News Stories · Start-up - Venture Capital

IMD reveals 2025 Startup Competition winners

This year, 22 ventures were selected to collaborate with IMD's MBA and Executive MBA classes.
February 2025

Now in its 27th year, the IMD Startup Competition will offer 13 startups the chance to work with IMD’s full-time MBA students, while a further nine were selected to collaborate with the Executive MBA participants.

The Startup Competition is an annual IMD event that highlights promising Swiss ventures offering them the opportunity to get support from IMD’s EMBA and MBA participants for their entrepreneurial projects.

“Even after 27 years of this competition, Benoit Leleux and I continue to be amazed at the volume, diversity, and quality of the startups born in Switzerland,” shares competition founder Jim Pulcrano, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management.

The winning ideas highlight a diverse range of innovative solutions, from advancements in optical sensing, battery technology, and robotics, to breakthroughs in medical therapeutics, neurosurgery, water management, and sustainable energy solutions.

Many firms involved in the competition over the years have done well, including AC Immune, which went public in 2016, and HelQ, which followed in 2020. Dacuda was acquired by Magic Leap. Doodle by Tamedia, Endosense by St.Jude, FaceShift by Apple, GlycArt by Roche, picoDrill by Asahi Glass, HPL by Dow, Kooaba by Qualcomm, and Lemoptix by Intel.

Among these successes, NexThink also stands out as an early-stage AI company co-founded by an IMD MBA. NexThink will feature in the upcoming edition of the Venture Capital Asset Management (VCAM) program. This program, also founded by Pulcrano, is designed to accelerate participants’ learning journey by equipping them with the practical tools and insights needed to navigate the opportunities and risks in venture capital investing.

The 9 startups working with EMBAs in 2025

4K-MEMS SA

4K-MEMS delivers cutting-edge infrared emitters enabling low-cost advanced optical sensing in a miniature package.

BTRY

The ETH-spinoff BTRY develops an all-solid-state battery for IoT, MedTech, and consumer electronics which can be charged and discharged within one minute.

Magnetfab

Magnetfab is the world’s first company specializing in the manufacturing of integrated micromagnets, unlocking new possibilities for innovation in cutting-edge applications such as sensors, microspeakers, quantum computing, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).

Juvion Health Sciences

Juvion is pioneering next-generation therapeutics to prevent mobility decline and combat sarcopenia, leveraging cutting-edge neuroscience expertise and an automated discovery platform to redefine healthy aging.

Kolbev

Kolbev develops autonomous mobile robots with integrated energy storage to facilitate EV charging for large parking lot operators.

Release Therapeutics

Release Therapeutics is developing breakthrough cell encapsulation technology to deliver therapeutic proteins to the brain, with its lead program targeting Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD), a rare genetic disorder affecting young children.

Rhovica Neuroimaging

Rhovica Neuroimaging AG is developing a precision-guided neurosurgical brain catheter and monitoring system to optimize the emergency treatment of critically ill head trauma and brain bleed patients; saving time and lives, improving neurological outcomes, and reducing treatment costs.

Riverkin

Riverkin delivers real-time water intelligence to help companies mitigate risks and build resilience.

Undae Science

Undae Science’s products and services are inspired by science, developed in partnership with medical doctors, and tailored to respond to current limitations in sleep management across medical care, elite sports, and research.

 

The 13 startups working with MBAs in 2025

Aisot Technologies

Aisot Technologies empowers investment managers to manage risks effectively and deliver high-performing portfolios to clients at scale.

Besso

Besso optimizes international supply chains with 360° actionable regulatory insights.

CDDS

CDDS develops high-speed counter drones, which autonomously intercept and neutralize threats by visually identifying and colliding with them.

CIWI

CIWI is an early-stage water tech startup focused on providing water treatment facilities with treatment agents produced onsite, using fewer resources and less energy, and offering improved safety and supply chain resilience.

databaum

databaum revolutionizes regenerative agriculture through advanced data intelligence.

Digitel

AMICOOL by Digitel leverages artificial intelligence to predict and optimize supermarket refrigeration systems in real time, boosting efficiency and cutting operation costs by up to 20%.

EAPOSYS

EAPOSYS SA pioneers deep closed-loop Advanced Geothermal Systems (AGS), using energy from the Earth’s core to deliver 24/7 renewable power while actively decarbonizing heat and electricity generation.

Elythor

Elythor develops advanced drones for the safe and efficient inspection of industrial assets, even in extreme weather conditions.

Fenix Energy

Fenix Energy leverages abundant iron as an energy carrier to deliver the easiest, cost-competitive, and carbon-free solution for storing, transporting, and producing green energy to empower industries with a sustainable and circular future.

Hyperion AI

Hyperion AI empowers businesses with universally accessible artificial intelligence agent technology, providing a SaaS platform that uses natural language to automate repetitive tasks and boost productivity.

New Generation Tanks

New Generation Tanks is dedicated to advancing industry and mobility decarbonization with its groundbreaking technology of recyclable, ultra-light pressure tanks designed for the efficient storage and transport of compressed gases.

Verretex

Verretex produces fully recycled fiberglass products for industrial composite material applications, using substantially less energy and positively impacting the environment.

XRMD (aka ex vivo)

XRMD is an extended reality platform leveraging generative artificial intelligence to revolutionize practical training and assessment of medical students.

 

The impact of the selected startups extends far beyond this competition, contributing to a collaborative ecosystem.