Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The Swiss startup MyNerva claimed the Grand Prize at the 2025 Swiss Venture Awards for its medical device, Leia, a breakthrough neuroprosthetic sock for diabetes patients.
Five years of research
Before founding her company in Zurich in 2025, CEO Greta Peatoni and others spent five years of research developing Leia. This sock with sensors helps people with diabetes walk without problems. Certain diseases, such as diabetic neuropathy, cause damage to the nerves, thus disrupting stimulus processing. Those affected then suffer—usually from the feet upwards—from abnormal sensations of touch, heat, cold, and pain, as well as impaired motor function. This can cause serious health problems such as balance disorders and chronic pain.
The neuroprosthetic is non-invasive, meaning it works from the outside, and alleviates the pain associated with diabetic neuropathy, a widespread nerve disorder. The sock restores sensation to affected nerves, thereby improving mobility, reducing the risk of falls, and restoring quality of life. MyNerva, a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), also scooped first prize in the Health & Nutrition category.
3D-printed reefs
UpGrid won first place in the Finance & Insurance category. This Climate FinTech and energy community platform enables communities and small and medium enterprises to finance, own, and benefit from local renewable energy projects. The winner of the Information & Communication Technologies category, Besso, helps companies hedge against geopolitical risks and optimize their supply chains with 360° actionable regulatory visibility.
BTRY, the winner in the Industrials & Engineering category, develops fast-charging solid-state batteries that are resistant to temperature fluctuations. This feature allows them to be used at very high temperatures, for example, in sensors that detect vapor leaks, as well as at very low temperatures, such as in the transport of medicines. Number 1 in the Social & Environmental Impact category, Rrreefs, builds artificial coral reefs from 3D-printed clay bricks. The first pilot reef has been providing a new home for aquatic life off a Caribbean island for several years.
The winner of the audience award was Nerai Bioscience. Also based in Zurich and founded in 2025, this biotech startup specializes in protein engineering for rare liver and eye diseases with its artificial intelligence-based platform Morpheme.
Venture Awards 2025
The Venture Awards 2025 received a record number of 396 entries, with a total of 18 startups across six sectors emerging as the top performers. The Venture Foundation leads this joint initiative between the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Zurich (ETH) and Lausanne (EPFL), McKinsey & Company, Knecht Holding, and Innosuisse.
Text: SCCIJ with material of ETHZ and Venture
