The innovative and sustainable start-up Vatorex has developed a chemical-free solution for saving bees and received €1.6m from the Horizon 2020 programme.
Vatorex’s eco-friendly and innovative mite treatment for honeybees increases their productivity and strengthens failing colonies. The treatment is an effective instrument in saving the bees and thus improving biodiversity. After successful pilots, Vatorex is now in talks with private and corporate beekeepers across France, Germany and Austria to further implement their products in Europe.
Founded in 2016, Vatorex developed a sustainable solution to combat the number one cause in honeybee mortality – the Varroa mite. The parasite harms the bee’s immune system, thus most affected bees will not survive the winter. Conventional solutions involve some type of chemicals and cause unwanted side effects for the bees and the honey. Vatorex’s idea takes a different approach without the use of any chemicals. The idea originated from the passionate beekeeper Willi Brunner, who sought alternative ways to fight the Varroa mite. He came across a heat treatment, where the hive is heated up to a temperature of 41 degrees. The parasite cannot survive under those temperatures whereas the bee and honey is not harmed at all. Pilot projects have shown that not only does it increase productivity of hives overall, but can bring back failing hives to full productivity.
Together with Pascal Brunner and Renato Cortesi, Willi Brunner developed the idea into a product and conducted the first field trials. As they saw the positive results, the trio founded Vatorex and received initial funding from Zurich Cantonal Bank. In the same year, Vatorex also received CHF130’000 in equity from Venture Kick, core coaching from Innosuisse and benefited from an educational programme from Startup Campus. This boost enabled the young start-up to hire their first employees, enter the market to sell the first products, and operate for the first 18 months. After that, Vatorex attracted business angels from families and friends. Already in the beginning, Vatorex sold products outside Switzerland and now has customers in 15 different countries. With the feedback from the first customers, the young start-up realised the great potential of their idea and then decided to apply for the Horizon 2020 (H2020) framework programme.
In 2017, Vatorex applied for phase 1 of the SME Instrument in the H2020 programme, and received a €50’000 grant to conduct a feasibility study. As they developed their business strategy and their pilot projects, the European Innovation Council (EIC) accepted their application for the Accelerator pilot, inviting Vatorex to Brussels for an interview to present their sustainable and scalable business proposal. The EIC awarded them €1.6m in the form of a grant and in addition offered to invest equity in the young firm. The negotiations are currently ongoing. Co-founder and CEO Pascal Brunner said that he is grateful to be considered a trustworthy partner by the European Commission (EC) and to receive funds, which give the start-up more security in the next year.
Vatorex’s solution, apart from being sustainable, involves a fully integrated system for protecting and monitoring bee colonies. A wire in the hive produces sufficient heat to kill the parasite and is connected to sensors, which track data of the colony’s strength, nectar flow and honey storage in real time.
According to Pascal Brunner, the Vatorex products have been proven to work reliably for hobby beekeepers but there are still minor improvements to be implemented for commercial beekeepers. That is where the grants will mostly be used: to make the right implementation for a faster scale-up process.
With the security of the EU grant, Pascal Brunner explained, Vatorex can also work on shaping its strategy and thinking over the long term. The CEO’s vision for Vatorex goes further than “just a beekeeping technology company”. He mentioned deeper integration across the full supply chain. Next year, Vatorex will once again go fundraising and will look for investors who believe in their product and idea.
See video on Vatorex here.