Four EPFL startups projects boosted by Ignition and Innogrant funding

PowerCore

PowerCore – a startup project developing in collaboration with three EPFL labs and led by Dr. Vasily Artemov – has been awarded an Ignition Grant by the EPFL Startup Launchpad.

With increasing pressure from governments aiming to fulfil the commitments of the Paris Agreement and the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development, the global construction industry faces a challenge: how to integrate local energy storage into buildings efficiently and affordably? Current battery options are unsustainable and unsuitable for large-scale adoption in construction. They are costly, have short lifespans, and present significant safety and environmental risks.

PowerCore aims to drive the next generation of smart, energy-efficient buildings. Unlike conventional battery systems, their technology directly integrates fire-safe, long-lasting energy storage into buildings. Made from abundant, non-toxic materials such as clay and carbon, they eliminate supply chain challenges while offering a 150-year lifespan, lower costs, and environmental benefits.

With their grant, the PowerCore team will work on their MVP and start building the relationships needed to find their first customers.

Contact: Vasily Artemov

StegaMatter

StegaMatter – a startup project at EPFL based in Professor Kaplan’s Digital Humanities lab – has been awarded a CHF30,000 Ignition Grant.

As digital transformation advances, physical products are increasingly expected to deliver transparency, traceability, and secure connectivity. These demands are especially pressing in sectors where brand trust, authenticity, and sustainability are essential. For example, in 2019, counterfeit goods accounted for an estimated 2.5% of global trade—around $464 billion (OECD)—with luxury fashion especially affected: 1 in 5 European consumers under 35 has purchased a counterfeit item. Yet industry norms still rely heavily on add-on elements—QR codes, tags, or packaging—that disrupt aesthetics, create waste, and fall short of delivering integrated trust.

StegaMatter embeds digital intelligence directly into product surfaces through a steganographic approach—visible yet not evident—where trust works hand-in-hand with design. This method enables seamless, tamper-resistant identification without compromising aesthetics or material integrity.

With their grant, the StegaMatter team will focus on developing their proof of concept and validating the scalability of their technology.

Contact: Dan Cai

MoleSense

Every year, 15 million babies are born prematurely. In high-risk pregnancies, doctors face critical decisions: intervene early—risking lifelong complications for the baby—or wait, increasing the risk of deadly infection. Too often, these life-or-death choices rely on sporadic blood tests and clinical judgment, leaving far too much to chance.

MoleSense’s mission is to transform women’s healthcare through molecular wearables. These next-generation devices don’t just track vital signs—they continuously and non-invasively monitor biochemical markers like proteins and hormones. By combining real-time molecular data with biology-aware machine intelligence, MoleSense empowers earlier, evidence-based interventions. Their goal is to reduce preterm births and ease the lifelong impact on mothers, babies, and healthcare systems worldwide.

With the Innogrant, the team will accelerate product development and create its first functional prototype.

More about MoleSense

Contacts: Gian Luca Barbruni and Ata Golparvar

DeltaSpark

As global temperatures rise and carbon taxes increase, heavy industries are under pressure to find fast, effective, and affordable ways to cut their emissions. Many sectors already use carbon dioxide removal technologies, but current solutions are often too slow, costly, or complex to scale.

DeltaSpark – a startup based in Dr Jan Van Herle’s GEM lab – are developing a breakthrough solution: a process to store carbon dioxide by turning it into a solid mineral. Their process would remove over a tonne of CO2 per day, per shipping container while simultaneously producing clean hydrogen, oxygen, and construction-grade minerals. Their method is up to 1000x faster than existing methods and doesn’t require the same high pressure, high temperature, or long processing times. Their technology offers companies an opportunity to reduce their environmental footprint while creating green hydrogen at a fraction of the price.

With their Innogrant, DeltaSpark will advance their prototype and prepare for their first pilot.

Contacts: Luc Bondaz and Suhas Nuggehalli Sampathkumar