With Sortivo, its latest innovation, Bionomous is expanding into organoids, cellular models increasingly used in research and the pharmaceutical industry.

“We could be turning a profit and prioritizing organic growth, but that’s not our goal at this stage.” Frank Bonnet, CEO and co-founder of Bionomous, declares without qualms. His company has recently posted a positive EBITDA (a measure of operating performance) for the first quarter. The company prefers a different kind of growth accelerant: ongoing investment in R&D. EPoS Technologies has chosen a similar path and, like Bionomous, has been based at Le Vivier, the Fribourg-based industrial innovation hub, since 2022.

At Bionomous, it all began with the EggSorter, an automated embryo handling device for use in zebrafish research. Its success led the firm to design and develop a new solution, Sortivo, which can handle a wider range of biological entities, such as organoids, small 3D tissue models increasingly used by the pharmaceutical industry. “With organoids, every application is different. There’s much more customization and specific development involved,” the CEO explains. While its automated solutions are currently used mainly by universities and laboratories and are exported around the globe, from Hong Kong and Australia to the US and South America, Bionomous is now planning to expand its industrial customer base.

EPoS Technologies develops and manufactures new materials using eForging, its patented powder metallurgy technology. The process is ready-made for industrial use: a one-step process capable of manufacturing six units every minute and requiring only a few square meters of floor space. Several EPoS materials are already on the market, such as Synaptite, a substitute for tungsten in particular types of electrodes. As well as customers in Europe and the Americas, it is currently developing projects in Asia. As Sébastien Recalcati, Operations Director, points out, the materials used in Europe are not necessarily the same as those used in North America, even though the application is the same. “The markets are very different. We have to visit them to understand their needs and adapt.”

The Vivier effect

With access to offices, workshops, logistics, and financial services, resident companies at Le Vivier can focus on their core business. For Recalcati, the site offers a unique environment in Switzerland: “We’re taking full advantage of the Nivalis Group’s experience in helping startups grow.”

Frank Bonnet also likes that he gets to meet entrepreneurs who have already cleared certain developmental hurdles, such as Alain Codourey, founder of Asyril, which also operates out of Le Vivier. “It’s almost like a form of mentoring. Every now and then, we grab a coffee and discuss the issues we’re facing.” These learning moments help to avoid missteps in the future.

At EPoS, too, growth and experimentation are not mutually exclusive. Every idea for a new material is swiftly tested against customer needs. As Recalcati puts it, “You have to be agile, ready to take risks, and keep evolving.”