce energy consumption significantly through a one-time and cost-effective retrofit. Installing the controller takes only a few hours. The intelligent system is self-optimizing and considers future weather conditions such as solar radiation forecasts. According to their results, it is possible to save up to 25% of heating energy and heating costs while maintaining the same level of comfort for the residents. Yuon controller can be used with all fossil and renewable heating systems as long as it has one centralized heat source. In a second their algorithms can be licensed to heat pumps or other heat source producers. Only in Switzerland, there are already about one million single-family houses. In Germany, the market is much larger with 16 million single-family homes.
The Venture Kick funds will help the startup to increase the production volume and further optimize the hardware for series production (component selection, manufacturing costs, housing). yuon.ch