Büro Züri says farewell and welcome to startups

Every year a new cohort is selected to join the BüroZüri Innovationspark by Zürcher Kantonalbank for one year. In addition to office space, the startups also benefit from coaching, specialist and social events and access to a network comprising players from universities, research institutions and the private sector.

The five newly selected startups will join AITHON, Aseptuva AG from the previous batch. The two startups will stay for an additional year due to their excellent cooperation and needs. The innovation space bid farewell to irmos Technologies GmbH, AI Retailer Systems AG, Ascento AG.

Meet the new entrants in Büro Züri Innovationspark by Zürcher Kantonalbank

4QT | 2020 | Mobility – the ETH spinoff builds high-power electric drives to help (small) heavy equipment manufacturers overcome their struggles to electrify. This is done with a modular and fully recyclable solution that reduces both CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by up to 50%. They have trademarks & patents on the motor and the battery and face heavy interest from construction and defence, including 4 paid demonstrators with one of Switzerland’s biggest construction companies and the Swiss army.

LAYERƎD | 2021 | Robotics – focusing on Robotic On-Site Technologies (ROST), LAYERƎD is developing autonomous mobile robots capable of performing both standard and bespoke surface finishing tasks directly on construction sites. The solution aims to significantly improve working conditions for construction laborers while also making the plastering process safer, more sustainable, and more efficient, promising to save up to 20% of material waste. The company’s novel two-step thin-layer plaster-printing process consists of applying the right amount of material where it needs to be applied.

BTRY AG | 2021 | Energy – is a young spin-off of Empa and ETHZ with the mission: to revolutionize the energy storage industry through innovative, sustainable and efficient battery solutions. Our main goal is to provide advanced battery technologies that enable the widespread adoption of renewable energy sources. The battery startup became the first to receive the EMPA Entrepreneurship Fellowship and, as part of the program, will get access to infrastructure and expertise. During the first year, we will still rely on Empa's measurement equipment to develop their Minimum Viable Product (MVP).

Levron Dynamics |2023 | Energy – The transition towards the renewable power grid requires more than just plugging in more and more capacity - each wind turbine and solar panel needs to be integrated into the power grid without compromising the stable operation of the system. Levron Dynamics proposes a new approach to develop the flywheel energy storage system, which can provide the power grid with rotational inertia and control power for operation with 100% renewable energy sources. Compared to batteries, flywheels offer longer lifespans, resulting in lower operating costs over time. Additionally, flywheels do not contain any toxic materials and have significant recycling potential.

Sanetics AG | 2021 | Health and Medicine – By addressing current challenges like staff shortages and medication safety issues, Sanetics empowers healthcare professionals to focus on their patients instead of on logistic and administrative tasks. Their approach delivers a rapidly deployable modular medication logistics solution for healthcare institutions, maximising patient safety and significantly improving drug distribution efficiency in hospitals, nursing and retirement homes. The streamlined implementation of closed-loop medication builds upon existing infrastructure maintaining process flexibility. Still bootstrapped, the startup is already operative with the first customers on board.

Video of the handover event (in German)

(RAN)