Surgical stent, vegetable sushi and instant diagnostics: the startups of the Berkeley Skydeck Europe in search of investors

The spirit of Silicon Valley in Milan. That’s what the accelerator would like to transmit Berkeley Skydeck Europewhich in the last three years has brought over 7.8 million euros of direct investments a Innovative startups From all over the world. The sixth edition of the program ended in early April at the base in via Tortona with the demo day, a day in which 9 startups presented their projects to international investors, receiving collectively A ticket of 1.3 million euros.

Things Berkeley Skydeck Europe

Born from the collaboration between the accelerator of the University of Berkeley, the Cariplo Factory innovation hub and the Lendlease real estate group and financed with the support of Lombardy Region and Cariplo Foundationthe program Berkeley Skydeck Europe It includes a six -month course during which the startups spend a period in California and the rest of the time at Milan Innovation District (Mind).
According to the data provided by the organizers, 4,117 candidates from all over the world were examined since the launch of the project, 54 startups completed the acceleration path and 140 new jobs were created. The program also involved several Italian universities chosen through a Call of Cariplo Foundationincluding the Polytechnic of Milan, The University of Milanlo Iulmand 5 other academic institutions that have made technical support, workshops and networks available.

The projects presented in Milan: Allstent and Geneshi Bio

The 9 startups selected for the sixth acceleration program cover sectors from Biotech at the Software Consumer passing through the Foodtech. Among the selected projects Allstenta platform that allows through numerical simulations to associate the type of stent most suitable for the patient’s anatomy: « Our platform reproduces exactly what would happen during surgery but does it before you arrive in the operating room – he explains Anna Ramellapostdoc in Bioengineering al Polytechnic of Milan and among the founders of the project -. Today each surgeon has to choose a stent between 472 models available and our system allows you to choose the best before planting it ».
The Biotech sector also belongs Geneshi Biowho developed a device for analyzes. « During the Covid period we understood that there was a great need for innovation in the field of diagnostics of infectious diseases – he explains Andrea FaverCEO of Genesys Bio -. In 2023 we created a startup completely dedicated to a machine for multiple pathologies and we were incubated inside Next Pageprogram sponsored by Cassa Depositi Loan in the Marche ». Through a PCR technology, similar to that used to detect positivity to Covid, Genesys Bio has developed a portable kit capable of detecting the pathogen in 30 minutes with an reliability of 98%. « We have a prototype ready for the urinary tract infection, now identified with a time that varies from 2 to 5 days and a less accurate precision, we also work on kits for veterinarians, but it is a technology applicable to many pathogens ».

Plant-Based sushi and already financed programs: Bluana Foods

The startup Bluana Foods Instead he developed a vegetable alternative to sushi. « We started from the idea that fish and seafood are less and less in the oceans but the request increases because the fish is seen as a healthy product – he explains Marco Iottico -founder of the startup -. It is a market trend but the increase in demand today causes there to be less and less availability, that the farms make extensive use of antibiotics and that the restaurateurs tire so much produced due to a rigid cold chain, with Bluana we wanted to create a sushi with a lesser impact and that remained in the pantry ». Made with Umami of Shiitake mushroomsrice proteins, and algae, Bluana sushi aspires to be a salmon and tuna foot-based tuna. It has a consistency similar to a dough dough and is sliced ​​like a fillet: « We do not define ourselves vegans but we only use natural products, conservation lasts 12-18 months and is obtained through thermal process, a technology that has been used in Italy for decades ».

Unlike the other two, founded in Italy by Italians, Bluana does not yet have a location: « We will establish it where we will find an investor », Iotti, Italian-Swiss who has worked in Food multinationals abroad in the last 15 years, underlines it. « I had left because in Italy they told me that I was always young to make a career, now I would like someone to invest in a district for our sushi. » Among the projects financed in previous editions, the engineering company for running Ochywhich obtained an investment of 1.7 million euros led by Redstone Social Impact Fund, and the AI ​​platform for the Urban mobility Switchwhich collected about 946 thousand euros, with the participation of investors such as Eit Urban Mobility and NextStep.