Prismus, a deep tech startup developing Lupa, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that connects scientific research with the needs of industry, has received CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick. The Swiss support programme for young companies is thus funding the scale-up of a tool that already has 30 paying clients, according to the press release published by Startupticker.ch on 30 October 2026.

Lupa, an AI to find where a discovery can be applied

Lupa tackles a concrete problem: knowing who to sell a technology that comes out of research to. The useful information is scattered across publications, patents, research institutes, company databases and the trade press, the Prismus press release points out.

The platform brings these sources together and makes them searchable. Its AI agents analyse these linked sources, then rank targets by technological proximity:

  • the markets where a technology can find buyers;
  • the companies likely to become clients;
  • researchers and potential partners.

Prismus highlights traceability: each result points to a verifiable source, according to the company. The stated aim is to spot leads that conventional market studies would miss.

Thirty paying clients, all Swiss deep tech companies

Lupa's first 30 paying clients are Swiss deep tech companies, according to the press release. They use it to prospect for customers, build their market strategy and set their priorities.

The startup is aiming wider. It wants to make Lupa the decision-making tool for scientists in the broad sense: researchers, deep tech companies, industrial groups that do research and development, consultants, venture capital or mergers and acquisitions investors, and public administrations that allocate research funding. Prismus puts this market at more than 10 billion, without specifying the currency or the method. This figure remains the company's own estimate.

Support from Venture Kick, not a funding round

The CHF 150,000 does not bring any investor into Prismus's capital: the press release announces none. Venture Kick is a philanthropic initiative backed by a private consortium, as detailed on our page about the seed funding round. In its own words, it covers risks that neither public money nor private investors are yet willing to take.

According to the press release, this money is meant to help Prismus grow in deep tech markets and open Lupa up to individual users. No timetable or quantified target accompanies the announcement.

How Venture Kick works, in three stages

Venture Kick pays out up to CHF 150,000 in three stages, according to the programme description reported by 2clics. The first step, the first "kick", provides CHF 10,000 for an idea coming out of a Swiss university. Prismus has therefore cleared all three stages up to the ceiling.

The process also includes the Kickers Camps, which the head of Prismus singles out first. "Venture Kick has inspired us, challenged us and pushed us towards the next phase of our company. The Kickers Camps in particular were intense and rewarding," says Elisabeth Blyumin, co-founder and CEO of Prismus, in the English-language press release.

The programme publishes its track record, but these are its own figures. Since 2007, Venture Kick says it has supported 1,251 projects with CHF 66.99 million. It reports a survival rate of 84% for incorporated companies.

Venture Kick compared with other early-stage support

For a Swiss deep tech startup, several programmes fund this first step. The amounts come from the programmes' own pages, as reported by 2clics in October 2026.

ProgrammeAreaFormAmount
Venture KickAll of SwitzerlandPhilanthropic support in three stagesFrom CHF 10,000 to CHF 150,000
FIT Foundation, Tech Seed loanVaud and French-speaking SwitzerlandLoanCHF 100,000 per start-up in October 2026
FIF Seed, canton of GenevaGenevaForm not specifiedUp to CHF 100,000

The Foundation for Innovation and Technology (FIT) has just granted a CHF 100,000 Tech Seed loan to three young companies, according to its press release of 28 October 2026. Unlike Venture Kick, this is a loan.

Swiss startup funding: the next step

After Venture Kick, funding for a Swiss startup generally moves on to the first equity. The programme's winners can obtain up to CHF 850,000 in additional equity from Kickfund, according to Venture Kick. On top of this comes an InnoBooster grant of CHF 150,000, making up to CHF 1.15 million per startup combining equity and grant.

Next come business angels, then venture capital funds. Lausanne-based Sonexos illustrates this stage: on 21 October 2026 it announced a CHF 5 million funding round, described as pre-Series A by Startupticker. The stages and the players are detailed in our guide to raising funds as a startup in Switzerland.

The Prismus press release does not mention any round of this kind at this stage.

A team of four executives

Prismus brings together four executives, according to the press release:

  • Elisabeth Blyumin, CEO;
  • Timen van Gelderen, CTO;
  • Gonçalo Hora de Carvalho, Head of AI;
  • Peter Kempin, Chief Revenue Officer.

The team says it combines skills in AI, technology and business development.

What we don't know yet

  • Prismus's headquarters, its founding date and any university it may have come from: the press release does not give them.
  • Lupa's price and the names of its 30 clients: none have been published.
  • The breakdown of Venture Kick's three payments to Prismus: only the total of CHF 150,000 has been announced.
  • A first funding round with investors: nothing has been announced.

All our news on startup funding rounds is gathered in the dedicated section.

Sources