Venture Leaders show the innovative power of the Swiss life sciences sector

The winning startups, selected by a jury of investors and experts from out of 70+ applicants, have developed ground-breaking technologies in diverse fields as neuroradiology, gynecology, dermatology, oncology, nanotechnology, cardiology, orthopedics, medical testing and surgery. The newly constituted Swiss National Startup Team will have the opportunity to build a solid network through exchanges with local peers, meetings with key Medtech and Biotech industry leaders, and pitches in front of investors, all in order to boost their global expansion ambitions.

Artiria | Guillaume Petit-Pierre | EPFL
Artiria develops a disruptive medical device allowing neuroradiologists to navigate in brain arteries three times faster and safer than any other available solution. With this system the surgeon can steer the device head in real time which improves outcomes of stroke-related procedures.

Aspivix | Mathieu Horras | Lausanne
Aspivix conceives a new generation of single-use forceps featuring a suction pad, reducing pain and eliminating lesions & cross-contamination. Every year, 64 million gynecological treatments require access to the uterus. Standard use of Tenaculum forceps is painful, traumatic and poses a cross-contamination risk.

CUTISS | Daniela Marino | UZH
CUTISS creates large quantities of minimally scarring skin. Standard of care often leaves patients with disfiguring and highly debilitating scars after a surgical intervention. Starting off from a very small piece of healthy patients’ skin, the startup bioengineers individually customized skin grafts, improving life quality of patients worldwide.

CDR Life AG | Christian Leisner | Zurich
CDR-Life produces therapeutic antibody fragments for high need diseases in oncology and ophthalmology, such as novel immunotherapies that work like CAR-T. The startup’s trispecific biologics show better results than most advanced therapies based on tests done with bone marrow samples from patients with multiple myeloma, the 3rd most common blood cancer.

EBA-Med |Adriano Garonna | CERN TERA Foundation
EBA-Med (External Beam Ablation Medical Devices) develops innovative solutions for non-invasive and automated treatments of heart arrhythmias using proton beams (external beam ablation).

Elthera | Anne Schmidt | Zug
Elthera develops a first-in-class antibody against the novel target L1CAM using a personalized health care approach. The compound is expected to be efficacious in many tumors with preclinical Proof-of-Concept demonstrated in several mouse tumor models.

HAYA Therapeutics | Samir Ounzain | CHUV
HAYA Therapeutics develops innovative targeted first-in-class RNA-based therapeutics, with a specific focus on long noncoding RNA’s, to treat heart failures. 

IDUN Technologies | Simon Bachmann | ETH
IDUN conceives and produces soft and dry conductive electrodes for biopotential monitoring (ECG, EEG, and EMG). With a unique and patented surface structure these electrodes provide high quality signals with skin-friendly materials without electrolyte gel or glue.

Nagi Bioscience | Matteo Cornaglia | EPFL
Nagi Bioscience introduces an Organism-on-Chip technology, as key to accelerating drug/chemical discovery. A fully automated device enables culture, treatment and high-content analysis of microscopic worms, for rapid and cost-effective in vivo testing of drug/chemical toxicity and efficacy.

Swiss Motion Technologies | Kevin Mamalis | HEIG-VD
Swiss Motion Technologies develops a fast and cost effective solution to the problem of prosthetic limb discomfort. Its complete production solution enables prosthetists to measure and fit their clients with a custom-made liner to reduce friction between the stump and the prosthesis.
 
Save the date for the Startup Champions Seed Night: May 2^nd 2018
The Venture Leaders Life Sciences 2018 Team members will pitch at the EPF Lausanne on 2 May 2018. Co-organized by EPFL Alumni and the Innogrants, the event will introduce the Venture Leaders Life Sciences team members and ten of the most promising EPFL early stage startups. From 5PM to 9PM at the Rolex Learning Center Forum, a startup exhibition followed by a pitch competition will be held. More information here.

(Press release)