Four Deep Tech Startups from Switzerland and India win AIT Prize

09.12.2020 15:45, Julia Bory

After five weeks of online trainings, workshops and networking, the Swiss-Indian Academia-Industry Training Camp closed this week. 20 early-stage startups collaborated on their projects while further deepening relations between India and Switzerland. In a final pitch battle, the entrepreneurs competed against each other for grants worth CHF 10,000 and INR 4 Lakh.

Twenty entrepreneurs coming from various research fields completed an intense business development program called AIT. On December 9 two grants worth of CHF 10,000 and two grants worth INR 4 Lakh (CHF 4,800) are handed to the four most promising startups by the Swiss and Indian governments. The winners: Pragmatech Healthcare Solutions, Technoceutics India, SurgeonsLab and Bloom Biorenewables persuaded the juries and received an extra boost to continue scaling their innovations.



The Swiss-Indian Academia-Industry Training Camp, which aims to help scientists from Switzerland and India transform their advanced research into market-ready products and services, sees ten startups from India and ten from Switzerland exchange online during 8 days spread over 5 weeks. The Swiss leg focused on entrepreneurship fundamentals and a public pitching event, the Indian leg focused on business development. Throughout the program, the 20 startups enjoyed sessions with experts in their field and various startup visits.



In order to support these promising entrepreneurs from Switzerland and India, the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has mandated the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences to execute the AIT program. Venturelab, SINE and swissnex India are key program partners.

Congratulations to the four winners: Pragmatech Healthcare Solutions, Technoceutics India, SurgeonsLab and Bloom Biorenewables.



The 10 Swiss startups taking part in AIT India

Daniel Spring, aventura.aero, UZH, hightech 
aventura.aero’s unique heavy-duty gyrocopter serves a new market, where traditional aircraft and drones do not and cannot operate. The startup’s multirole aerial platform closes the gap between conventional drones and aircraft, for surveillance, disaster relief, and transport air services everywhere. www.aventura.aero 
 
Shreyasvi Natraj, Lyfe, UNIGE, medtech 
Lyfe develops a 3D scanner for the oral cavity, as an effective way to carry out medical procedures such as identifying the placement of braces or conducting surgeries to repair abnormalities. The device would then send this sensor data to a high-performance server system, where an AI system would carry out the 3D reconstruction. 

Gaspard Ky, Bloom Biorenewables, EPFL, cleantech 
Bloom reveals the hidden value of biomass to provide renewable energy and materials in markets such as fragrances, materials, plastics, or textiles. By introducing a new route for the production of biorenewable products and fuels, the startup offers a sustainable alternative to fossil-based industries and contributes to mitigating climate change. www.bloombiorenewables.com  

Gayatri Muthukrishnan, Miyara Health, UZH, medtech 
Miyara Health develops a low-cost, integrated digital health solution in the form of a smartphone app. The medtech startup puts patients in the driving seat by providing them accurate information about health management and disease prevention, incentivized pill reminders, and the ability to save and manage their health records. www.miyarahealth.com  
 
Giacomo Valle, MYLEG, ETH, medtech 
MYLEG addresses the lack of sensory feedback devices for prostheses. MYLEG improves walking mobility and prostheses’ cognitive integration by restoring sensory feedback in people with leg amputation. The medtech-startup will enable users to avoid falls, to increase confidence in the device and fatigue.
 
Manjula Pasala, Riskwolf, insurtech 
Riskwolf is the platform that insures the digital economy and enables insurers to better serve emerging market customers. Riskwolf accelerates product innovation by using real-time data-driven insights to help insurers in India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to close the protection gap for the digital economy. www.riskwolf.com
 
Stavros Skouras, Senopi, hightech 
Senopi is leading the wellness and therapeutic virtual reality (VR) for seniors in Europe. The startup commercialized a subscription-based service with a system that enables nurses to use headsets to easily administer VR experiences and excursions to groups of seniors (e.g., in senior care homes). www.senopi.com
 
Fredrick Johnson Joseph, SurgeonsLab, UNIBE, medtech 
Surgeon’s Lab develops and produces patient-specific training models for training surgical procedures and validating new medical devices. The medtech startup aims to facilitate test, train, plan interventions, and improve patient safety using high-end technology as an alternative to human and animal models. www.surgeonslab.com 
 
Thomas Gurry, Vesta Biosciences, UNIGE, biotech 
Vesta Biosciences develops a framework for rational modulation of the fermentation capabilities of an individual’s gut microbiota. The biotech startup aims to leverage the individual-specific differences in these capabilities by using a proprietary diagnostic technology that provides customers with personalized dietary fiber supplements. 
 
Elena Nedelkoska, WoDens, BFH, materials 
WoDens Technology offers a solution to modify sustainable domestic wood to create a new material that has similar appearance and properties as tropical wood. The startup’s USP is the customization of the color according to the needs of the customers.  

The 10 Indian startups taking part in AIT India

Anirban Palit, Pragmatech, Pragmatech develops the CERVICHECK™ Self-Sampling Kit : For Self Collection of cervical cells for Cervical Cancer Screening.

Gunjan Patel, GaitSense, GaitSense develops diagnostics and rehabilitation med-tech solutions accessible for people with locomotion disabilities and neurological disorders of physical disability.

Varinder Singh, from Chitkara University, Varinder has developed a technique to convert agricultural waste to energy, solving the issue of rice-stubble burning and pollution.

Chandan Kumar Jha, from IIT Gandhinagar, Chandan Kumar Jha has developed a virtual hand rehabilitation and assessment system for stroke patients.

Nisha Ramraj Yadav, Edhaa Innovations, On Point is a Point of care, multi-nutrient digital kit for detection of nutritional imbalance.

Khushboo Shrivastava, Coulomb AI Private Limited, Khushboo Shrivastava has developed a battery intelligence platform for electric vehicles and energy storage system.

Neeleshkumar L. Pandit, Technoceutics India Private Limited, One-stop solution for the precise tinnitus matching and IoT-based platform for providing multimodal treatment.

Akshay Hiren Patil, MCLabs Private Limited, MCLabs develops public safety-LTE based broadband communication system.

Dinoj Joseph, N/A, Dinoj has developed affordable isolation room for burns (AIR-B).

Preethi A, from IIT Guwahati, Preethi A has developed a pelvic floor mesh for menopausal and post-menopausal women.