From Lab to Start-up: How Fribourg Neuroscience Became Bewe

Frédérik Plourde (CEO of Bewe) will talk about how a patented research became an app and the lessons learned along the path.

With a strong ecosystem to support academic entrepreneurs and technology transfer, Switzerland ranks among Europe’s leaders when it comes to turning research into startups and spin-offs. But what does that path actually look like from the inside?

In our talk with Frédérik Plourde, CEO and co-founder of Bewe, he will explain how his research group at the University of Fribourg's Laboratory of Neurorehabilitation Sciences (Prof. Lucas Spierer), built on 15 years of research, four randomized controlled trials and more than 4,000 participants, became Bewe, a spin-off from the University of Fribourg and Stanford. Today, they run an app that uses short, science-based games to retrain automatic food cravings, used by about 16,000 people.

Frédérik will share how a patented research method became a product, what nearly derailed it, and what he would do differently.

Whether you are considering the practical applications of your research, want to know more about the supporting ecosystem, or are just curious about Bewe, join us for a free lunch at the SEED: Lab on the 11th of November.

What you'll take away:

- How to protect and license research IP with the university's technology transfer office

- How clinical evidence opens doors with insurers and hospitals

- How to fund a science-based startup in Switzerland, from grants to a seed round