Six spin-offs of ETH Zurich were among the 18 finalists in this year’s Venture Awards. Three of them won in their respective categories, and three came in second. The Grand Prize went to spin-off MyNerva.
Winners of the Grand Prize: MyNerva founder Greta Preatoni and Luigi Carotenuto, CTO of the ETH spin-off. (Image: Venture)
The MedTech company MyNerva clinched the Grand Prize worth CHF 150,000 at last night’s Venture Awards on 23 June 2025. The ETH spin-off also scooped first prize in the Health & Nutrition category.
external page MyNerva has developed a sock with sensors that helps diabetics walk without problems. The neuroprosthetic is non-invasive, meaning it works from the outside, and alleviates the pain associated with diabetic neuropathy, a widespread nerve disorder. The sock restores sensation to those affected, thereby improving mobility, reducing the risk of falls and restoring quality of life.
Founder Greta Preatoni explains exactly how the sock works in this external page video from the Falling Walls Foundation.
The start-up is supported by Wyss Zurich.
Alongside MyNerva, two other start-ups that bring ETH technologies to market won first prizes in their respective categories: Rrreefs AG (in the Social & Environmental Impact category) and BTRY AG (in the Industrials & Engineering category).
Spin-off external page Rrreefs builds artificial coral reefs from clay bricks. The start-up prints the bricks in a 3D process and uses them to build modular structures in the sea. These artificial reefs provide a permanent and natural substrate for the settlement and growth of coral and marine life. The first pilot reef created by a 3D printer has been providing a new home for marine life off a Caribbean island for several years.
Ulrike Pfreundt, co-founder and Head of Science and Development at Rrreefs (Bild: Venture)
ETH spin-off external page BTRY develops fast-charging solid-state batteries that are resistant to temperature fluctuations. This allows them to be used at very high temperatures, for example, in sensors that detect vapour leaks, as well as at very low temperatures, such as in the transport of medicines.
BTRY founders Moritz Futscher (l.) and Abdessalem Aribia (Bild: Venture)
Venture is Switzerland's leading start-up competition and is organised by the not-for-profit Venture Foundation in collaboration with ETH Zurich, McKinsey & Company, Knecht Holding, Innosuisse and EPFL. It was started in 1997 with the purpose of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Switzerland. Each year, participants can submit entries in one of the following five industry categories: Finance & Insurance, Health & Nutrition, ICT, Industrials & Engineering, Retail & Customer Services and Social & Environmental Impact.
