DECENTRIQ WINS THE ZKB PIONEER AWARD TECHNOPARK 2024
Decentriq was awarded the ZKB Pioneer Prize Technopark 2024 at Technopark Zurich on May 7. The start-up uses data protection technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to create new opportunities for collaboration between companies. Specifically, it enables companies to work together on confidential data and create meaningful statistics or AI models without ever sharing the raw data. To do this, Decentriq uses Confidential Computing, a new, highly secure chip and cloud technology that can be used to process encrypted raw data. They impressed the jury with their technology and can look forward to the prize money of CHF 100,000.
The jury for the Pioneer Award is made up of experts from the fields of healthcare, technology and finance. The members of the jury emphasized the will to move and change things, the perseverance in difficult times and the courage to break new ground. The jury was convinced that Decentriq is setting a new standard by using AI tools to generate added value from proprietary data sources and enable value-adding analyses in a wide variety of companies. Its customers already include hospitals, publishing houses and the Swiss army. Decentriq itself also sees winning the Pioneer Award as confirmation of the path it has taken.
Co-finalists Avelo and Stimit also honored
The two co-finalists, Avelo and Stimit, both come from the medical technology sector. They each received 10,000 Swiss francs. Avelo has developed AveloCollect, a user-friendly, non-invasive breath collector that improves the diagnosis of tuberculosis and lower respiratory tract infections. Doctors can collect breath samples painlessly and analyze them quickly and accurately using a PCR test.
The medical technology start-up Stimit, founded in 2018, has developed a non-invasive procedure that can be used to preserve the diaphragmatic muscles of patients requiring ventilation. The Stimit Activator uses a special headset to generate targeted electromagnetic fields that stimulate the diaphragm via the phrenic nerve in order to prevent atrophy (tissue atrophy).
The audience award of the evening went to the company 4QT from Zurich, which develops emission-free drives for heavy construction vehicles. The guests in attendance voted for the start-up, which was rewarded with prize money of CHF 2,500.
A successful evening at Technopark Zurich
The ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark is one of the most important awards for start-ups in Switzerland and has been presented annually by Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) and Technopark Zürich since 2001. This year, the Mayor of Zurich, Corine Mauch, opened the award ceremony with a speech about Switzerland as a technology and business location. Afterwards, the two ETH robotics professors Roland Siegwart and Marco Hutter wowed the 350 guests with their keynote speech on the topic of “AI in motion”. They even brought their latest robots into the hall and demonstrated them on stage. One of the long-term goals of their current research is to have robots carry out heavy and dangerous construction work. The keynote was followed by an exciting panel discussion with Danielle Ralic, founder of the deep tech company Ancora, which matches patients with suitable clinical trials. She spoke about her passion for technology, coding and the role of women in technology.
Afterwards, the guests met for an aperitif in the foyer of the Technopark. In a cozy atmosphere, surrounded by atmospherically illuminated olive trees and the exhibition stands of the start-ups, the guests enjoyed food and drinks served by the catering of Deli1993, the restaurant in Technopark Zurich.
Interested parties can now apply for the ZKB Pioneer Award Technopark 2025. The application period runs up to and including September 23, 2024.
Links:
www.pionierpreis.ch
https://www.technopark.ch
Gewinner, Finalisten und Publikumspreis:
www.avelolife.com/
www.decentriq.com
www.stimit.com
https://www.4qt.ch/