The Philips Innovation Award is the largest student entrepreneurship competition in the Netherlands. On Tuesday, the 19th edition winners were announced at the Schiecentrale Rotterdam.
Innovator League Winner: SoundCell
CEO: Irek Roslon
Based in Delft, SoundCell has developed fast and reliable antibiotic susceptibility tests using nano motion technology. This technology allows doctors to detect the activity of single bacteria and determine their resistance profiles within hours.
The company uses chips with graphene membrane sensors capable of detecting the nano motion produced by single bacterial cells. The magnitude of the nano motion varies depending on whether the cells are alive.
According to the Dutch company, large arrays of sensors are employed, which can be read in parallel on the platform for various antibiotics, enabling rapid screening for antibiotic effectiveness.
Rough Diamond League Winner: AlphaPace
Co-founder: Kas Hogeboom
Established in the Netherlands through collaborative research with Delft University of Technology and Erasmus Medical Centre, AlphaPace has developed a device to accelerate radiopharmaceutical evaluations in cancer treatments.
Target Alpha Therapy (TAT) has shown promising results in treating metastasised tumours. However, the current quality control method involves indirect measurement, which delays the process and potentially reduces effectiveness, increases costs, and poses safety risks for patients.
Alphapace’s portable device provides rapid quality control for actinium-225 and can detect alpha, beta, and gamma radiation in different settings.
Jury panel
Jury Chairman Roy Jakobs praised the impact that the winners could have on the medical world.
The jury panel included:
- Roy Jakobs (CEO at Royal Philips)
- Ali Najafbagy (Managing Partner & co-founder of 4impact)
- Anke Huiskes (Founder, Managing Partner at NP-Hard Venture)
- Eline van Beest (Chief Executive Officer at Hybridize Therapeutics)
- Gillian Tans (Current advisor, investor and board member, former CEO at Booking.com, and partner of Diverse Leaders in Tech)
- Pieter Zwart (Entrepreneur and CEO at Coolblue)
Philips Innovation Award
The Philips Innovation Award is yearly to the most innovative student startup with the highest potential. The jury consists of successful entrepreneurs and captains of industry.
Each participant benefits from expert feedback, educational workshops, and extensive training during the process
Competitions
To give all startups from different stages a platform to develop their innovations, two competitions have been created: the Innovator and Rough Diamond competition.
The Innovator Award is the competition for somewhat more mature startups, with a prize worth €50,000, and gives each startup a kick-start to success. The prize includes cash, creative services, consulting, and more!
The Rough Diamond League is a competition for teams just starting their idea. A valuable way to get started developing your startup!
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