FONGIT Innovation Fund selects four start-ups

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09.08.2021
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The foundation supporting technological entrepreneurship in the canton of Geneva, FONGIT, announces four new beneficiaries of the FONGIT Innovation Fund (FIF). The two startups GlobalM and Edaphos each received seed funding of CHF 100,000 in the form of convertible loans. FluoSphera and HeroSupport have both received grants of CHF 50,000.

Launched in February 2021, the FIF has already announced the second group of beneficiaries. After Adiposs and ZYTLYN the fund has selected four companies from the Life Sciences, Agrotech and Media industries.

GlobalM is a high-tech startup that provides advanced live streaming technologies to broadcasters for news, sports, business, culture and entertainment. Their media platform which turns smartphones into broadcast cameras is based on an advanced secure video streaming network and fulfills the demand for high-quality, low-latency live or file-based video delivery over the internet. 

Edaphos is an agrotech startup specialized in the production of high-performance fungal biomass for soil decontamination. In nature, fungi degrade almost all waste, so they are able to degrade pollutants. Based on the observation of living organisms and the understanding of the functioning of fungal mycelia, Edaphos’ exclusive technologies allow the mass production of very high performance fungal active ingredients to respond to the problems of all players in the circular economy. 

FluoSphera is a future spin-off from the University of Geneva, active in the field of Life Sciences. FluoSphera develops a new generation of multi-tissue test systems using the precision of fluorescent light to mimic communications between human organs. This allows better prediction of the toxicity and safety of compounds (drugs, chemicals, cosmetics, etc.) in order to better protect patients and consumers. With this technology, FluoSphera also plans to improve to reduce animal testing and ensure the quality of water. The two first products will track endocrine disruptors (launching in winter 2021), and cardiotoxic compounds (launching in spring 2022). 

HeroSupport is a future University of Geneva HUG spin-out that develops 3D printed breast shells for breast radiotherapy. By transforming imaging and/or treatment tables into personalised supports, patients do not have to adjust to the table, but the table adapts to each patient in a unique way. This new technology has many benefits including: reduced treatment costs; improved comfort for patients; reduced duration of the treatment; and reduced side-effects by eliminating x-ray imaging. 

Stimulating innovation

The FIF is a financing tool resulting from the collaboration between FONGIT and the State of Geneva. This fund aims to accelerate innovation processes within Universities, Hautes Ecoles and other Geneva-based research institutions such as CERN. All startups and scale-ups registered in the Geneva trade register, and which are growing rapidly in a technological environment and aiming at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are eligible. The FIF was created to stimulate innovation and to address the lack of available funds, especially in the initial seed phase.

The FIF provides three distinct types of support. First, the Fongit Grant of up to CHF 50,000 for early-stage projects needing financial support to transition from research institutions to creating a new company. It then offers the Fongit Seed Loan of up to CHF 100,000 in the form of convertible loans to help startups in their development phase. Finally, the Fongit Growth Loan of up to CHF 400,000 for fast-growing companies developing technological innovations and seeking to accelerate their commercial development or in a phase of digital transformation. These three supports are conditional on the achievement of at least one sustainable development objective.

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Company profiles on startup.ch

EDAPHOS SA

FluoSphera SA

GlobalM SA

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