b-rayZ: The Venture Leader Medtech allowing radiologists to provide better care

18.05.2022 10:00, Tracy Woodley

For the second consecutive year, the Venture Leaders Medtech will represent Swiss innovation in the United States. To select the 10 featured startups, a jury of professional investors and medtech experts reviewed 60 applications. These startups improve diagnostics, treatments, and well-being with innovative solutions covering artificial intelligence, sensors, smart devices, and robotics. Allow us to introduce you to each of the Venture Leaders Medtech 2022 ahead of the June 2022 roadshow in Boston and Cambridge: Meet Alexander Ciritsis, the CTO of b-rayZ.

b-rayZ develops artificial intelligence software for quality management and the standardization of procedures in radiology. The startup helps radiologists provide better care with lower operating costs.

Name: Alexander Ciritsis        
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Nationality: German/Greek
Graduated from: University Zurich, Venia Legendi (2022)
Job title: CTO of b-rayZ AG
Number of employees: 4
Money raised: CHF 2 million 
First touchpoint with Venturelab: Venture Kick in 2019



Explain in one or two short sentences what your startup does and why.
In the United States alone, approximately 50 million breast scans are performed every year. In Europe, this number amounts to 300 million. These overwhelming numbers lead to missed cancer cases, which result in lives lost and malpractice litigations. At b-rayZ, we have developed software that uses artificial intelligence to easily detect, locate, and characterize breast cancer on medical images.

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup? 
b-rayZ is a spinoff of the University Hospital of Zürich. The three co-founders, Cristina Rossi, Andreas Boss, and I were working together in the field of breast imaging and AI. What was first planned as a university hospital project quickly evolved into a product which could be used by other institutions and hospitals. That’s how we founded b-rayZ. We have been working for years since then in the largest breast cancer diagnostics centers in Europe, developing a close understanding of the need for a technological shift. 

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
I expect to get connected to the other great Swiss startups which are also participating in the Venture Leaders roadshow. I am also looking forward to getting to know the U.S. startup ecosystem and their entrepreneurial culture. I hope to connect with some VC contacts who can help us with regards to our upcoming FDA approval and U.S. market entry.

What is one thing not many people know about you? 
In my youth and early twenties, I worked as a techno and house DJ and played music in clubs all over Germany. It was a great time, but I am also happy that those times are over and that I moved on and started my venture.

What was your dream job when you were a child? 
When I was a child, I always wanted to become a chef, and this is still a job I would be interested in today. I love to cook, and it is a great feeling to cook for other people. It is also a great way to be creative.

What would be the title of your biography and why? 
No biography yet! There is still so much to come, so it’s too early.

What is the one talent you wish you had?
Painting is the one talent I wish I had. I am bad at it, but I would like to learn and get better.

What is a topic you would like to learn more about and why? 
History and art, because there is so much to learn, and it is something totally different from my job.

What is your favorite movie or TV show and why?
The Wire. I have probably seen it more than four times. It paints a good picture of the U.S., with the good and the bad.

What is your favorite podcast and why? 
Zeit Verbrechen is one of my favorite podcasts. I like true crime stories and this podcast is one of the best. It is always interesting and well-researched.

What is your favorite book and why? 
Homo Faber by Max Frisch. It’s timeless and even more relevant today.

What is always in your fridge? 
Mustard. I always buy mustard but rarely use or eat it, so it is always in the fridge.

What are you most proud of? 
My family is what I am most proud of. I have a big brother and sister, and we all have a great relationship. I am also proud of my own small family, with my first child on the way and my wife whom I married last year.

What advice would you give your teenage self?
I am quite happy with how everything went, so I would probably advise myself to do everything exactly the way I have been doing it.

What was your favorite subject in school and why?
Sports. Because I was good at it.

How did you come up with the name of your startup? 
b-rayZ: the b is for breast, ray is for x-ray (as we predominately analyze mammography images, which are x-rays). The Z is for Zürich. 

What is your favorite productivity hack/tool and why? 
GitHub, especially GitHub actions. It’s a tremendously helpful tool for automating tedious tasks and for ensuring continuous deployment.

Where and when are you most productive?
In my home office.

How and where do you clear your mind? 
Going for a run, at the gym.

Who inspires you? 
My brother, mother, father, sister, and wife.

Which startup do you wish you had founded and why?
Facebook, because it changed everything, even if it is not as relevant today as it once was. It is an internet inside the internet, and this is amazing!

What is the most challenging aspect of being a founder? 
The daily rollercoaster ride of ups and downs.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder? 
For me, the most rewarding aspect is creating something relevant that is used and needed by people in their daily lives and work. Also, I am fond of the steep learning curves, especially when you gather new knowledge that you didn’t have before.

What is something you wish you had known about being a founder? 
How to work ON the business, not in it.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder? 
Persistence. Sometimes things might look good but, in the end, they don’t work out, or vice versa. Persistence helps you to overcome those phases, although it is sometimes a challenge.

What is the best advice you have ever received and from whom? 
The best advice I received from another entrepreneur was to decide if you want to be a feature, a product, or company.

What is your greatest professional failure, and what did you learn from it? 
I was unhappy in one of my former jobs, so I started doing what I like.

For more information and updates on b-rayZ and the Venture Leaders Medtech 2022, follow #VLeadersMedtech on Twitter or on www.venture-leaders.ch/medtech.

The Venture Leaders Medtech program is organized by Venturelab and supported by EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Hansjörg Wyss, Helbling Technik, Kellerhals Carrard, Paul Scherrer Institut, Swissnex Boston, Canton of Vaud, Canton of Zurich, and Venture Leader alumnus Dominik Lysek.