Innogrant Boosts Entrepreneurs' Market Entry

In the early 2000s, the term startup was mainly associated with Silicon Valley and the fast-growing firms backed by sizeable infusions of venture capital. At EPFL, a few new businesses were spun off per year by intrepid entrepreneurs who believed strongly in their technology and business ideas, often investing their own savings - without a safety net. This resulted in some successful companies such as Nexthink, but most of them didn't survive. "The path between innovation and a revenue-generating business is demanding," says Isabel Casado Harrington, head of EPFL's Startup Launchpad unit. Entrepreneurs must overcome several hurdles before they can take their technology to market-including developing a prototype, testing the product with future customers, adjusting the model, and securing financing-which require time, considerable resources, and the support of a network.

EPFL's Innogrant program is designed to help startups through their first few years of existence. It is EPFL's first program of its kind and a pioneer in Switzerland. It proivdes the necessary time, in the form of one year's salary, each year to around ten carefully selected individuals with startup projects related to the School. These twelve months allow them to develop their business plans and bring their ideas closer to the market and industry with the support of a vast network of specialists. Ata Golparvar, CTO of MoleSense, is about to complete his Innogrant year and found the support invaluable. "The technology we'd developed - a continuous monitoring system for biomarkers - was ready to move beyond the laboratory but wasn't quite ready for market launch," he says. "We were stuck in the 'startup pit' where we lacked both time and money. But thanks to the Innogrant year, we've now reached a point where we can tap into other sources of funding."

This kind of support for early-stage startups is essential. It lets us build a solid foundation to underpin our business growth. As far as our company is concerned, EPFL's ecosystem and the Innogrant program played a pivotal role.

A total of CHF 1.6 billion raised by Innogrant startups

While the Innogrant program may have seemed risky at first, it's become more firmly anchored with each successful year. It supports between ten and fifteen projects per year with funding provided by EPFL and, in some cases, supplemented by private partners such as the Foundation for Innovation and Technology, UBS or the WYSS Center foundation. The leaders of the 206 projects that have gone through the program have created 146 startups, including 132 that are still in business today. "But that figure doesn't include all the business ideas we've supported over the years that haven't yet become incorporated companies but are moving in that direction," says Casado Harrington. This time varies depending on the technological complexity of the project, as well as the regulatory requirements specific to the sector or market. An average of 80% of Innogrant projects turn into companies within three years after completing the program.

A popular gauge of a startup's success is the amount of funding it is able to raise. Innogrant startups have raked in a total of CHF 1.6 billion, including over CHF 1 billion in the past seven years. Around 15 of them - including ONWARD Medical, Cyberhaven, Lunaphore (acquired by US-based Bio-Techne Corporation in 2023) and Swissto12 - meet the classic Silicon Valley definition of a startup and have each raised over CHF 15 million each, demonstrating their strong appeal. DePoly, whose founders went through the 2019 Innogrant program, secured CHF 12.3 million in 2023 and CHF 7.6 million in 2025. The proceeds were used to further develop its PET recycling technology, and the company will soon open a pilot plant. DePoly CEO Samantha Anderson says: "The Innogrant funds came at a key time, enabling us to refine our reaction and prototype, expand our network and find investors." Casado Harrington explains that "startups that attract large amounts of capital shortly after completing the Innogrant program - like Corintis and DePoly, which won first and second place, respectively, in the 2025 Top100 Swiss Startup Awards - are rare. Most of these kinds of funds are raised 5 to 8 years after an incorporation."

Better prepared entrepreneurs and more demanding investors

In addition to providing the participants with funding - and, by extension, time - the Innogrant program also puts them into contact with experts in a range of fields. "When they apply for selection, various issues related to the industrial and commercial reality of their field are raised. Our goal is not to resolve all issues in one year, but to equip entrepreneurs so that they can take the next steps," says Casado Harrington. "It's important that they be able to resolve at least some of these issues by the end of the 12 months." And the Startup Launchpad is there to help. "This kind of support for early-stage startups is essential," says Anderson. "It lets us build a solid foundation to underpin our business growth. As far as our company is concerned, EPFL's ecosystem and the Innogrant program played a pivotal role."

My biggest challenge was realizing that science alone wasn't enough to build a successful business. I also needed to develop non-technical skills such as in management, sales and business development. My Innogrant program mentors helped me find experts with the right know-how and learn to trust them."

"My biggest challenge was realizing that science alone wasn't enough to build a successful business," says Dimitrios Terzis, co-founder of Medusoil, which produces bio-mineral-based binder products. " I also needed to develop non-technical skills such as in management, sales and business development. My Innogrant program mentors helped me find experts with the right know-how and learn to trust them." Golparvar adds that "the Innogrant network is amazing. For example, we were struggling to make contact with a true opinion leader. But the Innogrant team put us in touch with the people running the University College London-EPFL exchange program, and one email was all it took to find the person we needed. We now touch base with key contact person every two weeks, and that's been a huge help."

What's more, the network has been steadily growing as more Innogrant alumni join its ranks. They're happy to provide advice and serve as role models, giving their younger peers a leg up in new business creation. "Their contribution is extremely valuable," says Casado Harrington. "Venture capital funds have expanded and become better structured since 2005, but the quality of new business ideas has also improved, which means the fundraising landscape is just as or even more competitive."

Today, as founders' needs diversify and technology sectors become more complex, Innogrant continues to evolve. The program is refining its support and exploring more targeted approaches, particularly in areas such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and biopharmaceuticals. Without ever losing sight of its original mission, it supports entrepreneurs well beyond the idea stage, through to initial market validation and key structuring stages. True to its founding ambition, it continues to transform research into concrete impact, making EPFL a fertile ground for the startups of tomorrow.