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Bolbrain Startup Challenge 2020 announces the 10 finalists

Image from the 2019 Boldbrain final event
Image from the 2019 Boldbrain final event
Archive image 2019: Barbara Pin (Boldbrain program manager), Lorenzo Ambrosini (director, Agire Foundation)
Archive image 2019: Barbara Pin (Boldbrain program manager), Lorenzo Ambrosini (director, Agire Foundation)

Institutional Communication Service

23 November 2020

The regional jury of Boldbrain Startup Challenge 2020 has selected the 10 most innovative ideas to take part in the final event, which will be streamed live through the YouTube channel of Agire Foundation on December 3.

After completing the acceleration process that started on September 4, the 20 innovative projects selected for Boldbrain 2020 were evaluated by the regional jury on Friday, November 20, at the Tecnopolo Ticino in Manno, home to the Agire Foundation. During the 3-month acceleration phase, the twenty teams were able to develop and refine their initial idea through the five workshops organised by Boldbrain, and thanks to the support of coaches who accompanied them in the development of their projects.  

The members of the regional jury chaired by Giambattista Ravano (SUPSI Delegated director for Research and knowledge transfer) are Leandro Bitetti (SUPSI lecturer-researcher), Franco Citterio (Director of the Ticino Banking Association), Gianluca Colombo (Dean of the USI Faculty of Economics and Director of USI EMBA), Luca Mascaro (founder of Sketchin), Michele Merazzi (Deputy director of the Chamber of Commerce of the Canton Ticino), and Giuseppe Perale (SUPSI professor of Biomaterials and USI lecturer in Regenerative medicine) – who examined the submitted documentation, listened, and evaluated each of the competing teams, based on the given criteria. 

Listed below, in alphabetical order, are the 10 ideas selected by the regional jury which will now compete in the final event:

  1. 4Devices Medical (medtech) – Aargau (CH)
  2. Finar Module Tech (electronic and mechanical engineering) – Ticino (CH)
  3. HEIMA (sport/leisure/tourism/lifestyle) – Ticino (CH)
  4. QM_Project (life sciences, IT diagnostics, data) - Italy
  5. Smart Power Center (energy, cleantech) – Russia
  6. TurboGas-5.0 (electronic and mechanical engineering) – Ticino (CH)
  7. UNIVERSUS-OS (ICT, software & data engineering) – Italy
  8. voltWALL (energy, cleantech) – Ticino (CH)
  9. WYTH (design, art, architecture, gaming) – Ticino (CH)
  10. YSI (consumer products and services) – Italy

At the final event on December 3, 2020 (7:00 p.m.), the ten finalists will compete for the awarding of five prizes assigned by the national jury and a sixth prize awarded by the public vote. In view of the anti-Covid restrictions provided by the Cantonal authories, the award ceremony will be broadcast live on the YouTube channel of Agire Foundation. Updates are provided upon registration at the Boldbrain website: www.boldbrain.ch

 

Boldbrain Startup Challenge is the accelerator in Ticino for early-stage innovative startups, organised by the Agire Foundation with the support of CP Start-up USI. Boldbrain is the evolution of the previous StartCup Ticino competition, offering 20 new start-ups a three-month coaching program that helps them to take on an identity and to continue their entrepreneurial activity in a solid way. Sought and supported by the Department of Economy and Finances of the Canton of Ticino, with the important contribution of BancaStato, the program kicks off in September  and ends with the award ceremony in early December, where the winners will be declared. The prize money totals 120.000 Swiss francs and many other in-kind prizes and services worth over 70.000 CHF.