Fribourg’s Neuria prepares to launch its brain recalibration platform
Life sciences
13 January 2025
Neuria’s team on picture (from left to right): CSO Lucas Spierer, CTO Dan Bourquin, Science Director Malika Tapparel, Data Analyst Aleksei Mironov, Game Developer Maurizio Rigamonti, Game Artistic Director Simon Kreig, Medical Affairs Jimena Monroy, and CEO Frederik Plourde.
Fribourg-based digital health start-up Neuria, a spin-off from the University of Fribourg, is set to launch its patented brain recalibration platform in Switzerland and the US.
Over two billion adults worldwide struggle with obesity and related chronic diseases, and traditional weight-loss interventions fail 80% of the time. Neuria, founded at the University of Fribourg and operating out of bluefactory in Fribourg and Biopôle in Lausanne, offers a unique solution through its brain recalibration platform. The platform, rooted in a decade of neuroscience research, targets food cravings and overeating behaviors by altering implicit brain processes. Delivered via smartphone video games, the solution integrates science with gamified design, ensuring sustainable, effort-free behavioral change.
Building on previous successes—including being awarded the Start-up Prize at the Fribourg Innovation Award 2022—Neuria’s platform has already demonstrated efficacy in reducing sugar consumption and cravings. With the support of Vanguard Accelerator and its CHF 150,000 Venture Kick funding, the company is finalizing the commercial alpha version of its platform, preparing for imminent rollout.
The global weight-loss app market, valued at CHF 1 billion, presents a significant opportunity for Neuria. Its B2B subscription model, priced at CHF 60 per month, is attracting partnerships with insurers and obesity specialists, contributing to a CHF 52 million sales pipeline. In Switzerland, Neuria is launching pilot projects with insurers such as CSS in the coming weeks, with a public release planned for April. Expansion into the US market will follow shortly thereafter.
Neuria’s leadership team, including CEO MSc Frédérik Plourde, CSO Prof. Dr. Lucas Spierer, and CTO MSc Dan Bourquin, is working on a CHF 3 million financing round to fuel its growth. In addition to its core platform, the company is collaborating with the Swiss government on a smoking prevention program, further underscoring its commitment to reshaping public health and tackling overconsumption behaviors.
