Nanotechnology company Chiral is incorporating nanomaterials into electronics with the speed, precision, and control that can transform future chipmaking. The ETH Zurich spin-off closed a $3.8 million pre-seed funding round led by Founderful and HCVC.
The City of Zurich will support nine start-ups including glatec start-up Upwater AG and eight non-profit organizations as part of its new funding programme for climate protection and the circular economy. A total of at least CHF 1.2 million will be awarded in the first round of KlimUp.
The Zurich-based company, which is today announcing the completion of a $3.8 million fundraising, has developed innovation it hopes will power a new generation of microchips – and therefore a new generation of even more powerful computing and technology. The pre-seed round is co-led by Founderful and HCVC.
Empa and ETH spin-off etavalve was selected for Venture Kick's second stage of financial and entrepreneurial support. Its project create a novel category of piston-based thermal engines.
Perovskia, an Empa spin-off, is setting up an ambitious factory in Aubonne (VD) to print a million of its custom-designed perovskite devices every year. Production is set to be operational in a few months. The indoor solar cell company has been gaining ground worldwide, with customers in Japan, Korea, India, Europe and the USA.
Battery start-up BTRY has raised CHF 900'000 in pre-seed financing. The round is led by HTGF with participation from Zürcher Kantonalbank. The spin-off from Empa and ETH Zurich is developing a new type of lithium-ion thin-film solid-state battery that combines significant advantages for various commercial applications.
BTRY was selected for Venture Kick's second stage of financial and entrepreneurial support. BTRY produces a solid-state battery that can be recharged within one minute, is non-flammable, and works even in extreme temperatures.
Venture Kick is supporting Chiral Nano with 150,000 Swiss francs to scale up semiconductor chips and nanomaterials. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Empa has won the third stage of the innovation promoter's program.
MIRO Analytical is forming a strategic partnership with Bruker Corporation. Following a majority investment by Bruker, MIRO and Bruker Optics will work together to serve the globally increasing demand for high-precision trace gas analysis.
CITUS AG, a spin-off from ETH Zurich in Switzerland located at glatec, has secured a 375 K CHF convertible loan to boost its journey to improve skin health. The round, which among others, includes the Health Innovation Hub of University Hospital Zürich and the digital healthcare booster evoleen AG, strengthens CITUS’ expertise in the medical device sector.
Viboo has received a total of 1.5 million Swiss francs from investors in a seed round. The young company has developed a platform for energy-efficient control of the indoor climate of buildings. The funds will be used to commercialize it.
Empa has developed the first battery that combines high storage capacity with fast charging and high safety. The solid-state battery with stacked thin films is initially of interest for aircraft and drones. Empa spin-off BTRY AG was founded to commercialize the technology. BTRY is incubated at glatec.
Catarina Dahlin, co-founder and co-CEO of Dagsmejan a former glatec/Startfeld start-up, is a finalist in the international Founder of the Year Medium Size Companies competition. Her company scientifically develops sleepwear that is comfortable and regulates temperature.
The German DG Nexolution is acquiring shares in Swiss Wood Solutions. Together, the two partners want to market the Empa spin-off's global novelty internationally: a plastic-free and biodegradable wooden card for payment transactions.
Swiss Wood Solutions AG, a spin-off from Empa and ETH Zurich, moved from the glatec business incubator to Altdorf in the canton of Uri in July 2022. There, the young company and its ten employees will now start producing sustainable credit cards made of wood. The "Swiss Wood Cards" are made from veneers of local woods such as maple, curly maple, cherry, oak, spruce and many others. Each card is unique with personalized laser engraving or color printing and functions like any other conventional credit card. The location decision was made in favor of the canton of Uri in April 2022 after evaluating several cantons.
Founded in February 2018 as an Empa spin-off, the start-up company MIRO Analytical received one of the coveted Innosuisse Certificates in October. The certificate reflects the remarkable progress the young company made during the funding agency's coaching program and confirms that the start-up is ready for sustainable growth.
Dätwyler acquires CTsystems, a spin-off from Empa. CTsystems' patents for electroactive polymers are thus transferred to Dätwyler. They enable completely new applications, for example in the car of the future.
PEROVSKIA SOLAR AG is a Swiss cleantech startup from Empa offering digitally printed, customizable solar cells for OEMs. Their vision is to enable a solar cell on every device. The solar cells are tailored to seamlessly integrate with electronic devices, IoT and sensors. The versatile technology offers breakthrough performance at breakthrough cost. Perovskia's solar cells work efficiently even in low-light conditions such as homes and offices. They offer solutions from design to integration into electronic devices.
A large number of factors come into play when planning the energy use of individual buildings or entire developments. In order to identify and evaluate the various energy solutions, the Dübendorf-based startup Sympheny has developed energy planning software. Using algorithms, a digital twin of the energy system and now also GIS data, the software can simulate the local production, storage and consumption of energy.
The Empa spin-off viboo has developed a self-learning algorithm for controlling the indoor climate. This enables predictive cooling or heating of buildings, thus saving around one third of energy. Following successful experiments at NEST, Empa's and Eawag's research and innovation building, the first pilot projects are now being implemented with industrial partners. Conventional thermostats, which are commonplace in many residential buildings today, only react when the temperature falls below or exceeds a certain threshold. The reaction is therefore always too late and too severe, as the desired temperature is to be reached again as fast as possible. This costs energy and ultimately money. The solution: a thermostat that looks ahead and regulates the room temperature with foresight.
Empa
Eawag