First Ten Future of Health Grant Startups in the spotlight

The first group of start-ups was presented on Friday, 23 September in a packed room at the Swisstech Convention Center by the co-initiators of the FOHG, CSS and EPFL Innovation Park, as well as the other partners involved in this program.

Ten start-ups to shape the future of healthcare

Following a call for projects announced on June 15th, the Future of Health Grant program has selected ten startups out of 95 applications. These 10 startups will benefit from financial support ranging from CHF 10,000 to CHF 50,000, as well as tailor-made coaching and mentoring services in business and digital healthcare. This support will enable them to accelerate the development of their solutions in a targeted manner.

The selected startups are:

• GenKnowMe – Epigenetical estimation of body preaging and digital management, CHUV
• Ocumeda – Telemedicine and AI for early blindness prevention, Germany
• Gossik – Digital assistant for people suffering from ADHD, St. Gallen
• Biped.ai - Smart harness with self-driving technology to guide blind people, Romandie
• Detectra – Detection of arthritis problems with a smartphone picture thanks to AI, Romandie
• Neuria – Gamified digital therapeutics to improve (over)consumption behaviours, obesity, Fribourg
• VitalizeDx - Saliva analysis for ageing management with AI app, spinoff of SICHH, Fribourg
• Glucoplay – Game-based app to help children take responsibility for their diabetes, Vevey
• YLAH – Interactive app enabling the continuation of psychotherapy between sessions, Bern
• Consulto - Platform for aY holistic and personalized care for complex patient, Geneva

A Future of Health Grant Club to foster talent

Given the high quality of the applications, it was decided to create the FOHG Club to welcome the most mature start-ups. Here too, the idea is to offer them a stimulating framework to prepare them for their next stage of growth, which involves presenting themselves in a convincing manner to partners, investors and customers. This Club will accelerate networking, support the development of contacts and prepare the companies for pitching their products.

An ecosystem of experts driven by committed partners

Digital healthcare opens up very promising prospects for the future of healthcare: shorter lead times, more accurate diagnoses, better monitoring (in real time), personalized medicine, and the reduction of costs. But it also presents a challenge: it has to combine at least two very advanced sciences, the medical and digital sciences. It is based on the creation and use of connected devices for remote treatment as well as new forms of care and prevention.

That is why by initiating this program with EPFL Innovation Park, CSS wanted to create an ecosystem of experts. These committed partners can help start-ups to grow their healthcare solutions efficiently and quickly. To date, these include:
Vaudoise: the insurance company awards an additional "mental health" special prize, Pfizer, Institut et haute Ecole de La Source, Microsoft Health, Takeda, Zühlke, HE-ARC.

“CSS is actively involved in the modernisation of the healthcare system, but it can’t do anything on its own. That’s why our efforts focus on partnerships and the creation of ecosystems, which allow us to learn and improve the medical pathways and build new solutions. We put a lot of emphasis on collaboration and innovation,” says Philomena Colatrella, CEO of CSS.

“The choice of EPFL Innovation Park to set up this digital centre of healthcare expertise is a bonus for start- ups. They benefit from our long-standing experience in start-ups and disruptive solutions, our proven ability to bridge the gap between science and industry, and our close contacts with stakeholders in Switzerland's Health Valley,” says Jean-Philippe Lallement, CEO of EPFL Innovation Park.

(Press release - ES)