Founded by Jessica Droujko and her team, Riverkin is building a Water Data Ecosystem (WDE) that integrates Smart Sensors originally developed during Droujko’s PhD work at ETH Zürich. The sensors measure water flow, temperature, sediment, and conductivity to support dynamic freshwater monitoring, including in remote regions where traditional measurement systems are difficult to deploy. Combined with the company’s analytics platform, the technology provides a comprehensive view of water quality and quantity across watersheds, giving stakeholders information that supports more informed resource management, pollution reduction, and risk mitigation.

Riverkin already has multiple sensors operating in the field across Switzerland, contributing to continuous data collection efforts. To date, the company has shipped 60 sensors globally to support organizations seeking more reliable information on freshwater conditions.

The new CHF 1.7 million round is backed by Migros Pioneer Fund, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Fund F, Plug and Play Tech Center, Venture Kick, and several business angels, including Mathias Maurer, Philip Wels, and Aleksandar Boro.

With the new capital, Riverkin plans to continue validating its technology and broadening deployments with early adopters. The roadmap includes expanding pilot projects in priority watersheds, strengthening the platform and integrations to streamline certification processes, and advancing intellectual property while establishing the foundations for repeatable sales.

Riverkin team

Additional Links
Riverkin profile on Venture Kick

ALP AI: Redefining Biologics Through Immunogenicity Intelligence
Biologic drugs hold enormous promise for chronic and complex diseases, yet their success depends on one unpredictable factor: the human immune system. Even highly potent antibodies can fail when the body mounts an unexpected anti-drug response, creating one of the costliest risks in modern drug development.
ALP AI introduces a new way to design biologics that work with, not against, human immunity. The startup uses tonsil-derived immune organoids to recreate real human immune reactions ex vivo and pairs these insights with generative AI models that predict and prevent anti-drug antibody responses at the earliest stages of discovery. This combination enables developers to uncover hidden immunogenicity risks, redesign sequences with precision, and advance candidates built to last in patients, disrupting the 40B USD antibody drug development market. Founded by Christian Vahlensieck, Lucas Schaus, Anatol Ehrlich, and Punit Mehra, ALP AI unites expertise in immunology, protein design, and machine learning.
Venture Kick funding will help ALP AI build a customer-facing front end for its beta model, making engagement and onboarding simpler for partners. It will also support early pilots and move the platform closer to full validation for ADA prediction and prevention.

InfinityGen: Infinite High-Resolution Images for Printing on Surfaces
Image acquisition from natural materials in the surface industry is currently slow, expensive, and environmentally impactful. While developing its solution, InfinityGen also discovered that the image upscaling field faces technical limits that its technology can surpass by more than 100x.
Founded in 2025 by Gabriele Dominici (CEO) and Lorenzo Bellina (CTO), InfinityGen has developed the world’s first platform enabling companies to instantly generate high-resolution, natural-looking textures for any format. The technology breaks traditional design constraints, enabling infinite patterns and mass customization. Furthermore, the startup has adapted its upscaling technology to general-purpose images, resulting in the most powerful image upscaler in the world in order to approach a way bigger market valued at 2.5B in 2024.
InfinityGen plans to use funds obtained through Venture Kick Stage 1 mainly to attend major trade fairs of the printing industry in order to do further market research and client acquisition on the upscaling and image enhancer market.

Innunity Therapeutics: A first-in-class oral innate immune inhibitor for progressive multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that causes progressive, irreversible disability, often requiring wheelchairs, home modifications, caregiver support, and leading to substantial loss of productivity. In contrast to the relapsing form of MS, where more than 20 approved therapies are available, no existing treatments effectively halt the slow, chronic “smoldering” inflammation in the CNS that drives progression, particularly in secondary and primary progressive MS. Innunity Therapeutics aims to address this critical gap by targeting the innate immune system, a fundamental driver of this persistent CNS inflammation.
Currently in the pre-incorporation stage, Innunity Therapeutics is a translational program emerging from the University of Zurich, founded on research conducted under the guidance of Prof. Thorsten Buch at the Institute of Laboratory Animal Science. Since its inception, the project has been led by Dr. Antonios Katsoulas, with development supported by his team. He is a neuroimmunologist with extensive MS research experience and a BioEntrepreneur Fellow, serving as CEO and scientific lead. In addition, Barna Gal, MD, a biotech entrepreneur with clinical and business expertise, serves as COO. The team is advancing first-in-class small molecules that modulate a key pathway in innate immune activation. This approach has demonstrated strong in vivo and in vitro efficacy and targets a global MS market exceeding USD 20 billion.
The Venture Kick funding will support business development efforts, compound optimization, and human validation studies. These activities will reinforce the scientific foundation and advance the asset to a stage where it is ready to initiate IND-enabling studies.

Stellenmatch: Guiding the youth to their dream job
In Switzerland, one in three apprenticeship contracts end early, causing more than CHF 40 million in annual societal costs. At 14, teenagers must choose from over 250 professions under pressure, often without self-reflection or work experience. 
Stellenmatch helps teenagers find the career that truly fits them through a 45-minute AI-guided voice conversation that uncovers their traits and recommends suitable apprenticeships with personalized explanations. Founders Osaze Osa (CEO), Florian Zumbühl (CPO), and Ray Klauck (CTO) combine expertise in digital business, user experience, and software engineering. With the current solution addressing 40,000+ new apprentices yearly, the concept can be expanded across age groups and countries.
First sales to parents have been achieved. The Venture Kick funds will be used mainly to grow initial revenue and run smoke tests in a new vertical, helping adults and students reorient themselves in a fast-changing job market.

Subatron: Next-generation underwater communication systems
Existing underwater communication technologies face major limitations. Cable-based systems restrict mobility and range, optical systems only work over very short distances, and acoustic systems suffer from low data rates. These constraints hinder the performance and coordination of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), robots, and divers in critical applications such as search and rescue, inspection, and environmental monitoring.
Founded by a multidisciplinary team with strong expertise in physics, engineering, and business, Subatron develops a next-generation wireless underwater communication system that enables high data rate transmission over long distances. The founding team includes CEO Samira Baumann, CTO Mathias Werder, and CFO Alissa Wyss, who combine technical excellence and strategic experience to bring this innovation to market. With a working prototype already built, the startup is advancing its technology to serve markets such as UUVs, search and rescue units, and environmental monitoring.
The Venture Kick funds will be used to further develop and validate the prototype, conduct marketing activities and prepare for company incorporation.

The seed round was led by Paeonia Group, a Singapore-based investment holding company providing strategic support for global expansion and access to international markets. The funding will accelerate the development and scaling of K2 Photonics’ laser systems, which leverage advances in laser physics and noise optimization within femtosecond oscillators. These innovations allow passive stability, reducing reliance on complex control systems and simplifying integration for industrial users.

Frequency combs—precise tools for measuring time and frequency—are critical in applications such as environmental monitoring, semiconductor characterization, metrology, and quantum timing systems. Historically, frequency comb solutions were large, expensive, and difficult to deploy. K2 Photonics addresses these challenges by offering compact laser modules and measurement sub-systems that maintain high-quality light properties while lowering barriers to integration.

The company has already established installations across four continents and completed proof-of-concept demonstrations in multiple application areas. Its core laser technology is well-established and designed for efficient scaling, supporting rapid adoption across diverse industries.

“Venture Kick supported us in shaping a solid business case during the early days and provided access to a strong network that helped us navigate the Swiss startup ecosystem effectively,” highlighted CEO Justinas Pupeikis.


K2 Photonics team: CEO Justinas Pupeikis, CTO Benjamin Willenberg, Scientific Advisor Professor Ursula Keller, and Head of Hardware Lukas Lang

Additional Links
K2 Photonics' profile on Venture Kick CHF 40,000 for and industrial ultra-rapid laser testing

Tridonic, a leading global provider of lighting control systems, is expanding its outdoor lighting portfolio with the acquisition of NovaLight, a smart lighting solution developed by Swiss ICT company Novaccess, boosted by Venture Kick in 2012. Already controlling around 30,000 lighting points in Switzerland, the technology brings proven expertise in intelligent, cloud-based systems and forms a core part of Tridonic’s strategy. Its integration lays the foundation for a new generation of outdoor lighting control based on open industry standards, supporting the digitalization of cities and transport infrastructure while giving users greater flexibility in managing their installations.

Tridonic will continue to support existing NovaLight customers while developing a new system architecture compatible with current and future technologies. Features will include integrated gateways for direct Internet connectivity, scalable networks from small installations to city-wide systems, and support for modern DALI modules and stable sub-GHz radio connections.

By bringing NovaLight into its portfolio, Tridonic strengthens its offering of flexible, interoperable, and future-oriented solutions for operating and monitoring outdoor lighting systems.

Novaccess co-founder Yannick Iseli

Additional Links
Novaccess' profile on Venture Kick

DEXTER is a soft tissue robotic surgery system designed to simplify operations and extend the benefits of wristed robotics to any operating room (OR). Its compact, mobile design allows integration into ORs of all sizes without modifications, and it can easily move between rooms, maximizing efficiency. The sterile console supports flexible surgical workflows, facilitates seamless transitions between laparoscopic and robotic techniques, and enhances communication among surgical teams. Since its introduction, DEXTER has been successfully used in clinical settings across Europe and the US, with nearly 3,000 patients treated to date.

The USD 150 million Series G round positions Distalmotion to scale its US operations, with a particular focus on outpatient surgical sites. The ASC market continues to grow rapidly, driven by a shift toward efficient, cost-effective outpatient procedures, making it a strategic priority for the company.

Alongside the financing announcement, Distalmotion named Chas McKhann as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors. With over 25 years of experience in MedTech and life sciences, McKhann has a proven track record in scaling medical device companies and driving commercial growth. He previously led Apollo Endosurgery and Silk Road Medical, achieving significant sales growth and successful exits for both publicly traded companies. His appointment reinforces Distalmotion’s commitment to establishing DEXTER as a leading robotic surgery solution in the ASC sector.

With this latest funding and leadership reinforcement, Distalmotion is ready to expand DEXTER’s presence in the US, offering hospitals and outpatient centers greater access to advanced robotic surgical capabilities.

The company was ranked among the Top100 Swiss Startups and Top100 Scale-ups, participated in Venture Leaders, and won the final stage of Venture Kick.

Distalmotion co-founder Michael Friedrich at the Venture Leaders China kick-off in 2018

Food producers face growing pressure to meet health and sustainability goals while maintaining the taste and appeal of their products. Reducing salt, sugar, or fat often compromises flavor, and existing flavor enhancers can introduce unwanted notes, come with high cost-in-use, or rely on synthetic additives. This creates a strong demand for natural, effective solutions that enhance taste while supporting better nutrition and cleaner ingredient labels.

Tasteomics is addressing this challenge with Peakaroma, a novel botanical ingredient that interacts with the body’s taste receptors responsible for the “kokumi“ sensation—the perception of depth and richness in food. While traditional additives only activate this receptor, Peakaroma is the world’s first kokumi modulator that prolongs its active state. As a result, it amplifies the body’s natural taste response, making flavors feel fuller and more balanced without altering their original profile. This innovation allows food producers to reduce ingredient costs while achieving salt, sugar, and fat reduction targets, preserving both taste and profitability.

The University of Bern spin-off aims to launch Peakaroma in two strategic market segments, condiments and plant-based alternatives, valued at USD 174 and 3.1 billion, respectively. These segments show high adoption rates for flavorings, driven by strong consumer expectations for clean taste and ease of implementation for cost-reduction benefits. Tasteomics’ unique value proposition helps customers meet sodium-reduction goals while maintaining margins, paving the way for broad market adoption. Continued R&D investment will expand Peakaroma-based formulations into additional categories such as snacks, ready meals, and soups. 

The CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick will enable the biotech startup to reach food-grade production capabilities of 10 metric tons per year, which can service up to 10’000 tons of food products. The funding will further allow Tasteomics to expand its team and finalize ongoing industry projects with major food producers and distributors to prepare for a succesful market launch in the DACH region.

The company was founded by Dr. Daniel Batora and Prof. Dr. Jürg Gertsch, biochemists with deep expertise in taste receptor biology and natural product chemistry. After an extensive market validation program, the team identified the most promising applications for their ingredients and successfully tested them in industrial food production settings. Their combined scientific and entrepreneurial experience equips the startup to introduce a new, natural approach to improving taste in the food industry.

“Venture Kick kicked us in a good sense. The demanding feedback we received during the bootcamps were necessary to establish a coherent business mentality, an essential shift in balance from scientific excellence to the realities of the market,” highlights CEO Daniel Batora. “I strongly recommend Venture Kick to all founders coming from an academic background, the program will greatly benefit them in their implementation strategy.” 


Research Lead Juerg Gertsch and CEO Daniel Batora

Additional Links
Tasteomics' profile on Venture Kick CHF 40,000 for Glioblastoma cell-therapy

For years, European manufacturers have relied on outsourcing production, prioritizing cost reduction over long-term innovation. Today, they face mounting pressure: China dominates in price competitiveness, while the US leads in technological innovation. Reshoring is emerging as the only viable strategy to regain industrial autonomy, but high labor and automation costs have slowed progress.

Founded in 2025 in Zurich by Federico Martelli (CEO), Camilla Mazzolena (CPO), and Riccardo Maggioni (CTO), Forgis—formerly known as Xelerit—addresses the challenge of fragmented factory systems, aging infrastructure, and global competition by making factories smarter, more flexible, and ready for Industry 5.0. The startup’s AI-driven software provides an intelligent layer that allows machines, robots, and production lines to interact with their physical environment, coordinate processes autonomously, and adapt to changing conditions.

By connecting existing equipment rather than requiring costly replacements, Forgis enables European manufacturers to improve efficiency, reduce downtime, automate decision-making, and increase operational flexibility, helping them compete globally.

The Swiss startup, which has already established a strategic partnership with IBM, completed pilot projects, and secured commitments from Fortune 500 companies, recently closed a USD 4.5 million pre-seed funding round led by redalpine. The company also received CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick, in its final phase, supporting the development and scaling of its AI-powered industrial software. With this new funding and support, Forgis will accelerate the modernization of European factories, equipping them for a smarter, more adaptive future.

“Venture Kick was instrumental in giving us that milestone-driven external push to close the deal now, develop that feature now, and get things done now,” highlights CEO Federico Martelli.

From left to right: CTO Riccardo Maggioni, CPO Camilla Mazzoleni, and CEO Federico Martelli

Additional Links
Forgis' profile on Venture Kick Forgis receives CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick to enable production reshoring through industrial intelligence

Many important disease-related proteins are still considered “undruggable.” The reason: biologic drugs such as antibodies cannot enter cells, while small chemical molecules often fail to bind to large or complex protein surfaces. As a result, crucial pathways remain unaddressed, slowing progress in areas like cancer and inflammatory diseases.

Pure-DEL tackles this challenge with its Self-Purified DEL platform (DNA-Encoded Library). The technology generates libraries of more than one billion specially designed drug-like molecules called macrocycles. These combine two key advantages: the structural diversity needed to target difficult proteins and the ability to be taken orally. Unlike conventional methods, Pure-DEL’s platform can discover compounds that bind to proteins previously thought inaccessible. Its unique combination of scale and precision positions Pure-DEL as a next-generation drug discovery solution—opening the door to treatments for diseases that have long resisted available medicines.

The CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick will allow Pure-DEL to advance its business and to prepare for fundraising by meeting with investors and prospective partners, while also expanding the platform's capabilities.

The Biotech startup is led by four ETH scientists. Dr. Dimitar Petrov and Dr. Michelle Keller (future Co-CEO/CSO) co-developed the platform during their PhDs. They are joined by Dr. Andreas Gloger, an expert in library screening and protein engineering, and Prof. Jörg Scheuermann, a DEL pioneer. Together, the team combines deep expertise to turn complex science into practical drug discovery.

“The Venture Kick program has been instrumental in transforming our technology into a strong business case,” highlighted co-founder Michelle Keller. “We are grateful to Venture Kick for increasing the visibility of our science-driven start-up. Especially the Kicker's Camps and the feedback from the jury were very helpful for refining our business plan and our pitch.”

Pure-DEL Co-Founders Michelle Keller, Andreas Gloger, Dimitar Petrov, and Jörg Scheuermann

Additional Links
Pure-DEL's profile on Venture Kick CHF 40,000 for next-gen DNA-encoded libraries

Bewy: AI-powered property management that cuts costs and boosts transparency
Property owners in the DACH region pay up to CHF 20B+ in property management fees each year, yet 9 out of 10 are unhappy with their property managers. Issues include poor communication, neglected maintenance, unexpected costs, and weak tenant service.
The founding team – Luca (growth/ops), Marcandrea (product), and Gilles (tech) – come from the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich and bring years of experience in startups, consulting, and real estate. Bewy is an AI-powered property management company (service provider) that automates internal workflows, reduces costs by up to 50%, and provides landlords with real-time transparency. With CHF 3B market potential in Switzerland alone and an early-mover advantage, Bewy is well-positioned to disrupt outdated incumbents.
The Venture Kick funds will be used to incorporate Bewy, integrate SaaS automation tools, onboard the founding property manager, and launch pilot mandates. This enables the startup to validate product-market fit, build the MVP, and prepare for scalable growth.

Biodelphis Therapeutics: A New Generation of Targeted Drugs to Treat Cancer.
Currently available therapies have a limited success in solid tumors like pancreatic cancer or lung cancer, especially in advanced or treatment-resistant cases. There is a strong need for novel therapeutic strategies with different mechanisms of action to improve outcomes.
Several proteases play central roles in the development of cancer, but have so far been difficult targets for drugs. The new peptide-based inhibitors developed by Biodelphis Therapeutics overcome safety and bioavailability issues thanks to targeted delivery and their high specificity, thereby avoiding any toxicity on healthy tissues. The startup is incubating at EPFL, and its founding team includes Dr. Aaron Petruzzella, Prof. Elisa Oricchio, and Prof. Bruno Correia. Their non-natural peptide inhibitors hold great promise for cancer patients who do not respond to currently available therapies.
The team plans to use the Venture Kick funds to obtain a full analysis of their IP to examine the Freedom to Operate in strategic clinical areas as a part of their business development plan.

nureo: Next-generation of 3D design tools for engineering 
Design tools for engineers have not really changed in decades. Today, the 3D design of products is still a manual and repetitive process, often taking several days to weeks. This drives up costs, slows rapid iterations, and delays time-to-market. 
nureo develops the next generation of 3D design tools to automate repetitive design tasks and cut the manual effort by up to 90%. The startup was founded by Dr. Manuel Biedermann (CEO), Patrick Beutler (CTO), and Dr. Urs Hofmann (COO). Together, the team brings decades of expertise in the field of design automation, software, and manufacturing, and is collaborating with a number of industry leaders. The startup targets the global engineering software market, currently valued at around USD 15 – 25 B. 
The Venture Kick Funds will be used to drive the business development and support the launch of nureo’s design tools, offered through their web-based platform and as add-ons for existing software.

Additional Links
CHF 10,000 for AI property management, interceptor drones, sustainable enzyme design, targeted cancer drugs, and 3D engineering tools

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of brain tumor, with a median survival of only 15 months. Despite decades of research, the standard of care—surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy—has remained largely unchanged for more than 20 years. One of the biggest therapeutic challenges is the tumor’s ability to suppress immune responses through a complex network of myeloid cells, which prevents current therapies from achieving lasting efficacy. 

The biotech startup GlioCART is developing a new generation of cell therapy — the first of its kind for glioblastoma — that targets both the tumor and the protective environment around it. By engineering immune cells to detect and kill cancer cells as well as reprogram immune cells that shield them to eat them, the therapy addresses a key resistance mechanism that has limited the success of earlier treatments. This dual approach could provide patients with a more durable and effective option against one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer. 

With around 80,000 new glioblastoma cases each year, the mission of the University of Basel spin-off is to bring lasting therapeutic progress to patients who currently have no curative options. The addressable market, valued at USD 3 billion today and projected to reach USD 6 billion by 2033, highlights both the urgent medical need and GlioCART’s potential to collaborate with leading biopharma companies to deliver this innovation to patients worldwide. 

The CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick will support GlioCART in accelerating its strategic development and partnerships, building on a strong intellectual property foundation and a clear path towards commercialization and bringing its therapy to patients globally.  
 
The founding team brings together expertise across business strategy, clinical research, immuno-oncology, and data science. Dieter Willmann (CEO), Gregor Hutter (CMO), Patrice Zeis (COO), and Valerio Sabatino (CSO) form a multidisciplinary group combining years of experience in translational medicine, platform development and business growth. Their complementary backgrounds equip the biotech startup to advance a new generation of targeted cancer immunotherapies. 

“Venture Kick supported GlioCART in building a strong corporate and IP foundation, positioning the company for sustainable growth and future strategic partnerships,” highlights co-founder Gregor Hutter.

COO Patrice Zeis, CEO Dieter Willmann, CMO Gregor Hutter, and CSO Valerio Sabatino 

Additional Links
GlioCART's profile on Venture Kick CHF 40,000 for Glioblastoma cell-therapy