Opening of the Sitem MedTech Hub in Bern

The Sitem MedTech Hub has officially opened its doors. An initiative of the Sitem Startup Club, it provides medtech start-ups affordable premises and a comprehensive coaching program.

The Swiss Institute for Translational Medicine and Entrepreneurship (sitem-insel) launched the Sitem Startup Club (SSC) one year ago. Major players from the region, including the Berner Kantonalbank, CSL Behring, La Mobilière, CPT, Genolier Foundation, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Siemens Healthineers and Swisscom, are partners of this initiative to support and help medtech start-ups grow in the canton of Bern.

Among other things, the SSC supports start-ups with financing and advice on medical, technical, management and regulatory issues.

The Hub is located on the edge of the Insel Campus in Bern and has a surface area of approximately 18’300 square feet. It offers young medtech companies affordable premises as well as a comprehensive coaching program and thus promotes networking, research and innovation. The first start-ups to move into this new space are MachineMD and ILAH.

MachineMD is developing a medical device for the early detection of brain diseases such as tumors, multiple sclerosis or strokes. Founded in 2019, this spin-off from the University of Bern has recently begun the development of its prototypes.

ILAH develops a web application for that allows psychotherapy professionals and the people being treated to communicate, enabling professionals to stay in touch with their patients between sessions.

“Early December, the first pitching event will take place with a few start-ups, specialists and investors,” explains Martin Hofer, Director of the Sitem MedTech Hub. A second construction phase of the building is already planned, and the first cycle of the MedTech Booster program is scheduled to start in spring 2022.