Rhovica Neuroimaging AG has been selected as one of the winners of the 27th annual IMD Startup Competition.The IMD Startup Competition gives MBA and EMBA students a valuable insight into entrepreneurship, while also helping promising young Swiss ventures to achieve success. Now in its 27th year, the IMD Startup Competition offers 13 startups the chance to work with IMD’s Executive MBA participants and join them in Silicon Valley.
EXTRACT :
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.
