The regional Startup World Cup ceremony was held this Thursday, 22 May, at the headquarters of EY Luxembourg. This is an international event that connects innovation ecosystems and propels startups towards global visibility. Ten finalists pitched their projects to a jury of investors, experts and serial entrepreneurs. Startup Exobiosphere secured a ticket to the grand final in San Francisco for a chance to win the prize of $1m in investment.
founded in 2024 that aims to transform drug discovery through space. Its wager: to use the unique conditions of microgravity to accelerate the development of treatments, particularly against cancer. In space, certain cells–particularly cancer cells–proliferate up to 100 times faster than on Earth, making it possible to test the effectiveness of drugs in record time.
To exploit this phenomenon, Exobiosphere has designed the OHTS (Orbital High-Throughput Screener), an autonomous mini-laboratory the size of a suitcase, capable of automatically administering treatments to cells, analysing their reaction and then transmitting the data back to Earth. Supported by the Luxembourg Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA), the startup is planning its first mission in 2026 aboard the Haven-1 commercial space station, in partnership with Vast and SpaceX. By aligning itself with the work processes of big pharma, Exobiosphere hopes to make space research tangible and actionable, with the ambition of saving millions of lives and unlocking a market worth billions of euros.
Exobiosphere founder and CEO Kyle Acierno stressed the importance of travelling to San Francisco for the next stage of the competition, saying, “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to pitch on the world stage, especially against the Americans.” For the startup, this is a key stage in gaining visibility, particularly as it has ambitions to establish itself on the American market and wants to get in touch with investors there. If they win, the CEO explains: “We’re clearly going to invest this sum in our expansion in the United States.” Their ultimate hope? “To bring the trophy back to Luxembourg for the first time,” given that the country has already finished in the top 10 two years running. But beyond the final result, they insist on the value of the experience: “Whatever the outcome, we’ll have the opportunity to forge partnerships, meet other companies and investors. So whatever happens, it will be beneficial.”
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Initiated by Pegasus Tech Ventures, the Startup World Cup includes more than 100 regional competitions around the world. were projects from sectors as varied as finance, artificial intelligence, healthcare and space technology: Moveme, Augment, Silcube, Maic, Essembl, RMT Labs, Elora, Organotherapeutics, OQ Technology and Exobiosphere. All had been selected for their growth potential and capacity to innovate.
Exobiosphere was able to convince the jury made up of , , , and Matias Mäenpää and will therefore represent Luxembourg at the grand final in San Francisco on 17 October. The startup finished in second place. The jury also awarded a “coup de coeur” mention to the startup Essembl, created by .
EY partner Anthony Cannella said, “Luxembourg is a real beacon of ambition in the ecosystem, a reference hub for European startups and beyond.”
In 2024, it was Finnish company that won the Luxembourg final, impressing the jury with its AI-based tool for creating personalised interactive videos.
This article was originally published in .