Twelve startups – out of 46 applications – have been shortlisted for the ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark, worth CHF 100,000, which will be awarded at Technopark Zurich on May 31, 2023. Get to know a dozen companies that are likely to be talked about in the future.
Zurich, January 17, 2023 – The ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark is becoming increasingly popular: Forty-six start-ups have applied for the 2023 award, more than twice as many as last year. Matthias Hölling from Technopark Foundation emphasizes that it was above all the quality of the applications that convinced the jury.
Last year, the Pionierpreis, one of the most important innovation awards for start-ups in Switzerland, obtained a new corporate design including a website in English. This has certainly contributed to the fact that this year’s applications are split equally between German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. Two thirds of the start-ups in the race are spin-offs from ETH and EPFL, the national polytechnical universities in Zurich and Lausanne. The spectrum of industries ranges from chemistry over MedTech and pharmaceuticals to sustainability solutions.
The eight-member jury with experts from science and business shortlisted applicants whose clever idea led to a promising invention that is technically feasible. Most unnominated applications also presented novel and practicable business models.
Start-ups which push the state of the art are nominated for the prestigious award. These are:
| 4QT | Zero-emission construction machines and commercial vehicles can operate for a full working day without recharging, thereby make an important contribution to climate-neutral construction. |
| Agrosustain | Natural fungicides protect fruits and vegetables from mold already in the field. With a natural coating, the shelf life of the crop is extended by over 20 days. |
| aiendoscopic | AI and robotics are used to simplify complex endoscopic processes. The first application is a device for safe tracheal intubation. – AI and robotics are used to simplify complex endoscopic processes. The first application is a device for safe tracheal intubation. |
| Bloom | Chemicals and fuels based on cellulose and lignin offer excellent mechanical properties yet are biodegradable and recyclable. |
| Composite Recycling | A pyrolysis process makes it possible to dissolve the fibers from the resin of composite materials (e.g., boat hulls and wind turbine rotor blades) so that the material can be reused. |
| Deep Breath Intelligence | Diseases can be diagnosed early by analyzing exhaled air using machine learning algorithms. |
| DeepJudge | An AI-powered legal-tech software to find, analyze and link relevant information in large in-house databases with legal documents. |
| DePoly | PET plastics can be recycled with simple chemicals and technologies without having to be presorted or separated from other plastics. |
| Flowbone | Osteoporosis patients benefit from bone micro-architecture strengthening using an injectable gel that rapidly transforms into viable bone. |
| Muvon Therapeutics | Injection of specifically propagated muscle precursor cells generates new skeletal muscle tissue, for example in the treatment of incontinence. |
| Readily 3D | Volumetric 3D printing creates objects with complex organic shapes in seconds for regenerative and personalized medicine. |
| Synthara | In-memory computing solutions integrated into chips accelerate applications in IoT, wearables and extended reality. |
About ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark
The ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark has been awarded every year since 2001 by Zürcher Kantonalbank and Technopark Zürich and is one of the most important awards for young companies in Switzerland. The prize for deep-tech start-ups honors projects at the transition from innovative idea to market maturity and recognizes the commitment and risk-taking of start-up founders. In March, the jury will decide which three finalists will take the stage at the award ceremony on May 31, 2023. In addition to the prize money of CHF 100,000 for the winner, the other two nominated start-ups will also receive prize money of CHF 10,000 each.
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