Three TU/e spinoffs - Lusoco, NC Biomatrix, and Taylor - have been included on the list for the the 'Best Academic Startup of 2020'. The winning spinoffs focus on a therapy for relieving lower back pain, microelectronics for solar panels, and an innovative glass that can harvest energy.
The three TU/e startups are among the ten winners of the Academic Startup Competition 2020. The other winning startups are Bimini Biotech, DeNoize, Digi.Bio, IamFluidics, Kaminari Medical, uCrowds, and VanBoven. In a blistering online final, twenty selected academic startups pitched their emerging businesses in front of an expert jury. The winners were chosen based on their value proposition, the innovative character of the technology, the potential of their business and earnings model, and the team composition of the startup.
In addition to winning the title of 'Best Academic Startup of 2020' the startups will participate in an intensive incubation programme to increase their development opportunities. They will also be introduced to a network of entrepreneurs, investors and other companies, and will have access to a coaching programme with dedicated mentors.
Harvesting energy with glass
"Lusoco is honored to win the Academic Startup Competition 2020, and it is another great recognition of our company. We are determined to create a brighter and more sustainable future," says Jeroen ter Schiphorst, CTO and co-founder.
Lusoco produces glass that harvests energy during the day and emits light at night. Their approach involves the printing of a highly fluorescent ink, which is developed by the startup, onto glass or plastic. Lights that falls on the printed surface is absorbed and then emitted at a later time such that it emanates from the the sides of the glass. Solar cells on the sides of the glass then convert this emitted sunlight into energy.
Higher efficiency solar panels
Taylor, another winner from TU/e, develops and supplies microelectronics for the solar cell industry. Thanks to Taylor's product, photovoltaic installations are safer and faster to design, can be built and maintained on a commercial scale, while simultaneously providing higher efficiency.
"We are very excited that Taylor is one of the ten winners of the Academic Startup Competition 2020! Very proud of the entire team and all our partners who made this possible," said co-founder Michiel Roelofs.
Lower back pain
The third winner from Eindhoven is NC Biomatrix. This company focuses on so-called degenerative discopathy, the most common cause of back pain. The primary product from NC Biomatrix is a medical therapy that can restore the natural biomechanics of the spine, and thus relieve the common cause of lower back pain.
Academic Startup Competition
The Academic Startup Competition is an initiative of the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), the Dutch Federation of University Medical Centres, (NFU), Netherlands Academy of Technology and Innovation (AcTI) and Techleap.nl, and is supported by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. The aim of the competition is to put valorisation and academic spinoffs in the spotlight.
'I am looking forward to following how these entrepreneurs help make the world a little better,' said deputy economic affairs minister Mona Keijzer. 'As innovative startups, they help ensure the Netherlands is a world beater when it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship, and that we can continue to develop smart solutions, create jobs, and strengthen our economy. They embody the slogan "for every global challenge, there is a Dutch solution".'
