Sleepiz and VIU sweep to success at the Start Summit

Last week the start summit in St. Gallen brought together 3000 players in the startup ecosystem – from students to startups, investors, corporates and startup enthusiasts from all over Europe. Besides a broad range of workshops, meetings, insightful keynote speeches and panel discussions, the audience had numerous networking opportunities during the two day event.

One of the highlights was the celebration of the winner of the Start Summiteer, a startup competition in which startups present to the audience and in front of a jury in contest for a CHF 25’000 cash prize. The award attracted more than 350 applications out of which 12 startups made it to the semi-finalists and only six had the opportunity to present their solution in a three minute pitch. The finalists include: Nanoglue, Kemaro, Sleepiz, RetinAI, Fun with Balls and 9TLabs.   

The jury nominated Sleepiz for their innovative sleep analysis solution as the winner. The start-up receives a cash prize of CHF 25’000. While more than 1 billion people are suffering from sleeping disorders only 20 percent of them are diagnosed. This is not only due to the time consuming procedure but also due to high costs involved. Sleepiz addresses this challenge to enable people with sleep disorders (Insomnia) to improve the quality of their sleep cheaply and non-invasively.

The startup developed a touchless device that captures vital signs and sleep environment data in real-time with medical grade accuracy using an AI algorithm. The cloud-based solution saves time and money, therefore a higher number of patients can be screened for sleep disorders in a more efficient way. While the company moves forward, the team is now in the process of obtaining certification.

HSG Founder of the Year

Kilian Wagner was selected as HSG Founder of the Year. The Werner Jackstädt Foundation award is worth 10,000 Swiss francs. Wagner founded VIU in 2013 and set himself the task of revolutionising the glasses market. His VIU glasses are designed in Switzerland and then handmade in an Italian family company in the Dolomites. VIU has since established itself as a pioneer in the field of eyewearVIU serves over 100,000 clients in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with more than 300 employees. A market presence in Denmark, Sweden and England is planned for 2019.

Wagner joins an impressive group of former winners. These include Valentin Stalf, founder of the Smartphone Bank "N26" (2018), Lea von Bidder, co-founder of Ava (2017), 'on' running shoes founder Caspar Coppetti (2016), "DeinDeal.ch" founder Adrian Locher (2012) and Alexander Ilic (2011), founder of "Dacuda". More information about the spin-offs of the University of St. Gallen can be found in an article about a study which was published half a year ago.