Virtuosis AI: The Sword Startup Challenge finalist detecting burnout

05.05.2025 10:00, Rita Longobardi

Meet Lara Gervaise, Co-Founder of Virtuosis. The ICT startup applies AI voice analysis to support mental health in the workplace. Lara is one of the 5 finalists of the Sword Startup Challenge, competing for 500 hours of consulting services, tailored development support from Sword’s Swiss and international IT specialists, and a 12-month commercial follow-up.

Sword Group, a global technology transformation company, has partnered with Venturelab to launch the Sword Startup Challenge, an annual program designed to support startups in developing innovative technologies. The initiative reflects a shared dedication to helping startups grow and succeed in Switzerland’s competitive ecosystem.

Name: Lara Gervaise
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Nationality: French Moroccan
Graduated from: EPFL
Job title: CEO & Co-Founder
Number of employees: 10
Funding raised to date: undisclosed

Who benefits from your solution, and in what way?
Our Voice AI technology guides individuals in improving communication while passively monitoring well-being through clinically validated voice biomarkers—detecting early signs of stress, anxiety, and fatigue, often linked to burnout. Strengthening communication and mental resilience benefits both individuals and organizations by improving well-being, productivity, and retention. Beyond workplace use, our technology can detect over 20 health conditions from a 30-second voice sample, offering early, noninvasive insights into mental, cognitive, respiratory, and cardiometabolic health to support screening, diagnosis, and remote monitoring in healthcare.

What market are you targeting, and what opportunities do you see for your startup in that space?
We began with communication coaching and workplace mental health and have since expanded into broader health domains, including cognition, respiratory health, and cardio-metabolic function.
The voice biomarker market is valued at USD 2.6B (Harvard), and the rise of voice interactions (video calls, voice dictation, teleconsultations) presents a major opportunity to scale. While the scientific foundations of this technology date back to the 1990s, recent advances in AI and healthcare digitalization make it finally deployable at scale.

What are some key milestones or accomplishments your team has reached so far?
• Named Microsoft Startup of the Year 2023
• Seamless integration into Microsoft Teams for B2B deployment
• 10,000+ users on the waiting list or using our newly released B2C web app
• Integrated into leading telemedicine and digital therapeutics platforms
• Clinically validated technology and CE-marked software
• Strategic partnerships with major hospitals and academic institutions (Montfort, HUG, AP-HP, etc.)

What do you expect from the Sword Startup Challenge, and how do you see it contributing to your company’s development?
We see Sword as a valuable opportunity to expand our network and accelerate enterprise deployments by learning from their expertise.

In what ways does Switzerland present an opportunity for your business?
Switzerland offers an ideal environment for innovation, combining academic excellence, regulatory trust, and proximity to international markets. The presence of major corporate HQs and a multicultural population makes it a natural launchpad for scalable, responsible healthcare technologies.