CC Cardio wins the eighth Boldbrain Startup Challenge edition

The 2025 edition of Boldbrain concluded this evening at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano with a record-breaking awards ceremony, and USI’s Executive MBA (USI EMBA) took center stage thanks to one of the most significant prizes of the night: a CHF 56,000 scholarship for the Executive Master in Business Administration at the Università della Svizzera italiana. The scholarship was awarded to CC Cardio, winner of the first prize, underlining USI EMBA’s role as a strategic partner for high-potential startups ready to scale with strong managerial and entrepreneurial skills.

With more than 850 entries—and overall participation surpassing 860 projects, forcing the organizers to introduce a waiting list—this eighth Boldbrain Startup Challenge final confirmed itself as one of Ticino’s most important innovation events of the year. Over 600 people attended in person, including representatives of politics, academia, and business, while another 300 followed via live stream on Fondazione Agire’s digital channels.

The national jury, chaired by Thomas Billeter (SICTIC), evaluated the ten finalist projects and selected five winners, assigning CHF 174,000 in prizes, plus services and strategic consulting to support project development. The audience award of CHF 10,000 went to MethyIX, whose pitch strongly resonated with those in the hall.

Awards and prizes

• 1st Prize – CC Cardio: CHF 40,000 cash prize plus the USI EMBA scholarship worth CHF 56,000, along with additional partner prizes.

• 2nd Prize – MethyIX: CHF 30,000, also winner of the Audience Prize (CHF 10,000).

• 3rd Prize – OOVIE Studios: CHF 20,000.

• 4th Prize – Tellus GreenTech: CHF 10,000 plus a desk for one year at Tecnopolo Ticino.

• 5th Prize – Windtracx: CHF 10,000.

Beyond cash awards, the winning teams gain access to major partner growth programs, including Swiss Economic Award and MassChallenge Switzerland, supporting startups in the scale-up phase.

Fondazione Agire will also provide a one-year desk at Tecnopolo Ticino (POWSH co-working space) to POWSH, SwissVeritas, and Tellus GreenTech. A further special prize from HemarGroup went to Vocalhum, enabling the team to develop or refine its prototype with HemarGroup’s technical support.

For the first time, Boldbrain introduced the Press Start Award, created by the Corriere del Ticino Group and dedicated to a finalist from last year’s edition. Following a readers’ vote, Gota Energy (finalist 2024) won communication services worth CHF 10,000.

Institutional voices

Christian Vitta, Director of the Department of Finance and Economy, emphasized how Boldbrain reflects the vitality of Ticino’s startup ecosystem and the effectiveness of cantonal measures supporting innovative entrepreneurship, noting that this dynamism strengthens Ticino’s national and international profile.

Stefano Colombo, new President of Fondazione Agire, highlighted the region’s growing talent and innovative capacity and reaffirmed Boldbrain’s mission to provide teams with tools, networks, and vision to build credible, competitive ventures.

The winning startups (summary)

CC Cardio – 1st Prize + USI EMBA scholarship (CHF 56,000)
Develops UniFlow, a minimally invasive heart pump for patients with a single functioning ventricle. The system optimizes circulation through real-time adaptive algorithms synchronized with the heart’s rhythm, aiming to reduce complications and improve long-term quality of life.

MethyIX – 2nd Prize + Audience Prize
Creates next-generation cancer therapies using mini-antibodies to target previously “undruggable” transcription factors, leveraging vulnerabilities linked to methylation. A first candidate (MX-1) is patented with promising preclinical results.

OOVIE Studios – 3rd Prize
Produces immersive real-time video animations blending music, cinema, and AI. Performances evolve live with musicians and audience interaction, creating unrepeatable artistic experiences already praised internationally.

Tellus GreenTech – 4th Prize + Tecnopolo desk
Builds rapid diagnostic tests for early crop disease and stress detection by analyzing greenhouse drainage water. Their automated, passive, real-time monitoring boosts yields and reduces pesticide use.

Windtracx – 5th Prize
Develops autonomous wind propulsion for ships using a high-altitude rigid kite sail guided by drones, reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Patented design targets up to 15% fuel savings.

POWSH – Tecnopolo desk
An AI chat assistant for pet owners to manage appointments, therapies, and wellbeing data, with an empathetic AI engine developed with IDSIA.

SwissVeritas – Tecnopolo desk
A plug-and-play factory quality inspection platform for luxury brands, combining hardware, AI dashboards, and blockchain authentication.

Vocalhum – HemarGroup Prize
Restores speech for people who lost their voice by converting breath into words with real-time algorithms on any microphone-equipped device, reconstructing a natural voice aligned with the user’s vocal identity.