The fifth batch of Berkeley SkyDeck Europe’s acceleration path, Milan, experienced its demo day, which took place as part of FutureMatch, the day dedicated to innovation promoted by the Lombardy Region in the framework of 0100 Conference Mediterranean 2024, an international conference dedicated to venture capital and private equity, which was held in Milan for the first time (and which we will write about here in the Startupbusiness columns in the coming hours).
The nine startups presented receive, in addition to direct contact with Italian and European companies and investors, also a total ticket of 1.3 million euros, after attending the six-month program, which took place partly in California and partly at MIND Milano Innovation District.
The six-month programme gave the selected start-ups the opportunity to engage with both ecosystems, through a first month in presence in Berkeley, California and a final sprint in the Village Pavilion spaces at the MIND Milan Innovation District in Italy.
Each start-up was supervised by three European and US advisors, selected on the basis of areas of expertise and areas of experience, had access to an international network of investors and was trained through a programme specifically designed to provide them with the tools to grow their business.
The program also leveraged the activation of the skills, laboratories and networks of the universities selected through the call promoted by the Cariplo Foundation: Politecnico di Milano, University of Milan, IULM Free University of Languages and Communication, University of Eastern Piedmont “Amedeo Avogadro”, University of Insubria, University Institute of Advanced Studies Pavia and University of Bergamo.
The nine start-ups taking part in today’s Demo Day were selected from among the many that signed up from all over the world for the call launched in January this year. The start-ups participating in the acceleration programme operate in the healthtech, medtech, greentech, deeptech AI automation, cybersecurity, and software development sectors:
CloEE (Finland) is a digital consultant based on artificial intelligence and designed to improve the productivity of specialised manufacturing companies. CloEE focuses on real-time data collection, reducing emergency stops by up to 95 per cent and increasing productivity by halving rejection rates and improving equipment efficiency by up to 30 per cent. It also provides suggestions for continuous improvement, predicts and optimises operating modes leading to significant equipment cost savings. Based on the collected data, CloEE explores the potential of generative AI, paving the way for advanced technology management. CloEE aims to reduce carbon emissions by improving OEE, decreasing downtime and energy waste, and minimising the consumption of production machinery globally.
.omics – formerly Darween Bioscience (France) is a pioneering plant engineering company that uses advanced artificial intelligence models to develop customised plants capable of meeting critical challenges such as food security and sustainable medicine. It is aimed at cement companies seeking to improve crop performance by introducing new traits without affecting existing crops.
Daspren (France) is a cybersecurity platform that uses a patented AI technology that learns and understands specific data-centric user patterns and behaviour to create a customised algorithm that offers far higher levels of protection than any other platform in the world.
Drill Surgeries (UK) has created the first artificial intelligence system capable of assisting doctors during bone fracture surgeries. Aimed at 20 million patients a year, the technology guides doctors in operations on arms and legs, reducing surgery time by 83%, the use of X-rays by 75%, and costs by two thousand euros per operation exponentially improving outcomes for patients. The company has already operated on 12 patients, is active in one hospital and has agreements with four other hospitals to start clinical trials within the next six months.
DT Master Carbon – DTMC (France) developed two products to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss: an AI-powered platform to enable companies to measure biodiversity and climate indicators, providing insights for mitigation strategies, transition risk analysis and physical risks; and an MRV-based marketplace where companies can co-design or invest in biodiversity and climate projects.
Flux Robotics (The Netherlands) revolutionises vascular stent implantation, reducing the procedure time from 3 hours to 45 minutes, decreasing radiation exposure time and saving up to $20,000 per patient. The Flux 2 medical robotics technology is designed to assist surgeons more efficiently in minimally invasive vascular operations. By integrating advanced hardware and artificial intelligence-based imaging software, it accelerates surgical procedures, improving patient safety and significantly reducing the use of X-rays.
OpenGrant (Poland) is an artificial intelligence-powered platform that automates the entire application lifecycle for non-profits and start-ups, with a 100 per cent compliance rate. OpenGrant automates the search for relevant grants, decodes over 100 pages of guidelines into concrete suggestions and generates high-quality, fully compliant proposals in a matter of hours instead of weeks.
Soula (Cyprus) is a virtual assistant that combines neuroscience and artificial intelligence to offer resources, coaching and support for the prevention of burnout and depression among women. Soula creates a tailor-made wellness programme for each user, offering support through a proactive, personalised and empathic assistant.
Trag (Armenia) is an artificial intelligence platform that ensures that the code base remains clean, efficient and up-to-date. While the engineering team focuses on writing new code, Trag focuses on maintaining and improving existing code, reducing technical debt, improving code quality and accelerating development cycles.
SkyDeck Europe, numbers and results
SkyDeck Europe has thus come to the end of its fifth edition after having accelerated 45 start-ups in its first two and a half years, received 4,117 applications from all over the world, generated EUR 6.5 million in direct investments and EUR 13 million in external investors and grants. Among the relevant data recorded by the 36 start-ups in the first four batches is an increase in the workforce of around 30%, with a total of 145 jobs created.
The Goal SkyDeck Europe’s mission is to accompany the growth of startups, also ensuring the connection with qualified financial operators, able to support the development of entrepreneurial initiatives through equity investments. In fact, the birth of SkyDeck Europe, made possible thanks to the contribution of the Lombardy Region and the Cariplo Foundation, is aimed at creating a strong European ecosystem of innovative enterprises and aims, on the one hand, to assimilate methodologies and best practices for the valorisation of research thanks to the collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley, and, on the other, to strengthen the local ecosystem by pooling the skills of the area’s universities and incubators through a model of widespread collaboration.
“Since its launch, SkyDeck Europe has become pivotal in shaping the innovation landscape in Europe,” says Caroline Winnett, executive director of Berkeley SkyDeck (pictured), in a note. “The startups in our programme are tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges and are experiencing impressive growth. By fostering collaboration between world-class universities, local incubators and financial operators, SkyDeck Europe continues to build a robust ecosystem that allows bold and visionary companies to thrive.”
“The level and potential of the start-ups taking part in SkyDeck Europe continue to increase edition after edition, a sign of the increasingly relevant role of our programme in the international innovation ecosystem,’ adds Anders Nilsson, SkyDeck Europe programme leader at Cariplo Factory. ‘At this demo day, in particular, several artificial intelligence-based solutions were presented that are able to respond to global challenges affecting the community from health to sustainability, via security. These start-ups represent excellence in addressing these issues, with real impacts on people’s lives. We are proud to have supported them in their growth”.
“We are very pleased with the success of the Berkeley SkyDeck Europe acceleration programme in Milan. In five editions we have seen 45 start-ups grow and innovate in key sectors for industry and society,’ concludes Andrea Ruckstuhl, Lendlease Group executive, international – At Lendlease, together with UC Berkeley SkyDeck and Cariplo Factory, we are proud that these startups have grown through the MIND ecosystem. It is an environment that attracts innovation and talent from all over the world, where companies contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive future”.
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