Five promising EPFL spin-offs will go after the US market
© Dick Luria
Twenty Swiss start-ups, including five EPFL spin-offs, will head to the east coast of the United States in June for a weeklong immersion in the business world. They were selected from among 200 competitors by venturelab to take part in its venture leaders program. A public presentation of the start-ups will take place on 21 April.
Five EPFL start-ups – Cellphmed, Intento, SUNbioscience, SThAR and ARTMYN – will go to Boston or New York to test their ideas and business plans on the US market. They will meet with key industry players, in their pursuit of a springboard to rapid international growth. “Early exposure to the US market and investors is a requirement for any start-up with global potential,” said Jordi Montserrat, the head of venturelab.
Boston for life sciences, New York for technology
venturelab’s program, which has been around for 16 years, has helped many companies. “39 venture leaders from past years are among the Top 100 Swiss Startups of 2015, including EPFL spinoffs L.E.S.S., Abionic, Flyability and MindMaze,” noted Montserrat, who added that venturelab’s alumni have raised several hundred million francs from Swiss and foreign investors.
This year, for the first time, two teams of 10 Swiss entrepreneurs will go to the US in June for a week of business boosting. Start-ups in the area of life sciences will go to Boston, while the others are New York-bound. The aim is to spend a week in a location that corresponds to the start-ups' business sector. This is a unique opportunity for these up-and-coming entrepreneurs, who have one thing in common: they are the heads of a high-tech start-up with an ambitious growth plan and strong potential on the US market.
The programs include presentations to investors, partners and industry experts, as the start-ups seek to expand their network of contacts. Another goal is to work as a team with shared objectives and facing the same challenges, and to help each other. For this reason, a captain will be elected for each group by the public at the end of the start-ups’ presentation that will be held on 21 April at the Rolex Forum from 2pm to 5pm during the “Startup Champions” event, which is being co-organized by EPFL.
For more information on the program. Follow the start-ups during their trip in June on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (hashtags: #vleaders, #vleadersBOS, #vleadersNYC).
EPFL's five start-ups:
Natali Pennese, Cellphmed
A method to determine the identity and quality of a cell with great precision, marking a step towards more accurate and more personalized medicine.
Andrea Maesani, Intento
A solution to rehabilitate people left severely paralyzed following a stroke, restoring movement in their upper limbs.
Sylke Hoehnel, SUNbioscience
A technique to grow ‘organoid’ stem cells, which refers to 3D tissues that imitate how organs work. This technology brings personalized medicine closer in the form of treatments that are more effective and less onerous than wide-spectrum treatments.
Alberto Hernando, SThAR
Algorithms that make large quantities of telecommunications data ‘talk’, in order to identify where and when to deliver a message most effectively. This software could be useful in both electoral and advertising campaigns.
Alexandre Catsicas, ARTMYN
A solution for digitizing visual artworks, with interactive rendering on mobile devices via a simple web browser.