Events
28
March
2024
28.
03.
2024
11
April
2024
11.
04.
2024

InkVivo selected for the 2nd phase of VentureKick

Left to right: Elia Guzzi and Stefano Cerutti (photo: InkVivo)
Left to right: Elia Guzzi and Stefano Cerutti (photo: InkVivo)

USI Startup Centre

30 January 2023

The life science startup incubated at USI Startup Centre moves to the next stage of the three-stage VentureKick programme receiving CHF 40'000 to continue developing its innovative drug delivery system. After completing the first stage, the team convinced the jury with their business case and was one of the three projects selected out of five pitches. 

InkVivo leverages a patented biomaterial platform in combination with advanced manufacturing technologies to fabricate drug delivery systems that can solve one of the biggest challenges of current medications: the temporal release of active ingredients. The startup, co-founded by Elia Guzzi, PhD (ETH Zurich) and Stefano Cerutti, EMBA (HEC Lausanne), won the 2021 edition of the Boldbrain Startup Challenge and, since 2022, has been incubated at USI Startup Centre. The key advantage of the InkVivo solution is the spatiotemporal control release obtained by the precise 3D design of drug delivery systems. Its systems can encapsulate different types of active ingredients, broadening the range of clinical applications.

Venture Kick is a philanthropic initiative focusing on spin-offs from Swiss universities. It offers entrepreneurs up to CHF 150'000 in financing. The first stage of CHF 10'000 is offered as a non-repayable grant, while the second CHF 40'000 and final CHF 100'000 are offered as convertible loans. Besides that, the selected startups can benefit from exposure, credibility, boot camps and access to a top network. In the next six months, the InkVivo team will continue developing the go-to-market strategy and validating the product before pitching it in front of the jury to get to the third and final stage.