EraCal Therapeutics and dimpora win kick funding

With one exception, the finals for receiving this greatest level of support have always included only two winners in the eleven-year history of Venture Kick Switzerland’s largest startup accelerator program reported. This is only the second time that a jury has declared three winners. “The continuously growing quality of the cases in Venture Kick makes the job of the jury more and more difficult,” said Beat Schillig, co-managing director of Venture Kick, in the press release.

This year, those receiving the kick support worth 130,000 Swiss francs include dimpora AG from Zurich. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) has developed membranes for outdoor clothing that are both waterproof and breathable without the need for dangerous chemicals.

The other company to win the 130,000 franc kick is EraCal Therapeutics AG from Zollikon ZH, a spin-off from the University of Zurich (UZH) and Harvard University that has developed an appetite-suppression pill more potent than products currently on the market.

The final 130,000 francs was awarded to Nagi Bioscience SA, based in Ecublens VD. The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) has created a lab device that makes it possible to use worms for drug testing rather than the usual method on animals. 

The Venture Kick accelerator program supports startups from idea to founding of a company.