Venture Challenge Fall 2021: Meet the Teams!
Last week, the Venture Challenge Fall 2021 kicked off with innovative Life Sciences & Health startups participating in the first bootcamp. The teams worked on shaping their value propositions, vision and competitive differentiation to translate their idea into a solid business case.
During this intensive three days the teams received professional guidance from experienced coaches Math Kohnen and Chretien Herben. Next to this the teams learned from the expertise of investors, seasoned entrepreneurs and industry experts. But who are these teams participating in this edition?
The selected teams are Monoceros Analytics, Ardim, Encytos, Stroke Pointer and Purecyte. Central to all propositions are technological innovations aimed at improving healthcare. These range from a new method to identify cancer cells in the blood to a hat that can measure brain waves to identify the severe stroke patients.
Monoceros Analytics
The goal of Monoceros Analyitcs is to provide a one-step-service to pharma companies to identify the most successful molecules at a early stage. These molecules can be used for instances for new medicines. “The Venture Challenge is really interesting,” says the team. “It is valuable to understand the market better and get a grip on the needs of our clients.”
Ardim
Care at the right place is an important pillar for Ardim. This team works on bringing medical imaging closer to patients with the help of artificial intelligence. An example is echography for babies with possible hip dysplasia. Now, every baby needs to get checked in the hospital, but Ardim works on a smaller echo device that can be used in child consultancy bureaus. The data from the echography than is compared to a database.
Encytos
Encytos offers a cell growth platform of inorganic material which allows 3D cell culture as easy as 2D. This method helps cells to differentiate much faster. More information can be found on their website: encytos.com. “During the Venture Challenge, we identified that our company needs different skills,” says the team. “We now understand the market better and are ready to start networking.”
Stroke Pointer
The first choice in treatment for stroke patients is very important for the recovery. In order to help ambulance personnel make the right decision for triage, Stroke Pointer has designed a hat that can measure brain waves (EEG) to identify the severe stroke patients in order to bring them to the right hospital for treatment. “The Venture Challenge helps us focus and forces us to think about why our idea is the best,” says the team.
Purecyte
Purecyte developed a microfluidic platform which can identify tumor cells in the blood. These cells are markers of metastasis and give for instance valuable insights on whether a treatment works or not. The team praises the Venture Challenge for its interactivity and the interesting speakers. “Sirius Medical, a Venture Challenge alumnus talked about their experiences,” says the team. “Their journey and story was very relatable for us.”
Second workshop
Following this first workshop the teams will go out to talk to customers and test their assumptions in preparation of the second Venture Challenge workshop beginning of November and the finals later that month.
The winner of the Venture Challenge Summer 2021 will be announced at the Dutch Life Sciences Conference.
