EVIIVE receives 150,000 Swiss francs from Venture Kick

According to a press release, EVIIVE has received 150,000 Swiss francs from Venture Kick. The aim is to promote the development of a new diagnostic method for cancer patients. The platform of the Obfelden-based start-up combines the analysis of extracellular vesicles with machine learning to identify dynamic and tissue-specific biomarkers in liquid biopsies.

The approach should enable a more precise selection of suitable cancer immunotherapies. According to Venture Kick, less than 50 percent of patients currently respond to treatment for cancers such as melanoma, lung cancer and head and neck cancer. One of the reasons for this is the lack of reliable predictive biomarkers. Therapies are often selected on a trial-and-error basis.

The company, which will be spun off from the University of Zurich in 2022, will use the fresh funds to drive forward the clinical validation of its platform and establish strategic partnerships. The start-up sees great potential in the market for immunotherapies, which is expected to reach a volume of over 120 billion dollars by 2030, according to the press release.

The Venture Kick funding initiative supports young companies from the initial idea to the founding of the company. In addition to financing, it also offers start-ups mentoring and access to an international network of companies and investors. Kevin Yim, CEO of EVIIVE, describes the support from Venture Kick as a "decisive milestone" for his company. ce/ssp