CERN Venture Connect: Accelerating startups’ growth to bring innovative solutions to market faster
In 2025, CERN Venture Connect (CVC) endorsed a diverse cohort of startups translating CERN technologies and know-how into real-world applications. A survey of participating startups highlights how access to CERN technologies, expertise, and networks is contributing to product development, credibility, funding progress, and early market traction across multiple sectors.
The startups span climate and clean technologies, agri-tech, advanced robotics, AI-driven engineering tools, photonics, infrastructure monitoring, digital platforms, and magnet systems, to name a few, demonstrating the breadth of CERN beyond fundamental research.
Turning CERN technologies into market-ready solutions
Several startups directly integrate CERN-developed technologies into their core solutions. Muotech (Poland) uses CERN’s Rucio technology to support its cosmic-ray muon imaging platform for non-invasive infrastructure and underground inspection. Since joining CVC, the company has finalised its customer-facing web platform and onboarded major industry players, accelerating adoption.
“CVC has connected us into a network that’s helping us move faster and think bigger.”
— Noemi Zabari, Founder of Muotech
Orbiba Robotics (Türkiye) applies CERN’s Structured Laser Beam technology in AI-powered agricultural robots addressing labour shortages and chemical overuse. Since joining CVC, Orbiba raised EUR 130,000, received a Seal of Excellence from the European Innovation Council, and was recognised among the most promising agri-robotics startups at FIRA World 2025, the biggest global event for agricultural robots.
“Although we are new to the CVC programme, our national and international visibility and appreciation have already increased significantly. The programme’s support and access to CERN’s advanced technologies have accelerated our growth and expanded our reach.”
Ilker Bektas, CEO & Chief Executive Officer of Orbiba Robotics
FiberSight (Portugal), founded by a CERN alumnus, leverages a humidity distributed optical fibre sensor, originally developed at CERN, for real-time water management, leak detection, and infrastructure monitoring.
“Having CERN as a partner has been invaluable for FiberSight, not only for access to world-class expertise and state-of-the-art infrastructure but also for the extensive network of contacts we can reach. Being part of CERN Venture Connect will accelerate our growth by providing key opportunities to refine our technology, validate our solutions, connect with industry leaders, and access venture capital. This ecosystem empowers us to push the boundaries of fiber optic sensing and bring innovative solutions to market faster.”
Tiago Neves, Founder of FiberSight
Accelerating credibility, funding, and partnerships
For deep-tech startups, credibility and trust are often as critical as technology. Reshape Systems (Switzerland), which integrates CERN’s Accelerator Fault Tracker technology to AI-driven risk analysis, closed a CHF 800,000 pre-seed round, joined the Microsoft AI Accelerator Community, and won Tech4Trust’s first prize.
“CERN is a synonym of technical excellence and credibility, the best introduction one could ever give to any customer. Being part of the CVC programme allowed us to boost our product development thanks to the numerous networking opportunities it created for us.”
Andrea Apollonio, Co-founder and CEO of Reshape Systems
Universal Atmosphere Processing (UK) is using the CERN ACCURATE 2A chip. They have constructed a prototype to capture greenhouse gases, filed its foundational patent, and secured multiple investments while preparing for commercial pilots.
“Being part of CERN Venture Connect has been a great experience. It’s not just about access to technology; it’s about being embedded in a culture of world-class precision and ambition. The support from CERN is starting to sharpen our scientific rigour and elevate our entire platform. We’re not just building a climate company, we’re building the infrastructure for the atmosphere, and CVC is helping accelerate that vision.”
Brendan Cornthwaite, Founder and CEO of Universal Atmosphere Processing
From community to concrete outcomes
Across the survey, startups consistently cite network access, technical dialogue, and CERN’s culture of scientific rigour as decisive factors. Unconventional (Switzerland), which helps organisations to use CERN’s Indico platform, launched its hosting service, onboarded paying customers, and gained representation on the Indico Consultation Board.
“Being part of the CVC signals CERN’s trust in us, which strengthens our credibility with clients and facilitates strategic partnerships.”
Alejandro Aviles, CEO and CTO of Unconventional
Little Beast Engineering (Netherlands)’s co-founder, Nikkie Deelen, points to how having previously worked at CERN supports the trajectory of her startup.
“We are using the experience we gained at CERN that is needed to design top-notch superconducting magnets.”
Nikkie Deelen, Co-founder of Little Beast Engineering
Further, European Artist Bank (Germany) similarly points to CVC’s role in sharpening strategy, opening investor conversations, and translating long-term vision into concrete next steps.
“CVC turns my deep curiosity into real traction. Working with CERN’s community has raised our bar on evidence, ethics, and engineering, and helped us as a team turn hard questions into concrete, buildable steps.”
Robert Stanley, Co-Founder & CPO
Together, these experiences illustrate how CERN Venture Connect enables startups not only to access technology but to transform scientific excellence into credible, growing, and socially beneficial startups.
CERN’s scientists, engineers, and researchers enable impact far beyond the realm of fundamental physics by transforming advanced research into technologies with real-world applications. The achievements highlighted here build on the work of many CERN contributors, including Hamza Boukabache and Sarath Kundumattathil Mohanan (ACCURATE 2A), Eduardo Granados (Single-Frequency Raman Laser), Martin Barisits (Rucio), Jean-Christophe Gayde and Miroslav Šulc (Structured Laser Beam), Salvatore Danzeca (Astromesh), the White Rabbit Collaboration Bureau, notably Maciej Lipiński, Adam Wujek and Amanda Díez Fernández, and Corrado Gargiulo (Ultralight Carbon Coldplate).