Studyond wins Startfeld Diamant public prize
St.Gallen - Studyond AG has been named as the winner of the Startfeld Diamant public prize. Its AI-based ThesisNavigator aims to bring students into contact with experts for joint projects. St.Galler Kantonalbank, the cantonal bank of St.Gallen (SGKB), and the Startfeld foundation have nominated six start-ups as finalists for the Startfeld Diamant award.
Studyond AG has been awarded the public prize, which comes with prize money of 2,500 Swiss francs, in recognition of its matching platform for networking students and experts from practice. The ThesisNavigator developed by the St.Gallen-based company founded in 2023 is designed to bring together students in their final semester and experts for joint projects in connection with Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral theses.
In total, six start-ups have been nominated as finalists for the Startfeld Diamant award, as SGKB writes in a press release. In terms of the “Rohdiamant” category, the start-ups Smartportrait from Rapperswil in the canton of St.Gallen, which has developed an online service for professional portrait photos via a smartphone, and Ionic Wind Technologies with its silent, energy-efficient ventilation solutions for industry have both been nominated alongside Studyond.
In the Diamant category, another three start-ups have made the final. Tasotec GmbH from Sargans in the canton of St.Gallen, has been nominated for its solution that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create shift work rosters, while Novaziun AG from Vella in the canton of Graubünden has made the shortlist for its fully electric tractor for agricultural operations in mountainous areas. Quantflow Ai AG from Heerbrugg in the canton of St.Gallen uses AI in order to control information streams within companies.
An expert jury will be responsible for selecting a winner in each category on June 11. The Startfeld Diamant award recognizes innovative start-ups based in Eastern Switzerland. The Startfeld Rohdiamant prize is awarded to the best start-up concept. Companies that make it through to the final have the opportunity to attend management seminars covering topics such as organization, law, business model and finance. In these sessions, the start-ups can further refine their ideas with the support of lecturers. The awards are presented annually by SGKB in partnership with Startfeld foundation. ce/js