Using satellite technologies to double solar panels’ efficiency and resolving the dying honey bee problem: Insolight and Vatorex win the final of Venture Kick

Bees are irreplaceable in keeping up the degree of biodiversity and the ecosystem, as they are responsible for the pollination of different agricultural plantations. Every winter however, 10% of the total European bee population disappears mainly due to a parasitic mite called varroa destructor. The loss of pollination has a direct impact on the economy, too, with a loss estimated at CHF 170 million per year. Although many methods to fight varroa mites exist, such as the use of chemicals, they still harm the bees. Chemicals are also stressful for the animals as well as the beekeepers, as resistance evolves fast.

Fight varroa mites thanks to a novel hyperthermia treatment
Vatorex developed and patented a hyperthermia treatment which stops the growth of the mite population in bee hives. The sustainable procedure is based on the different temperature tolerances of the mite and the bee. The product consists of a heating coil that is introduced into the wax foundation of the brood combs, and which heats up the main area of the brood from the inside. It allows an effective, fully automated and repetitive treatment against varroa mites and preserves the natural thermoregulation of the bees. Thanks to the help of Venture Kick, Vatorex will be able to further test and develop its product for customers, mainly beekeepers: “Venture Kick is a fantastic opportunity for entrepreneurs, where you are forced to identify the strengths and challenges of our business case. The whole process helped us turn an idea into a product, a product into a company and a company into a customer-oriented, successful venture", explains Pascal Brunner, Vatorex CEO.

Brunner could also assess the marketability of his business idea on the Brazilian market with EPFL CODEV’s Academia-Industry Camp this year.



Insolight: Bringing space technologies down to earth for a faster solar transition 
Over the past decade, the solar panels’ market has boomed. However, conventional silicon panels still lack efficiency and the return on investment for end users is limited. Insolight developed a flat optical panel that directs sunrays on smaller and highly efficient solar cells, which are normally used in satellites. The technology can produce twice as much electricity for the same surface area than conventional panels. The yield (the quantity of electricity produced from the light energy received) of Insolight’s first prototype is of 36%, which could be considered as a world record, while solutions currently available on the market offer throughput of only around 18-20%. Now Insolight aims to make the industry adopt its product for a faster and cheaper solar transition, also thanks to the help of Venture Kick: “The three stages of the program helped us to progress on the business aspects, with continuous coaching and monitoring. The support received at the kickers camps was outstanding and extremely efficient, as it helped us transform a technical project into a real venture. Venture Kick is substantial for us to gain visibility and be on the radar of Swiss and international investors», says Laurent Coulot, Insolight’s CEO.

In November 2016, the EPFL Innovation Park based startup was selected in the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC)whose aim is to promote innovative startups in the field of space technologies and their application.