We have the pleasure of announcing the winners of the 11th annual IMD Startup Competition. Twenty-two young companies have been chosen to work with IMD’s MBA and Executive MBA students in 2009. They were selected from among many worthy competitors based not only on the value of their ideas and quality of their teams, but also on their fit with the learning objectives of our programs.

Commenting on this year’s winners, Jim Pulcrano, Executive Director and Co-organizer of the competition, says: "The total number of startup candidates this year was down from 2008, obviously reflecting the dire economic situation surrounding us, but the quality of the ventures we reviewed was at least as good as last year, and in several cases, better. These entrepreneurs are to be saluted for their courage. We have a diverse group of companies, at different stages of development, but, in our opinion, all of them have a solid chance of success, and we hope our program participants can help move them forward,

The IMD Startup Competition provides a unique opportunity for early-stage companies to benefit from the support and insights of MBA and Executive MBA participants. The objectives of this unique collaboration are:

• To provide hands-on learning experience in entrepreneurship and new ventures for the IMD MBA and EMBA classes
• To provide input and support to early stage companies, to improve their chances of funding, product development and market success.

Executive MBA Program winners

Aleva Neurotherapeutics develops neurostimulation methods for treating neurodegenerative diseases.
iTaste.com makes choosing a restaurant fun and dynamic using second generation Web2.0 applied to mobile devices.
greenTeg develops and produces cost-effective devices that use waste heat to generate electric power by means of micro-thermoelectric generators.
mixin helps you and your friends online to choose, plan and share things to do.
Motilis is a medical equipment start-up specialized in gastroenterology with an innovative pill technology.
NanoPowers is a medical device company that uses artificial muscle technology for the treatment of severe urinary and fecal incontinence.
Sensometrix provides biometric identification solutions that combine ease of use with reliability and the highest security standards.

Fulltime MBA program winners

AgoraBee provides a complete platform for location-aware active RFID (Radio-frequency Identification) and WSN (Wireless Sensor Network).
Bacula Systems provides enterprise quality services and support for open source network backup and recovery software.
Bulane provides, through its Watalys process, chlorinated water to people in the developing world who do not have direct access to potable water.
Cashare runs an Internet loan platform for individuals to borrow and lend in a safe and easy environment with fair interest rates.
Deutsche Derivate AG is a refinancing institute for microfinance institutions (MFIs) that do not have easy access to capital markets.
JMC Lutherie offers a new generation loudspeaker system, built like a fine musical instrument, which allows the listener to feel all dimensions of music.
KeyLemon is a software company which offers simple, fast and convenient computer access solutions for internet users, based on face and speech recognition.
LogiFleet develops, integrates and commercializes integrated solutions for GPS geo-localization and mobile services tracking.
NetGuardians provides a security information event management solution for IT governance to medium and large companies.
PearlTec develops novel fixation devices to make medical scanning faster, easier and more comfortable.
Performance Buildings offers solutions for managing visitor access and shared meeting rooms in corporate as well as public settings.
PrimeEqual is developing a version of its injector-suitable Botox injections based on the award winning Preciquant Dental Anaesthesia system.
Primus Solar intends to launch in a Gulf country a large, fully integrated manufacturing plant for photovoltaic products, from silicon ingots to solar modules.
Quensis offers a unique and revolutionary technology that fuses into one streamlined process complex legal verifications and the creation of names that are legally available.
Zürich Instruments is an ETH spin-off developing and selling high-tech instrumentation on the global market.