MYNERVA and Apheros Win at MassChallenge Switzerland

(CONNECT) MYNERVA is the diamond winner of the MassChallenge Switzerland. This main prize is endowed with 140,000 Swiss francs and honors the wearable neuroprosthesis developed by the Zurich-based spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH). It gives people with peripheral neuropathy back the feeling in their feet and thus improves their balance and mobility.

All winners emerged from a four-month acceleration program for early-stage start-ups. They are all dedicated to finding solutions to alleviate key global challenges, particularly with regard to nutrition, health, climate and industry.

According to a press release, the awards were presented on October 31 in Lausanne in front of 500 guests from the entire innovation ecosystem. At the 10th anniversary of this event, twelve winning start-ups from all over the world shared cash prizes totaling CHF 400,000. In total, cash and non-cash prizes worth over 600,000 Swiss francs were presented.

In second place behind MYNERVA is the platinum winner apheros, also an ETH spin-off based at the Institute for Complex Materials. The prize is endowed with 70,000 Swiss francs. Apheros develops metal foams with a large surface area that enable exceptional cooling performance for high-performance electronics and computers.

In addition to three gold winners and six silver winners, the LDC Climate Resilience Prize, endowed with CHF 100,000, was also awarded to the insurtech company IBISA, which operates in Luxembourg and India. It supports its satellite-based parametric insurance solution, which protects farmers, agricultural companies and other supply chains against climate risks.

Synature received the One Young World Award in the amount of 10,000 Swiss francs. The start-up from Ecublens is developing a sound monitoring system based on artificial intelligence. It recognizes the sounds of birds, insects and other animals in real time and is intended to contribute to animal health and biodiversity in agriculture and nature conservation.

"Over the past ten years, we have helped 1175 start-ups to raise 2.9 billion francs for their projects," Mass Lashmar, Managing Director of MassChallenge Switzerland, is quoted as saying. "Together, we have made a big difference for many start-ups, who can now bring their innovations to market faster and have a greater impact on society. Here's to the next ten years!" ce/mm