EPFL startups AdaMu and Arkaiya awarded a CHF 100K grant by the FIT
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The EPFL Tech Launchpad is delighted to announce that EPFL startups AdaMu and Arkaiya, have each been awarded a CHF100,000 grant by the Fondation pour l'Innovation Technologique (FIT) selection committee to move forward with their innovative projects..
AdaMu - conencting creativity and computing, allowing anyone to become a music composer
Florian Colombo, an entrepreneur based at EPFL. Florian will use the money to develop AdaMu – a start-up which connects creativity and computing, allowing anyone to become a music composer.
While there are several websites and computer programs which use artificial intelligence to create music, the process tends to be fairly passive. AdaMu offers users the opportunity to work hand in hand with the computer to create unique musical scores. The program has been trained in music theory and composition and so can predict how composers might combine particular notes and rhythms.
Users can choose different instruments and musical styles to create a unique sound. They can then work with the computer to recompose and modify their music. The music can then be downloaded as a track or as a musical score, ready for use in the real world. From the EPFL Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, AdaMu’s founder Florian Colombo will use his FIT Innogrant to further test and validate the program with a view of launching the company in mid-2022.
Arkaiya - screening deficiencies in gut bacteria to improve children’s health
Arkaiya, an EPFL-based project dedicated to treating children suffering from colic, asthma, and allergies.
The human stomach is home to up to 500 different kinds of bacteria – both good and bad. The basis of a healthy gut is provided by one category of these bacteria, representing 10-12% of the gut microflora. However, much like a fingerprint, everybody has a different mix of bacteria. This is partly determined by what you’re exposed to at birth from your mother, and partly from your lifestyle and diet. In some cases (such as premature birth, Caesarean section, or in children who aren’t or can’t be breastfed), the levels of this primordial category of bacteria are low or even absent. This can lead to a number of acute and chronic health problems – particularly in children.
From the EPFL Environmental Engineering Institute, Duncan Sutherland and it team have come up with a new way to screen for the deficiency in this class of bacteria, allowing any potential health problems to be identified and treated earlier. Arkaiya will use their FIT Innogrant to further validate their research and set the foundation for commercial development.