AIT India-Swiss Camp 2024 highlights: Swiss innovators drive their startups projects forward

20.02.2024 16:15, Rita Longobardi

The Swiss camp, part of the Academia-Industry Training (AIT) India 2023/24, took place last week in Lausanne and Zurich. It helped ten researchers from Swiss universities discover the innovation’s potential in Swiss-Indian collaboration. Last November, the promising entrepreneurs selected to participate in the AIT India program had a chance to connect, network, and profit from business development workshops in Delhi and Bangalore. This week, the program was rounded off with the AIT Swiss Camp, which included training sessions, networking, and pitching events in Lausanne and Zurich, as well as an opportunity for the entrepreneurs to compete for two grants worth CHF 10,000 each.

The Academia-Industry Training (AIT) India program aims to support scientists in transforming their applied research into market application and discovering their entrepreneurial potential. By connecting scientists from top institutions in Switzerland and India, the program promotes an international network and enables access to one of the most promising markets and intellectual capital in applied research. To fulfill this mission, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has mandated the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) to execute the AIT program. Venturelab and Swissnex India are program organizers for the Indian and Swiss camps. 

As part of the AIT India program, the ten entrepreneurs first participated in the India week-long camp from November 27th to December 1st to explore the innovation and market potential of their project within the Indian market. It was completed last week — from February 12th to February 16th — with the second part of the program: An intense dive into the Swiss ecosystem.

The Swiss camp program comprised company visits, workshops, and interactive sessions in Lausanne and Zurich, offering participants a full agenda exposing them to world-class technology companies, discovering entrepreneurial narratives, and absorbing hands-on mentoring from seasoned experts.

The first day took place at the EPFL Innovation Park, discussing insights on business development with Jordi Montserrat, Managing Partner at Venturelab, followed by a visit to Biopôle. It was concluded with the Pitch Fest at Gotham in Lausanne, during which Nikunj Dudani, CEO of AeroSpec, won the public voting.



It also included company visits from Positrigo, aiEndoscopic, and SoHHYtec to Annaida Technologies, Biosimo, Tethys Robotics, and Perovskia Solar, each offering a peek into the vanguard of innovation embracing Medtech to Engineering domains.



"I am very thankful for the program! Before we went to India, I was writing papers in my lab, now I am convinced to follow the path of an entrepreneur, I can even manufacture one part of my technology in India! My key learning is to tell my story with more emotions and not with numbers," highlighted Donato Rubinetti, CEO of Ionic Wind Technologies.

"It has been two enlightening weeks. The workshops and the trips covered all aspects: In India, we talked about the market, and in Switzerland we learned the investor's point of view and how to negotiate," added Nikunj Dudani, CEO of AeroSpec.



In the backdrop of dynamic workshops and immersive company visits, the Swiss AIT Camp witnessed instrumental moments of negotiation and learning. The Financing and Negotiation workshop, steered by Stefan Steiner, Co-Managing Director at Venturelab, offered a simulated investor-startup negotiation, educating the participants on the essential elements and dynamics involved in securing an investment round.

On Thursday, the Swiss-Indian Entrepreneurship Day took place at the startup space, where Laura Stocco, Co-founder of Openversum, emerged as the winner of the public voting. The session concluded with a thoughtful networking session.

Intense practice and group chats with experts from the Swiss-Indian Chamber of Commerce (SICC) and ZHAW built up to the grand finale on Friday: The Final Pitch at the startup space in Schlieren.



At the Final Pitch, startups vied for the AIT Grant of CHF 10,000. Openversum and RoBoa emerged as winners, recognized for their potential to drive innovation across borders.



"The AIT program was a healthy mix of visiting great quality companies and interactive workshops. The trip to India was very beneficial because it changed the way we approach the market," commented Laura Stocco, CEO of Openversum.



A call to future explorers
Stay up to date with the next AIT and seize the opportunity to expand your horizons!

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Learn more about the startups and entrepreneurs who participated in the AIT India-Swiss Camp 2024

AeroSpec: Empowering businesses and governments to create a cleaner and healthier world through in-depth air pollution analysis.
Enerdrape: Commercialising the world's first prefabricated geothermal panel technology.
Enviro Helix: EnviroHelix develops automated passive eDNA samplers with a wide range of applications, including monitoring the effectiveness of water treatment plants and detecting sensitive pathogens in fish hatcheries, as well as conducting environmental assessments through biodiversity monitoring.
Implanz: Offering an efficient virtual testing procedure for the new development of dental implants.
Ionic Wind Technologies: Wind Technologies is poised to transform the world of industrial airflow. Our innovative Ionic Wind Technology, developed via rigorous Ph.D. research, provides a silent, precise, and energy-efficient solution, primarily geared for the Medtech and food sectors.
Movement Form: The startup's technology helps diagnose both movement and posture in general as well as in a customised setting.
NEOSENS: Tackling a global health concern: The unnecessary antibiotic treatment of 12% of all newborns in low and middle-income countries due to false sepsis diagnosis.
Obios: Obios is introducing the Drinkometer, a device designed to transform the approach to obesity treatment. While the Drinkometer measures patients' ingestive behaviour, the true innovation lies in our proprietary software and predictive model. The software analyses the behavioural data to monitor and predict how individuals respond to specific drug therapies or surgeries.
Openversum: Providing clean and safe drinking water where it is most needed.
REMA: REMA's mission is to provide the world access to cost-effective and high-quality green hydrogen.
RoBoa: Entering confined spaces to save the lives of disaster victims, and to inspect industrial plants – minimizing downtime and increasing operational safety.