Talent Kick expands program following two successful editions

Talent Kick is a cross-university program dedicated to helping students at Swiss-based Universities find and build an interdisciplinary co-founder team, and get hands-on entrepreneurial experience during their studies to become responsible entrepreneurial leaders equipped to start their own startups. During the first semester, selected students participate in different bootcamps, events, workshops and 1:1 leadership coaching sessions to establish a strong co-founder team and convince successful entrepreneurs as mentors. The most successful teams receive a financial boost of CHF 5000 (non-dilutive) and proceed to the next stage which focuses on network building, getting input from experienced entrepreneurs, executives, potential customers, investors and experts, and validating first ideas as well as securing follow-up funding and support.

Subsequently, Talent Kick creates avenues to join further programs and funding instruments. Some of the program’s flagship startups including Openversum, Inkvivo, Roboa, Synature and Ethon AI have benefited from different offers in the startup ecosystem from their home universities but also from leading Swiss-wide or international programs, secured substantial funding, and have grown into ambitious startups dedicated to solving real-life challenges. Here are five teams who were recently awarded the 5'000 financial boost from the Talent Kick program, following the footsteps of their successful predecessors:

Faive Robotics - develops soft robots and biohybrid robots, made from compliant materials similar to those found in living organisms to enable soft, flexible, and adaptive interactions of robots with objects and living beings. The startup team was featured on SRF1 and showcased at TEDxGateway in India. The startup is currently fundraising.

Manukai - aims to enhance the efficiency of manufacturing processes with its CAM Copilot, which makes the process of turning CAD designs into machine instructions faster and more efficient. The solution includes geometry validation, recognition of machining features, automatic toolpath generation, and optimization. Manukai are part of the Bluelion Acceleration Program, while Daniel Wälchli, co-founder, was selected for the BRIDGE Proof of Concept Fellowship. They have raised 335’000 from their network, Angel investors as well as the BRIDGE Proof of Concept Grant.

Implanz - provides cutting-edge technology tailored for implant testing and surgical planning on human bone samples. The Implanz service utilizes specially treated CT images to incorporate bone quality data, creating a fully automated simulation pipeline that assists dentists in their decision-making process and allows them to evaluate the potential outcomes of surgery. The team has secured Innosuisse funding for the next 1.5 years and funding from the first stage of Venture Kick.

NEOSENS  is revolutionizing neonatal sepsis diagnosis, bridging the healthcare gap for newborns worldwide. Besides winning the 2023 Swiss Sustainability Challenge, the team participated in the MIRAHI program and made it to the 2024 >>venture>> Startup Competition as finalists.

REEcover - is turning waste into ‘tREEasure’ using a unique patented technology that allows them to recover Rare Earth Elements (REEs) from electronic waste. Their first proof of concept focuses on recycling Europium and Yttrium from energy-saving lamps, with a separation factor 10 times superior to existing technologies. The team was selected to participate in the CE Transition – Circular Economy Transition Impact Hub Zürich Incubator.

Two batches per year

Following the successful development and growth of the program, Talent Kick will have two intakes, in Spring and Autumn. “We are really happy to share that our program has grown, and we are able to double the number of participants per year as of this year and provide more flexibility for students to join the program at any semester. We are excited to continue to promote cross-university collaboration and help Talent Kick members become responsible entrepreneurial leaders and forming strong interdisciplinary co-founder teams” says the program’s public relations and marketing lead, Christina Ioannou.