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Ten Startups Honored at Academic Startup Competition 2025




Amsterdam, 3 June 2025 – Last night, ten startups were honored as winners of the Academic Startup Competition (ASC 2025) during its closing event. The festive gathering, attended by around 150 people, took place Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and marked the conclusion of the fifth edition of this national program.



ATA Mute B.V., Carapace Biopolymers, CIWI, FlowBeams, IMChip, MimeCure, MycoFarming®, QT Sense, VirXcel and YSVOGEL took to the stage to receive their well-deserved awards following their pitches.

The Academic Startup Competition is an recurring initiative that seeks out the ten most promising academic startups in the Netherlands. From over 80 submissions, 40 startups were selected based on their ability to translate scientific research into real-world solutions for challenges in health, sustainability, energy, agriculture, and deep tech.


These frontrunners took part in a six-month intensive program that included coaching, pitch events, and expert sessions. The top 10 traveled to the U.S. (Salt Lake City, San Diego, and Silicon Valley) for an international immersion program organized in partnership with ScaleNL.

Startup overview:

  • ATA Mute is a spin-off developing high-tech solutions to reduce acoustic and thermo-acoustic noise for OEMs.


  • Carapace Biopolymers creates biodegradable, bioactive seed coatings that boost germination and plant growth without synthetic chemicals. 

  • CIWI produces water treatment chemicals via electrochemical processes, reducing raw material use, safety risks, and COâ‚‚ emissions. 

  • FlowBeams builds needle-free laser microjet injectors for low-waste drug delivery.

  • IMChip develops ultra-efficient neuromorphic chips based on memristor technology to accelerate AI at the network edge. 

  • MimeCure is working on a regenerative cell therapy (MC002) offering potential relief for COPD patients. 

  • MycoFarming uses fungal mycelium to purify polluted soil and water from nitrogen, pesticides, and heavy metals. 

  • QT Sense applies quantum-sensing nanodiamonds to measure free radicals in living cells in real time for biomedical research.

  • VirXcel develops antiviral macrocyclic peptides for early-stage prevention and treatment of respiratory infections. 

  • YSVOGEL designs a precision device that improves the accuracy and speed of stent placement near an ostium, compatible with standard catheters.. 



Speakers at the event included Constantijn van Oranje (Techleap), Erwin Nijsse (Ministry of Economic Affairs), and Margrethe Jonkman (VU Amsterdam). Moderator Irene Rompa led a panel discussion featuring Caspar van den Berg (UNL), Hamed Sadeghian (Nearfield Instruments), and Mirjam van Praag (AWTI). The event brought together key stakeholders from government, academia, investment, and industry.



About the Academic Startup Competition


The Academic Startup Competition (ASC) is the national program for academic startups aiming to accelerate their growth and make international impact. ASC supports startups from Dutch universities, UMCs, and research institutions in translating scientific knowledge into practice-oriented innovations. The program consists of four rounds in which teams are selected based on impact potential, team strength, and execution strategy, with substantive guidance, pitch training, and international exposure.


The ASC was founded in 2018 by Techleap, Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), the Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers (NFU), and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK). Partners include ScaleNL, TNO, Biotech Booster, and Preneurz Amsterdam. Together, these parties contribute to the mission of translating scientific knowledge faster and more effectively into impactful innovations that contribute to societal progress. Previous editions have helped more than 150 academic startups grow, including IamFluidics, Foamplant, and Lipocoat.

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