Geen categorie - YES!Delft

YES!Delft Awards 2022

Written by Solvita Mazeikaite on February 2, 2023. Posted in Geen categorie, News, Startup.

Our startups achieved many great things in 2022, and that’s why once again, we rewarded some of the most outstanding startups with the YES!Delft Awards. The startups competed in four different categories such as:

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
RISING STAR AWARD
SCALE-UP OF THE YEAR
INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY AWARD

Let’s see which startups and why won a trophy!

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD – Agora solutions

Agora Solutions enables kelp farmers to integrate high-tech IoT systems to monitor their crops. They combine satellite and in-situ monitoring data to create smart kelp farm management software. Last year they followed YES!Delft Validation Lab and successfully applied the insights gained.

The startup has been awarded as the rookie of the year because they have managed to secure funds to conduct research projects and develop monitoring equipment, expanded the team and opened their new office! We are really excited to see the next steps of this promising startup!

RISING STAR AWARD – MangoStone

MangoStone is enabling circular economies to emerge by improving waste collection operations. They reduce high logistical costs and the impact on the environment by creating efficient collection routes and data insights using a combination of hardware and software solutions.

The startup has been awarded as the rising star because of the impressive growth of the market adoption of their solution in the textile industry in the Netherlands and Germany.

SCALE-UP OF THE YEAR – Qlayers

Qlayers is on a mission to transform the industrial coating of large assets by automating the process and reducing the number of hours that painters work at dangerous heights. Their unique robotic solutions allow to overcome the limitations of manual coating of large industrial surfaces by creating an environmentally friendly, safe and reliable coating application process.

Qlayers has received the scale-up award because of their growth and the global success of the 10Q and 7CS robots, including the fact that thousands of square meters of industrial surfaces were coated with high-quality anti-corrosion paint and nearly no paint overspray contaminating the environment.

INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY AWARD – Nurtio Technologies

Nurtio technologies provide the world`s first connected gardening technology designed specifically for corporate real estate. This startup received an inspirational journey award because of sheer perseverance, hard work and great implementation of the basics of entrepreneurship!

Big thanks to all the startups for being part of YES!Delft and creating an ecosystem to be proud of!

Cheers to everything that will come in the coming years! Would you like to see the recap video of 2022? Just press play!

Praxa Sense: Leveraging smart technology to better monitor heart disease

Written by Mina Nacheva on March 14, 2021. Posted in All Focus Areas, Geen categorie, MedTech, News.

What does it take for two product designers to create a medical device that may well be the future of monitoring cardiac arrhythmias? For one, it takes a lot of hard work, especially in times of uncertainty. It also takes commitment to develop a device that can detect possible heart problems with high accuracy.

Meet Leonard Moonen and Liselotte Stolk, the initial co-founders of Delft-based startup Praxa Sense and the two product designers from the paragraph above. With little business experience of their own (at least initially), they have managed to not only develop a product the medical industry needs but also find their fit in just the right market.

The wearable that detects cardiac arrhythmia

Detecting cardiac arrhythmias can be somewhat of a challenge and new technologies are always welcome in making the process more hassle-free. At the moment, it requires a patient to undergo a thorough monitoring procedure, which may not even yield accurate results as arrhythmias often happen sporadically.

“Atrial fibrillation is the most common sign of cardiac arrhythmia but detecting it is not always that easy,” says Leonard. “In fact, there are a lot of people out there that don’t even know they have it.” Because it doesn’t occur consistently, atrial fibrillation can sometimes be overlooked – unintentionally of course – by current monitoring methods. People with this condition are also five times more likely to have a cerebral stroke, Leonard adds.

That is how he first came up with the idea of a wearable that would monitor heart rhythm in a simple and non-intrusive way.

“We’ve developed Afi, a small, user-friendly device that can detect heart rhythm disorders with high accuracy. It requires little to no manual effort and extends the time frame, in which a patient can be monitored.” If worn continuously, it can essentially monitor a patient 24/7 without interruption.

From a university project to a business venture

For Leonard, it all started during his studies of Integrated Product Design at TU Delft. There, as part of CardioLab – an initiative by the university and de Hartstichting focused on using smart technologies to detect cardiovascular diseases, he designed the first prototype of what would later become Afi.

He saw the business potential of the solution, but he knew that a good idea and a nice design were not going to be enough to run a company. “I knew I had to learn more about startup life,” Leonard says. “I also knew that I would need a co-founder and I had just the right person in mind.”

It didn’t take much convincing to bring Liselotte on board. And so, the two of them were ready to experience what having a startup would be like.

Almost immediately, they signed up for the EIT Health Validation Lab in Dublin and went through eight weeks of market validation and meeting potential clients across Europe. “It was an intense program but it really helped us understand what it’s like to run a company and match its offering to the needs of customers.”

One of the stops was YES!Delft and Leonard remembers how nice it felt to be so close to home. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that Liselotte and himself later became a part of YES!Delft’s Accelerator Program. That was also the time when they were joined by Pourya Omidi, who became the third co-founder of Praxa Sense.

Positioning Afi where it’s most needed – in hospitals

One of the key lessons that the co-founders have learned along the way is that being a part of a strong network is invaluable.

“The community that we have around us at YES! is a great asset,” Leonard says. “If I have an industry-related question, I can go downstairs and just have a cup of coffee with the founders of Momo Medical, another MedTech startup. Or if I need advice on strategy or funding, I could walk up to the team of YES!Funded. It’s really that easy.”

Today, Praxa Sense is a team of eight and they are about to launch their first clinical trial in the Netherlands. This is a big next step, as their solution will make its way to Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis hospital in Delft and be used to monitor patients.

As the year progresses, the team will continue to iterate their product, especially as they receive feedback from the trial, and will work to set up more pilot projects. Hospitals are on top of their list as potential clients, followed closely by e-health companies.

So far, Praxa Sense has grown steadily, including during the past year with COVID-19 around. With their first clinical trial coming up, they are about to gain more insight into the potential and application of their product. It is only a matter of time for them to implement it and further improve it.

Milestones

October 2017: Leonard Moonen graduated from Delft Cardiolab with first prototype of Afi
October 2017: Leonard showcased Afi at Dutch Design Week 2017
April 2018: Praxa Sense B.V. was founded
June 2018: EIT Health Validation Lab in Dublin, Liselotte joined as co-founder
November 2018: YES!Delft Accelerator Program, Pourya joined as co-founder
May 2020: Received Innovation Loan from Rabobank and funding from ZonMw
October 2020: Funding from Innovation Quarter for R&D of Afi
September 2020: Expanded team from three to eight
January 2020: A larger new corner office at YES!Delft

It’s time to celebrate the YES!Delft Awards 2020

Written by Riccardo Covelli on February 26, 2021. Posted in Geen categorie, News, Startup.

What a year 2020. Fortunately, we have left it behind, but we cannot avoid rewarding those startups that have distinguished themselves within our ecosystem.

So, the tradition of the YES!Delft Awards continues.
This year’s categories are:
– Rookie of the Year
– Rising Star
– Scaleup of the Year
– Best Promo Campaign

Rookie of the Year – Unpluq

These guys rocked during our Validation Lab. They also have already launched their product, a physical key that wants you to regain control over your smartphone, generating more than 500 sales. Isn’t that exciting?

Rising Star – Villari

Their infrastructure monitoring technology has already convinced the city of Amsterdam, where they will conduct a feasibility study for the continuous monitoring of bridges in the city. This year they also secured a launch pilot with Rijkswaterstaat.

Scaleup of the Year – SenseGlove

With their new product SenseGlove Nova, a Haptic Force-Feedback Glove For Professional VR / AR Training, SenseGlove confirms its enormous potential. Their technology has already convinced big brands like Volkswagen, Honda, and P&G Health. We are sure that soon we will see it everywhere.

Best Promo Campaign – Loop Biotech

These guys have dominated the headlines of international magazines like the BBC, The Guardian, Vice, NOS, and The Telegraph thanks their Living Cocoon. Let’s see what the future holds for them.

THANK YOU!

Thank YOU for being part of our journey, and creating an ecosystem to be proud of. We survived 2020 together, it still doesn’t seem true to us. Today we are stronger and united because we found out that YES!Delft is not just a building. Take a look at the video to find out what we are today and celebrate with us.

Voyc: Turning customer call analysis into a superpower, with the help of AI

Written by Mina Nacheva on January 4, 2021. Posted in Artificial Intelligence, Geen categorie, News.

Customer support has always been key to successful business strategies and plans, yet it is not always without misunderstandings. Startup Voyc is tackling this problem by ensuring that both customers and companies are treated fairly during verbal exchange. How? Voyc’s artificial intelligence (AI) software enables companies to gain deeper understanding of their customers’ needs and problems, and resolve issues as efficiently and fairly as possible.

FROM A SIMPLE IDEA

Call monitoring is essential in identifying potential risks, improving agent performance and enhancing the overall customer experience.

In their venture to ensure understanding between companies and customers, Matthew Westaway and his co-founder, Lethabo Motsoaledi, developed an AI-based solution that adds value to customer service. “We hope that one day everyone will feel trusted and that their voices will be heard,” says Matthew.

Currently focused on the insurance sector, the startup is working with more than 10 companies, enabling them to maintain strong and positive relationships with their customers.

The Quality Assurance (QA) team plays a key role. It is in charge of recording and analyzing all calls that take place, and providing insurance companies with relevant information that allows them to handle clients’ requests fairly and reliably. Voyc’s AI-driven software is able to transcribe and analyze calls within minutes, and deliver data-packed reports to the team.

“We basically give our QA Team superpowers to protect both the company and the customer,” says Matthew. “That way we can ensure that there are no issues between them.”

THROUGH YES!DELFT

Delft-based incubator YES!Delft and their professional network of experts have been a part of Voyc’s entrepreneurial journey so far. As one of the startups in its Accelerator program, Voyc has enjoyed the wide range of expertise they have had access to and the good connections they have been able to make.

“YES!Delft’s strong network has been very valuable for our company, especially in the early days,” Matthew says. “It employs amazing people that are ready to help and that want you to do well.”

Today, two years after being founded, Voyc has a team of 10 who share the same passion and energy for establishing equal relations between companies and their clients.

TO A GROWING COMPANY

During this journey, the startup has gone through periods of trial and error that have expanded its understanding of the potential risks that both companies and their customers have to bear in the business world.

“Most of the issues usually come up on service calls when customers are just extremely unhappy”, Matthew says. “It is often the case that customers misunderstand what service they are being offered and end up receiving something they never asked for.”

He makes another point that while customers could misjudge some of the information they are offered, misinterpretation on the company’s side is also a possibility.

“Our clients, mostly insurance companies, generally have a lot at stake so being able to analyze their customer service calls is crucial for them,” Matthew says. “On the other hand, their customers can also end up largely affected should it come to a misunderstanding.”

In a way, both sides have a lot to gain from a solution like that of Voyc.

The past two years of running their company has taught Matthew and his co-founder a lot not just about entrepreneurship but about their industry as well. For the coming months, they have locked their sights on expanding to the UK and establishing a foothold in the market there.

With a few investments from accelerators such as Techstars and several Dutch angel investors, Voyc is certainly on the right path. From this point on, the team will be venturing onto even bigger and better business opportunities, both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Milestones

Mar 2018: Founded company

Sep 2018: Joined Techstars SAP.iO Berlin

Nov 2019: Signed first large insurance company

Jan 2020: Hired 5th Team Member

Feb 2020: Setup HQ in the Netherlands

Mar 2020: Joined YES!Delft

Nov 2020: Signed 4th large insurance company

Dec 2020: Hired 10th Team Member

Dec 2020: Monitored the call of 100 000’th end-customer

Give your 2021 a kick start and sign up for our Accelerator Program!

Get to know more

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD – Agora solutions

RISING STAR AWARD – MangoStone

SCALE-UP OF THE YEAR – Qlayers

INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY AWARD – Nurtio Technologies

The wearable that detects cardiac arrhythmia

From a university project to a business venture

Positioning Afi where it’s most needed – in hospitals

Milestones

Rookie of the Year – Unpluq

Rising Star – Villari

Scaleup of the Year – SenseGlove

Best Promo Campaign – Loop Biotech

THANK YOU!

4. Solar Monkey

2021 only just started but we already have so many great success stories from our startups to share with you! From new projects and products to investment announcements and winning prizes. Read on and find out all about the January Startup Success Stories from our tech incubator!

5. SenseGlove & STIL

FROM A SIMPLE IDEA

THROUGH YES!DELFT

TO A GROWING COMPANY

Milestones

1.Hardt Hyperloop

2.Effect.ai

3.Skel-Ex

4.Physee

5.AidX Medical

6.KVK Innovation Top 100

7.Startup Tuesday in YES!Delft The Hague

8.aQysta

9.Nowi & VSParticle

10.VSParticle

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