April 22, 2016
€36 million fuels new hope for paraplegics
Dear reader
The images of the paraplegic mouse that was able to walk again thanks to technology from G-Therapeutics went around the world two years ago. Now the EPFL spin-off has not only caused a stir scientifically but also economically by securing €36 million in order to develop and test the technology.
In future, some of the G-Therapeutics team will work from Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The main advantage of Eindhoven, says CEO Sjaak Deckers, is the funding opportunities for start-ups and through which G-Therapeutics has received an ‘innovation loan’ of €10 million. In our interview, Deckers explains how the company will continue and which parts will remain in Lausanne.
Christoph Birkholz from Impact Hub Zurich provides exclusive background information. He now heads the operational team at Kickstart Accelerator. In our interview, he talks about the relationship with large companies, the ambitions of the programme and networking opportunities with Swiss start-ups.
We also have an interview with Gábor Székely, CTI commission member and head of medtech, about the new Swiss Medtech Day. He reveals, among other things, what the event offers visitors and what the future will bring.
The strength of the Swiss medtech sector was also reflected in a further round of funding: PB&B acquired CHF2 million from a strategic investor.
The crowdfunding portal I believe in you also secured funding with CHF800,000 from private donors and the Berner Kantonalbank.
Financing was not the only good news in this area. The Federal Council wants to facilitate market access for fintech start-ups and mentioned crowdfunding platforms explicitly in its announcment.
The registration period for three major competitions run out soon: you have until next Thursday to apply for venture’s business idea and business plan competitions. The deadline for this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award expires on 31 April, and the Swisscom Startup Challenge is open until 15 May.
A number of interesting events take place again next week: the SICTIC Investor Day in Lausanne on Monday and the Corporate Startup Summit on 27 and 28 April in Zurich.
Have a peaceful weekend.
Stefan Kyora
Managing Editor startupticker.ch