150,000 Swiss francs in pre-seed funding awarded

Fiber optic modulators and building insulation, though multi-billion dollar markets, are "hidden" topics until devastating building fires or frustration from slow communications bring these important infrastructures to the public's attention. Two Zurich-based startups, FenX AG and Polariton Technologies AG, are developing research from ETH Zurich and recently received CHF 150,000 in pre-seed funding.

FenX AG: Fully recyclable insulation that maximizes fire protection and minimizes CO2

The modern construction industry faces the challenge of reducing its energy consumption and carbon footprint: residential and commercial buildings account for about 40 percent of global energy consumption and 36 percent of global greenhouse gases. Better and greener insulation can reduce total greenhouse gas emissions from buildings by one-fifth. Unfortunately, today's insulation either has a relatively high carbon footprint or is highly flammable.

FenX, a spin-off of ETH Zurich, is addressing this problem by converting industrial mineral waste into sustainable and high-performance insulating foam boards that also ensure safe fire protection in buildings. The market is large: worldwide, the construction industry spends around 22.4 billion Swiss francs on thermal insulation. "Our fully recyclable product minimizes CO2 emissions and maximizes fire protection. This combination is new to the market and is made from waste," says co-founder Etienne Jeoffroy, whose product generates three to 10 times less CO2 over its lifetime than current technologies.

FenX is focused on completing European certification for its insulation panels before developing pilot projects. The startup was recently accepted into the Business Develoment Accelerator of Swiss Prime Site, the largest listed real estate company in Switzerland. Jeoffroy and co-founders Michele Zanini, Enrico Scoccimarro, Alessandro Dutto, André Studart and Elena Tervoort plan to close a seed funding round of around CHF 1.5 million by 2020.
The CEO expresses his gratitude for Venture Kick's support and entrepreneurial education during the startup phase: "Venture Kick helped us a lot to focus and refine our business model. In particular, the Kickers Camp showed us how to improve our go-to-market path."

Polariton Technologies AG: the world's fastest and smallest electro-optical modulators

Our world is filling up with digital devices that need to communicate with each other, and modern lifestyles mean that people want higher volumes of data available quickly. Modulators, which convert electrical signals into light signals required for global transmission over fiber optic cables, are an essential part of our modern communications infrastructure. ETH Pioneer Fellow Claudia Hoessbacher and co-founders Wolfgang Heni and Benedikt Bäuerle use shorter wavelength plasmonics instead of normal light to shrink these components to the nanoscale. Polariton's modulators transmit at up to 500 GHz, ten times faster than the prevailing photon modulator technology.

Polariton used Venture Kick pre-seed funding to validate business assumptions and meet potential customers and suppliers worldwide. The team recently presented its nanotechnology - the culmination of six years of research - to international experts and hired its fourth team member. The Zurich-based startup has contacted initial investors as a seed round of CHF 1-2 million is planned for early next year. The capital will help the startup hire an experienced business development staff and refine its modulators for launch customers in the test and measurement space.

The startup also received financial support from Innobooster and was pleased to receive entrepreneurial training from Venture Kick: "The very concrete feedback helped us enormously. It's also valuable to be able to exchange ideas with founders at similar stages," says Hoessbacher, who is excited about her transformation from researcher to entrepreneur. "It's all about bringing research to market. This is our baby - I'd love to see it out there."