EPFL spin-offs Flyability and Lunaphore win the Venture Kick final

A spherical flying robot enters a damaged building after an explosion. The lightweight drone is not disturbed by collisions and can fly safely in places out of reach and near injured people, transmitting live video footage to rescuers. This scenario might be soon a reality thanks to Gimball, Flyability’s insect inspired flying robot, the world’s first of its kind. The EPFL and NCCR robotics spin-off opens a world of new applications in search and rescue, industrial inspection or security.

Flyability: A flagship of Switzerland’s flying robotics
The startup’s vision is to bring drones closer to people indoors and in places out of reach for any other flying robot. Their innovation lies in Gimball’s patented rotating protective frame and control algorithms allowing the robot to remain stable even during collisions. It also makes it safe to fly close to humans. CEO Patrick Thévoz and his team were recently awarded with one million dollars at the “Drones for Good Award” in Dubai. He comments on the benefits of the Venture Kick program in the light of recent success: "When launching a startup in Switzerland, Venture Kick is for many entrepreneurs the support needed to “survive” during precious months and prepare for the next steps. Furthermore, the pathway to each stage of Venture Kick is recognized as a serious pledge by Swiss business angels”.

Lunaphore: Detecting cancerous tumors faster
Lunaphore’s “fast fluidic exchange" technology enables the rapid and accurate profiling of biomarkers in cancerous tissues. It brings a significant amelioration to the current tissue coloration assays allowing the analysis and the detection of cancerous tumors. Lunaphore’ solution is faster (it only takes 5 minutes compared to 2 to 8 hours for current tests) and more accurate (up to 90% compared to existing technologies). And the market is huge: 1.9 billion dollars alone for the worldwide hospital market. CEO Ata Tuna Ciftlik explains the benefits of Venture Kick for his young company: “We won the 1st stage of Venture Kick 12 months ago and have witnessed an amazing progress since then. The program helped us increase our credibility and visibility in the Swiss start-up scene. Furthermore, the Kickers Camps helped us tackle all the odds that might have killed our project at every stage of its development”.

Great recognition for both Venture Kick alumni
Over the past two years, Flyability and Lunaphore won prestigious Prizes and Awards, and benefited from a large Swiss and international media coverage. For example, they won the venture leaders USA program in 2014. The same year, Lunaphore entered the TOP 100 ranking as youngest Swiss startup, and one of the best of western Switzerland. Jordi Montserrat, Managing Director of Venture Kick comments on their success: “Seeing how Flyability and Lunaphore founders could evolve using Venture Kick's network and support makes us very happy. What they have achieved is not only impressive; it also puts them in a leading position to become major global successes, which lies at the heart of our action."