Joint launches push startup solutions into global markets

xFarm Technologies supports and simplifies the work of 110,000 farms spread over 1.5 million hectares in more than 100 countries worldwide via its digital platform. In partnership with Insurance company Zurich Italy, the companies have launched a new project in Italy aiming at the future of so-called parametric insurance. The new approach allows for customising the policy, thus making claims assessment and payment more secure and accurate. In the first phase of the project, farms insured with Zurich will automatically enjoy the activation of the “sustainability module” of the xFarm app, which will make the management of the farm itself smarter and more efficient; farmers will save time and money, and have a new digital tool to use. During the second phase of the project, the data collected by the app will make it possible to tailor each policy to the actual needs of farms.

Furthermore, thanks to the data that the xFarm app will collect 24 hours a day (e.g. from IoT devices, images from satellites, etc.), when a severe weather event occurs, such as a hailstorm, tornado, or dry spell, Zurich will be able to assess the damage in real-time and objectively, and will be able to automatically provide payment without the need to ask for extensive and detailed documentation from farmers..

Hydromea and Air Control Entech bring EXRAY to the North Sea and Latin America
Swiss underwater robotics company Hydomea and Air Control Entech (ACE), a Scotland-based certified remote technology specialist, entered into a service partnership agreement to commercialise Hydromea’s EXRAY, the world’s first wireless ROV (remotely-operated underwater vehicle), for inspections at offshore floating platforms. Under the deal, ACE will actively promote and use Hydromea’s innovative EXRAY wireless ROV for inspections of ballast water tanks at FPSOs (floating production storage and offloading) platforms in the North Sea and Latin American markets. Hydromea will benefit from ACE’s certified offshore inspection team and existing and new service contracts.

Patent-pending EXRAY wireless ROV enables the inspections of complex and dangerous flooded spaces to be more affordable and faster for asset operators. By eliminating a tether between a pilot and an inspection vehicle, Hydromea’s solution brings a significant improvement in the dexterity of the vehicle and removes the risk of entanglement during an inspection mission of a complex submerged infrastructure. 

Datahow and Genedata to accelerate digital transformation in biotech
ETH Zurich Spinoff Datahow is a software provider focused on accelerating process development, optimising manufacturing processes, and increasing robustness by using hybrid modelling solutions. The 2017-founded startup has joined forces with Basel-based company Genedata – which is a pioneer in the digital transformation of biopharma R&D – to further integrate their platforms to streamline bioprocess development and manufacturing workflows. The combined solution will directly integrate DataHow’s Digital Twin products, including DataHowLab and SpectraHow, with the Genedata Biopharma Platform so that process development and manufacturing data can be seamlessly exchanged and interpreted. Having experimental data and modelling data available together will streamline digitalisation across biopharma process development and manufacturing. This will enable digital tracking of data for every molecule, sample, and process for more efficient process development and integrate state-of-the-art modelling capabilities to better understand and optimise critical attributes of the biopharmaceutical manufacturing process.

The integration of the platforms results in synergies that further drive harmonisation and automation along the entire process. Additionally, as part of the collaboration, DataHow and Genedata will expand the integrated platform to other innovation areas in process development and manufacturing, including hybrid model-supported process monitoring and control with Raman Spectroscopy and E2E applications of Digital Twins.

Akenza enables IoT in Denmark
The network operator Cibicom is leading the smart technologies evolution with its LoRaWAN IoT infrastructure. The company has joined forces with Zurich-based startup akenza to provide the perfect technological foundation for all IoT innovators in Denmark. With this new partnership, it is now possible to design IoT solutions based on the LoRaWAN infrastructure of Cibicom while enjoying the advanced features of akenza, such as no-code data flow, device type library, and advanced rule engine. Cibicom customers can integrate their LoRaWAN Network Server (LNS) account in just a few clicks and synchronise their devices on akenza for further processing. Moreover, businesses and cities launching new IoT ventures can now benefit from the Connectivity-as-a-Service offering of akenza to directly connect their LoRaWAN devices to Cibicom inside one platform without establishing a separate connectivity contract. Thanks to this, creating a proof-of-concept only takes one afternoon, and the same IoT stack can be used to later scale to hundreds of devices.

(Press release/RAN)
Photo: Alexander Bahr, Hydromea COO, and Keiran Hope, ACE COO