Three start-ups win Biopôle Funding

Voltiris delivers sustainable energy to greenhouses by developing the first solar modules compatible with existing greenhouses and their crops. For greenhouse operators, this results in improved energy independence, profitability, and sustainability. What sets Voltiris apart is its groundbreaking application of spectral filtering, which directs only the essential light components for crop growth, while converting unused light into renewable energy. Voltiris solar modules maintain crop yields, are perfectly suited for on-site consumption through 'behind the meter' production, seamlessly integrate with existing greenhouse infrastructure, and require no special permits, as they are installed inside the greenhouse.

Biopôle funding is key for Voltiris, as CEO and Cofounder Nicolas Weber explains to Startupticker.ch: “This is an amazing support that offers us enhanced visibility, recognition, and crucial financial backing. Additionally, it provides access to valuable coaching and supplementary services that will support our future growth. As for the utilization of funds, a significant portion will be allocated towards procuring advanced tools to further our expertise in plant photobiology.

The startup is thrilled about the months ahead, which promise to be incredibly dynamic. The CEO explains: “Regarding our technology, our growing confidence in the advantages we offer to the crops we serve drives us to solidify tangible evidence of these benefits. Simultaneously, we are scaling up the scope of our projects, with a growing pipeline in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and France. Additionally, we are preparing a CHF 3 million Seed round to power up our commercial activities.”

Speaking of the startup, Pierre-Jean Wipff, Biopôle Innovation and Partnerships Director says: “Voltiris has come up with a very interesting offer combining at the same time energy efficiency and production yields. Biopôle is thrilled to support this innovative company and to accompany them in the consolidation of their understanding of how spectral filtering can positively drive plant characteristics such as increased nutritional content.”

Limula on track to build MVP

Over the past three years, Limula has secured over CHF 10M in non-dilutive funding from the European Commission and Innosuisse to develop its solution in partnership with technology providers and end-users. The team has grown from 7 to 14 people since the startup moved to StartLab in the summer of 2022, and the Biopôle Startup Fund was instrumental in supporting company activities that these grants do not cover: office and laboratory infrastructure rent, working with consultants on market research and positioning, basically everything needed to transition from R&D to commercial activities.

Limula is building a fully-automated platform for the manufacturing of Cell and Gene Therapies. Access to these highly personalized treatments is still very limited due to the complexity and high costs of their production. We believe smart automation is the only way to make them broadly accessible. Limulas CEO and Cofounder Luc Henry explains: “Our solution replaces manual steps that are currently used in the production of these ‘living drugs’. The key innovation is a design that allows to bring all steps of the process in a single device, supporting robust and scalable production, facilitating the transition from discovery to clinical trials and later commercial stage. We have used functional prototypes to collect proof of concept data for every step of the production of a CAR T cell therapy from human primary cells, and now embarked on the industrialization of our product.”

Today the startup is on track to build a MVP (minimal viable product) by the end of 2024. Limula’s CEO and cofounder adds: “We have many potential customers interested in adopting our technology to support their early process development, but they need a tool that meets their quality requirements to be able to collect meaningful data before transitioning to clinical trials with our platform. A prototype is not sufficient, but with this MVP, we will be in a position to partner with biotech companies developing novel cell therapies, and help them automate key steps of their production. We are looking for investors interested in contributing to our first equity raise, to reach our next product development milestones, and perform internal validation while engaging with external partners interested in testing our device."

An MVP in sight for Parithera

Parithera will also benefit from a second year of support from the Biopole Startup Fund. Since the start-up received financial support from the Biopôle, the Swiss medtech company has built its first prototype, enabling it to receive its first dilutive financing from industry veterans. An important milestone for the startup led by Antoine Herzog.

Aiming to bring the first reliable diagnostics to detect cancer treatment resistance early, Parithera has created an innovative integrated platform that identifies circulating tumor cells (CTCs) that have detached from a solid tumor and are travelling in the bloodstream. With the new funding, Parithera is now set to focus on an MVP and data generation. The startup employs 4 people focused on demonstrating the entire workflow to open the door to biopharma contracts. The company expects to launch a seed financing round next year.

Counting Voltiris, the Biopôle Startup Fund has supported so far 14 startups since its launch in 2021. The next deadline for startup applications is December 15^th.

(ES)