InnoBooster projects have high ambitions

The selection team for the InnoBooster program screens and identifies startups with the highest potential to receive a financial boost of up to CHF 150,000 for a maximum time of 1.5 years. This is an initiative of the Gebert Rüf Stiftung dedicated to supporting university-based, high-potential business cases from the Venture Kick program.

Almer Connect, ICT – VR remote assistance for industry workers
founded in January 2021 by ETH students and researchers, Almer is developing Augmented Vision products and software services to help connect experts and front line technicians in industries worldwide. Fuelled by the growing demand for sustainable alternatives to business travel and remote assistance solutions in industry, the startup aims to revolutionize customer support applications by offering an easy-to-use Augmented Reality (AR) platform. It is innovating the professional AR market with its patented optical system offering outstanding image performance integrated into a lightweight and compact AR headset. Almer solution is a simple all-in-one plan that enables companies to introduce, maintain and scale remote assistance services effortlessly.

NextImmune, biotech – tackling transplant rejection and autoimmune-inflammatory disorders
There is a dire need to develop novel immunosuppressive drugs there highly safe, robust and effective in inducing immunosuppression without compromising our capacity to fight against infections and cancers. Incorporated in 2021 in Basel, NextImmun is developing a revolutionary class of immune-suppressants termed "coronin 1 modulators" to treat transplant rejection and autoimmune-inflammatory disorders by targeting a key immune signalling pathway mediated by a protein called coronin 1. Coronin 1 modulators are safe, non-toxic and display effective immunosuppression against multiple autoimmune-inflammatory diseases while preserving the needed immune responses against infections. Using InnoBooster, NextImmune aims to further accelerate the clinical development of coronin 1 modulators through lead optimization, therapeutic efficacy validation in immune-inflammatory models and in identifying the best clinical indication for attaining clinical proof of concept.

Biosimo, cleantech – sustainable chemicals
Acetic acid is a vital chemical for many industries however its production is unsustainable as it relies on coal, oil and toxic substances. Existing solutions lack the capacity to deliver larger volumes of acetic acid. This is where the 2022 founded startup Biosimo from the ETH steps in. The startup is developing cost-effective and energy-efficient methods to produce and sell sustainable chemicals from bioethanol by using catalysts, which accelerate the production under mild conditions. With the support of the Innobooster, the team will accelerate its pilot facility in 2023, and fund the researchers and material to facilitate the technical catalyst formulation needed for the PoC of the pilot while strengthening its IP.

Hemetron, medtech – at home-tests for inflammations
Over 50 % of people suffer from diseases related to mild chronic inflammation. Lifestyle adjustments such as optimized diets or increased physical activity are most effective to fight this condition and reduce the long-term risk of developing severe diseases. However, it is challenging to identify which adjustments are most effective for each individual's unique physiology and lifestyle. Hemetron, founded in 2021, has developed an affordable, convenient, quantitative, and accurate at-home self-test that monitors the inflammatory blood marker, C-reactive protein. The test allows users to observe how daily lifestyle choices directly influence their inflammation levels, and thus leads them to healthier lives. In the mid-term, the team will adapt the test for medical at-home blood tests.

Corintis, Energy – microfluidic cooling solution
Even more powerful chips that produce highly concentrated heat are in high demand. Extracting this heat is rapidly becoming a bottleneck for the next generations of computing whilst representing 30% of electricity consumption in data centers. Incorporated in 2022, Corintis tackles the problem at its core with a new precision microfluidic cooling solution, where cooling liquid flows through a network of microscopically small channels embedded in the chip. This approach can extract 10 times more heat compared to leading alternatives with over 50 times higher energy efficiency. The startup offers a full-stack solution for chip designers that lets them tailor the cooling design to the chip to obtain the best results with zero effort. However, the main hurdle for adoption is qualifying the reliability of the technology for long-term commercial use. This project aims at accelerating market adoption by closing this gap through an in-depth reliability study on cooling.

(RAN)
Photo: Hemetron