CC Cardio wins Boldbrain 2025

The eighth edition of the Ticino acceleration programme for early-stage startups concluded on 3 December with a vibrant Award Ceremony that attracted a record number of participants. The 2025 winner, CC Cardio, is developing a self-regulating heart pump to improve circulation in patients with a single ventricle.

The winners of the eighth edition of the Boldbrain Startup Challenge, an acceleration programme for innovative ideas organised by Fondazione Agire with the collaboration of USI Startup Centre and sponsored by the Department of Finance and Economy (DFE) and BancaStato, selected by the national jury, were announced on 3 December at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano in front of over 600 participants. The total value of the prizes this year amounts to CHF 174,000.

CC Cardio, a startup founded by Maria Alexandra Cetatoiu, which develops a self-regulating heart pump delivered via catheter that mimics the missing right ventricle, was awarded the first place, receiving a cheque for CHF 40,000, a full scholarship of CHF 56,000 for the Executive Master in Business Administration at USI and other awards.

MethylX, a spin-off from the USI-affiliated Institute for Biomedical Research (IRB) that is currently incubated at USI Startup Centre, ranked second, winning CHF 30,000 and an additional CHF 10,000 by securing the Audience Award. The startup founded by Concetta Guerra and Andrea Cavalli, develops a first-in-class antibody therapy that specifically targets methylated ERG, a critical driver of cancer growth and progression, which had long been considered undruggable.

OOVIE Studios, a startup that creates interactive AI-driven films that change with every viewing and adapt to live music performances, secured the third place with a cheque for CHF 20,000. The fourth place worth CHF 10,000 went to Tellus GreenTech, which develops fast and easy-to-use field tests for early plant disease detection, helping farmers protect crops and reduce losses. Finally, the wind propulsion system for ships developed by Windtrax secured the fifth place and a cheque for CHF 10,000.

The finalists received numerous other awards from the programme partners and sponsors that can be used to support further development of the projects. In addition, three projects, POWSH, SwissVeritas and Tellus GreenTech, received a desk for one year at Tecnopolo Ticino offered by Fondazione Agire. The special award offered by Hemargroup went to Vocalhum.