APEX Ventures update — A busy June for APEX Ventures

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APEX Ventures

5 min readJul 6, 2023

June 2023 has been an exhilarating month, filled with remarkable accomplishments and vibrant energy for our companies and the APEX team. In this update, let’s take a moment to reflect on the extraordinary highlights of this month and get a glimpse of the exciting path that lies ahead.

Our New Investments

The Amadeus APEX Technology Fund co-led a €4 million seed round investment in ATMOS Space Cargo. Its revolutionary Phoenix return capsules are set to transform the way cargo returns from space, making it faster, more affordable, and more flexible. Sifted agrees the technology holds immense promise for biomedical research and commercial space manufacturing. Great to join the teams at HTGF, Seraphim Space, E2MC Ventures, VENTIS GmbH & Co. KG, and another.vc onboard this flight.

APEX Ventures’ Medical Fund backed Upfront Diagnostics in a round worth £1.6 million, following grants from SBRI Healthcare and Stroke Association. The investment will propel Upfront Diagnostics’ mission of revolutionising stroke diagnosis with its rapid handheld blood test, LVOne — enabling paramedics to diagnose within 15 minutes. The funding will support the scaling of its technology, enhance accuracy, expand the team, and accelerate clinical approval. Read more in Tech Funding News.

July Events

Meet our team this month at these events:

Saxon Investor Day and Innovation Conference
3–4 July, Dresden, Germany — Ion Hauer

Business Angel Summit
6–7 July, Kitzbühel, Austria — Andreas Riegler, Tim Hos

Portfolio Company Updates

OroraTech

OroraTech secured a multi-million euro contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of the Copernicus Contributing Mission (CCM).

Leveraging its in-orbit thermal sensor network, OroraTech will provide critical data for emergency services, climate change analysis, marine management, and land management. This contract highlights the value of OroraTech’s thermal data and its potential to address various industry sectors effectively.

Thomas Grübler (CEO & Founder of OroraTech) with Commissioner Thierry Breton, Earth Observation Programmes Director Simonetta Cheli, Director for Space Development & Innovation at European Commission Catherine Kavvada

Contextflow

contextflow was selected for the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator equity investment program. Building on its previous grant of €1.2 million from the EIC, contextflow continues to develop comprehensive clinical decision support for chest CT. Its goal is to empower radiologists to perform routine tasks faster and with higher certainty and accuracy.

Yuri

Yuri’s collaboration with EmTroniX earned a Highly Commended recognition at The TCT Group Aerospace & Defence Application Award. This remarkable achievement highlights the success of its modular 3D printed fluidic system, which enables biological experiments in microgravity. Through the utilisation of medical-grade stereolithography technology, they have successfully reduced costs, lead times, and unit sizes while enhancing experiment design capabilities.

Spleenlab

Spleenlab’s VISIONAIRY® Precise Landing software is set to revolutionise home delivery in collaboration with DroneUp and the world’s largest retailer, Walmart. By seamlessly integrating drones with Spleenlab’s innovative software, fully autonomous delivery missions are poised to transform the way packages are delivered. Its expertise in AI software, proudly made in Germany, will be instrumental in driving this transformative change in the delivery landscape. Together with DroneUp, they are committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation and shaping the future of autonomous drone delivery.

VitreaLab

VitreaLab, a company focusing on innovative photonic solutions for the lighting and display sector, has been honoured as the Born Global Champion 2023 by Aussenwirtschaft Austria for its exceptional internationalisation strategy. Co-founders Jonas Zeuner and Chiara Greganti received this prestigious award, highlighting VitreaLab’s dedication and vision for global success. Congratulations to VitreaLab on this well-deserved achievement!

TriLite Technologies

TriLite Technologies, the company behind Trixel® 3, the world’s smallest projection display, has secured the coveted ‘best interaction product’ category at the esteemed AWE Auggie Awards. This recognition highlights the groundbreaking innovation of Trixel® 3 and its potential to revolutionise augmented reality technology.

ImageBiopsy Lab

ImageBiopsy Lab achieved a significant milestone with FDA clearance for IBLab LAMA, its fully-automated radiological image processing software. This cutting-edge technology enables precise geometric length and angle measurements of the lower limb on full-leg X-rays, making it the first product of its kind to receive FDA approval. This accomplishment underscores the accuracy, quality, and commitment of ImageBiopsy Lab to advancing musculoskeletal imaging and revolutionising healthcare.

Other Activities

Our own Andreas Riegler and Wolfgang Neubert, together with Herman Hauser from Amadeus Capital Partners, recently garnered attention in Forbes Austria where the launch of the Amadeus Apex Technology Fund took centre stage. Illustrating the growing potential for European venture capital — surpassing its US counterparts in terms of returns — attributed in part to the quality of education and the expanding ecosystem.
Ion Hauer had the pleasure of representing us at the SERVUS ScaleUp event, organised by La French Tech Munich. As a table captain for the quantum computing session, Ion discussed achievements, current developments, and future prospects. The session generated great interest, emphasising the potential and challenges of quantum computing.