25 INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE START-UPS, 5 MINUTES EACH
Falling Walls Venture is a global platform to showcase the entrepreneurial potential in science. The format provides a stage for pioneering science-based start-ups who have successfully turned science into business, proving how entrepreneurial solutions can help solve today’s most pressing challenges.
Throughout the year, universities and institutions from all over the world are called upon to nominate the most innovative science start-up for the competition. The most promising young companies, carefully selected by our Advisory Board, are invited to pitch on the Falling Walls Venture stage in Berlin on 7 November. They also gain access to the whole Falling Walls Science Summit as well as to exclusive networking events and the Falling Walls Community.
Session 2: Engineering of the Future
In 5-minute pitches, each of the 25 international Falling Walls Venture winners will present their pioneering ideas and business models in front of a high-calibre jury and audience in Berlin.
8. Dennis Michaelis, GEMESYS, Breaking the Wall to Brain-inspired AI Hardware
9. Richard Parsons, Kite Magnetics, Breaking the Wall to Emissions-free Electric Aviation
10. Samuel Cryer, Thermulon, Breaking the Wall to Fire-safe Affordable Insulation Materials
11. Giuseppe Antonacci, Specto Photonics, Breaking the Wall to Mechanobiology
12. Tennin Yan, QunaSys, Breaking the Wall to Material Discovery through Quantum Computing
13. Thomas Hiriart, Ion-X, Breaking the Wall of Space Mobility
14. Christian Freier, Nomad Atomics, Breaking the Wall to Quantum Sensing
Find out more about the start-ups pitched on stage here.
Today’s hardware used to train artificial intelligence (AI) is not well suited for the task. This becomes particularly clear when you look at the floors of server racks in today’s data centers, which have the energy requirements of a small town and yet cause long runtimes and thus long development cycles. The reason for these inefficiencies is the attempt to reproduce the processes of the human brain by software, but then to execute them on an infrastructure (digital computer), which is fundamentally different in its mode of operation from that of the human brain.
Therefore, GEMESYS is working on the development of a chip, whose mode of operation is much closer to the human brain. They expect an increase in efficiency of up to 20,000x compared to the current state of the art.
Kite Magnetics is an aerospace manufacturing company based in Melbourne, Australia that is enabling electric aircraft to fly up to 15% further by producing the next generation of smaller, lighter and more efficient electric motors. Their motors use a new nanocrystalline magnetic materials technology called Aeroperm™ that was developed at Monash University by founder and CEO Dr. Richard Parsons. They are now developing their first product, a 120 kW electric propulsion solution for 4-seat electric aircraft, which will be ready for delivery to their flight test partners at the end of 2023.
There are currently no affordable, high thermal-performance and non-combustible building insulation materials available to insulate new tall buildings or retrofit the UKs 8m existing uninsulated solid wall properties. Plastic materials are not porous and burn, and mineral wool insulation is too inefficient as the required thickness takes up millions £ in lost floor space. Aerogels are fire-safe, breathable and high performance (thin), but too expensive due to their inefficient production.
Thermulon solves this problem with a novel chemical process to produce aerogels. The use of waste materials as precursors, a fully continuous process and excellent engineering control means Thermulon will be the first company to be able to produce aerogels at the scale needed to tackle the current insulation crisis in the built environment.
Additionally, aerogels are being used as thermal barriers in Electric Vehicle Batteries to stop fires during operation and charging.
Specto Photonics is an Italian deep-tech start-up aiming to commercialize miniaturized spectrometers for Brillouin spectroscopy using Silicon Photonics. Brillouin Spectroscopy allows all-optical measurement of the material mechanical properties, such as stiffness and viscosity, in a non-destructive manner, at high optical resolution and without the need for physical contact.
Specto’s flagship product, ElastiX, will provide significant advantages in terms of ease of use, portability, production costs, and performance. These competitive advantages will provide unprecedented capabilities for the life sciences, chemistry, and material science sectors while leveraging Brillouin spectroscopy in medical diagnostics.
Their core team comprises recognized pioneers in Brillouin spectroscopy with proven scientific excellence, making them the most skilled and balanced team to accomplish the ambitious goal of turning Brillouin spectrometers into an everyday-use measurement apparatus.
QunaSys is a leading developer of innovative algorithms in chemistry, focused on accelerating the development of quantum technology applicability. The company maximizes the power of quantum computing through its advanced joint research, offering Qamuy™, the most powerful quantum chemical calculation cloud software.
QunaSys also fosters collaboration through the QPARC industry consortium and works with research institutions from academia and government. Its software runs on multiple technology platforms and can be applied in all chemical-related industries to boost adoption of quantum computing.
Co-founded in 2021 by CNRS and the start-up studio Technofounders, ION-X provides electric propulsion solutions for small satellites. Based on patented electrospray technology, their unique ionic liquid thruster is the next big thing in small satellites propulsion. It will deliver unmatched thrust and fuel efficiency while offering great operability with non-toxic & non-pressurized propellant.
Nomad Atomics is a company with a mission to provide the world’s best sensing solutions, allowing people to see deeper, explore further and better understand our world and beyond. They are a leader in deployable quantum sensors, revolutionizing the field of quantum sensing by developing robust solutions with reduced size, weight, and power requirements to enable real-world applications. They offer end-to-end capabilities that encompass technology development, manufacture, sensor deployment, and comprehensive data collection and processing.
Utilizing their state-of- the-art quantum gravimeters, Nomad Atomics provides critical data to organizations that need accurate insights into underground environments, empowering them to make more informed decisions resulting in improved outcomes. Some examples of such organizations include those in resource exploration and extraction, land and groundwater management, CO2 sequestration monitoring, and underground infrastructure monitoring.
