Finalists 2025
ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark 2025
Ex Nunc Intelligence
Ex Nunc Intelligence develops AI-supported software that simplifies access to and management of legal knowledge for professionals and laypeople alike. The legal tech was founded in September 2023 by lawyer Kyriaki Bongard and economist Zoé Berry – both founders are specialists in tax and finance. By combining various advanced AI models with an intelligent data architecture, Ex Nunc Intelligence’s platform is constantly evolving and continuously integrating the latest AI developments. The startup’s vision is to build a transformative, network-based legal ecosystem. This enables seamless collaboration between experts and non-specialists and makes it easier to navigate complex legal issues – while at the same time complying with the highest data protection standards. The jury of the Pionierpreis recognized this innovative approach.
Jury member Lothar Thiele was impressed: ‘Ex Nunc Intelligence struck me because the legal tech company’s platform combines different classes of algorithms, data curation methods and multilingual generative AI in an outstanding way. In doing so, the startup is setting a new standard in the provision of actionable legal knowledge for both legal professionals and the broader public.’
Irmos Technologies
Irmos Technologies is revolutionizing infrastructure maintenance planning through the use of customized, cost-effective sensors. The ETH spin-off was founded in February 2023 by Panagiotis Martakis, Christos Lataniotis and Cyprien Hoelzl, PhDs from ETH Zurich, and Yves Reuland, who earned his doctorate at EPFL. The startup made the leap from research to market within a year. Its advanced software translates vibrations into key damage indicators and axle loads for bridges and other structures, providing real-time, actionable insights into a structure’s condition and actual traffic impacts. Using artificial intelligence, Irmos Technologies helps infrastructure owners ensure that interventions are both timely and cost-effective.
Jury member Michelle Tschumi summed up the startup’s strengths as follows: ‘Irmos convinces with the outstanding technological know-how of its team, which is deeply rooted in research and has a remarkable expertise in structural monitoring of complex infrastructures. I am particularly impressed by their intelligent combination of low-cost sensors and powerful algorithms that enable precise and predictive maintenance.’
Nanoflex Robotics
Nanoflex uses magnetic fields to precisely guide the tips of endovascular instruments. The technology gives neuroradiologists precise control during the intervention. With a user-friendly control console, doctors can change the shape of the instrument tip and move it in any direction, making endovascular interventions much easier and safer. The ETH Zurich spin-off’s technology also enables a secure connection for remote thrombectomies – regardless of geographical barriers – where only the patient and the magnetic field need to be in the same place. Transportation and waiting times for endovascular treatments are drastically reduced, and life-saving procedures can be performed more quickly. Founded in 2021 by Matt Curran, Dr. Christophe Chautems and Prof. Bradley Nelson, the medtech startup also enables remote-controlled treatment in smaller or rural hospitals.
‘Nanoflex Robotics unlocks the potential of telemedicine by enabling remote physicians to treat more patients with thrombectomy faster and more efficiently. I was immediately fascinated by the innovative potential of this project.’ said Emanuela Keller, a member of the Pionierpreis jury.
