Startup Champions Seed Night 2026 brings together tomorrow’s innovators

15 years. 20 startups. 600+ guests. One winner.

On May 7, 2026, more than 600 guests gathered at the Forum Rolex and online to support and discover 20 startups from the EPFL ecosystem. From medtech to climate tech, robotics to quantum electronics, each team had 90 seconds to pitch and convince the audience.

Congratulations to Mina Baniasad, postdoctoral researcher at EPFL and co-founder & CEO of OptiZone, for winning this 15th edition of the Startup Champions Seed Night. OptiZone develops wearable, field-based solutions to predict muscle and joint injury risks, enabling personalized prevention strategies for athletes and sports teams.

Mina Baniasad, co-founder & CEO of OptiZone, winner of the 2026 Startup Champions Seed Night

The rest of the cohort included Apiona, CaptuREE, Carina Power, coprod LLC, Déploya, Dexterous Endoscopes, Fusionality, Larmor Systems, MOLECL, Obstetrical Care Solutions (OCS), OrthoSens, Raven Intelligent Systems, REMA, REON, Rhonexum, Sixteen44, TUUS®, WindLens, and Zigzag Networks. Learn more about each startup here.

Beyond the pitches, highlights of the evening included a keynote by Pierre Baqué (Neural Concept), who shared insights from his entrepreneurial journey and key lessons learned along the way, as well as a Seed Night Story featuring Florent Héroguel (Bloom Biorenewables), winner of the 2022 edition. The startup booths and networking buffet also provided a great opportunity to connect with fellow entrepreneurs and potential investors.

Pierre Baqué, CEO of Neural Concept, on stage

Thank you to everyone who made this edition possible:

Our co-organizers EPFL Startup Launchpad and Venturelab;

Our sponsors EY, Innovaud, Kellerhals Carrard, Mirabaud Group, and Venture Kick

The MC team: Leila Ojjeh, Jordi Montserrat, Isabel Casado Harrington, Aurélie Schick, and Calimna Sladic.

EPFL leadership team attending the event: President Anna Fontcuberta-Morral and Vice President for Innovation and Impact Edouard Bugnion.