Five Swiss start-up companies – Aïmago, greenTEG, Nanotion, Nektoon and Pearltec – have each been awarded starting capital of CHF 100,000 (€73,800) by the W. A. de Vigier Foundation, one of Switzerland’s oldest and most prestigious foundations.
Among the five are three companies that roots at ETH Zurich.
greenTEG is producing thermoelectric generators based on a long-established principle, which the company has made economically attractive through its novel manufacturing process. The generators are not only much cheaper, they are also thinner and more flexible.
Another ETH winner was Bartjan den Hartogh, co-founder of Nanotion. The materials scientist has developed a detector for the fast detection of particles in liquids, for use in the cosmetics industry and in wastewater engineering,
Third ETH start-up, Pearltec, produces fixation aids that are designed to prevent patients moving during computer tomography scannning, resulting in blurred images. The two designers, Thomas Mueller and Patrizia Fischer studied biomedical engineering at ETH.
The winners will also benefit from long-term monitoring by the Board of Trustees of the Foundation. The level of support offered by the Foundation will be expanded significantly this year, to include a new alumni organisation and a ‘Boot Camp’ for this year’s winners and nominees. This four day Boot Camp will involve intensive workshops on topics such as finance and sales, and the opportunity to share experiences with former winners.
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