EIC Tech to Market Venture Building launches Tech Demo Days as first gateway for spin out journeys

Brussels, June 17th 2024

Summary

›The EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Programme ran five sector Tech Demo Days in May with 39 projects taking part as an entry point to venture building.
›Selected teams receive expert feedback and can progress through four staged services: Tech Demo Days, Opportunities' Exploration, Team Creation, and Venture Support Services.
›Three projects highlighted in the events were PHRASE in medical rehabilitation using VR/AR, InsectNeuroNano developing an insect-inspired neuromorphic chip and sensor arrays, and BIGALPS working on environmentally minded soil to rock transformation for geotechnical stabilisation.
›External experts praised the programme for bridging research and market work but warned that converting lab results into commercial ventures requires rigorous market validation and diverse teams.
›Organisers note the programme is part of EIC Business Acceleration Services and interested beneficiaries should check eligibility and express interest when calls reopen.

Tech Demo Days as the entry point for venture building

In May 2024 the EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Programme staged five thematic Tech Demo Days across areas that included Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Energy Storage, Energy and Sustainability, and Medical technologies and medical devices. The events brought together 39 projects supported by EIC Pathfinder or Transition funding. Organisers positioned these Demo Days as the first practical step in a structured venture building journey offered by the EIC Tech to Market service within the EIC Business Acceleration Services.

What happens at a Tech Demo Day

Tech Demo Days:Structured thematic workshops where researchers present their technologies to a panel of market and business experts. The events aim to surface market potential, time to market and immediate weaknesses in messaging, positioning and commercial use cases.

The Tech Demo Days are designed as a low barrier entry point. Presenters receive live feedback on pitch clarity, market strategy and regulatory matters. For many research teams this is the first occasion to pitch beyond a technical audience and to hear industry-style questions about customers, routes to market and competitive differentiation.

Projects that surfaced in the Demo Days

The programme highlighted a handful of projects as representative case studies. Conversations with teams reveal common early-stage needs: simpler storytelling, clearer use case definition, and early adopter validation. Below are short profiles of three projects discussed at the events.

PHRASE — VR/AR rehabilitation ecosystem

PHRASE is developing a rehabilitation ecosystem for stroke patients that spans inpatient, outpatient and at-home care. The platform uses virtual reality and augmented reality to train cognitive and motor impairments. The team said feedback from expert panels exposed presentation weaknesses and raised legal and market questions they had not fully considered. They described the expert comments as mind opening and said the sessions clarified where further work is required.

Rehabilitation ecosystems:These are integrated combinations of hardware, software and clinical protocols that aim to deliver therapeutic exercises, progress tracking and remote monitoring across care settings. Commercialising such systems requires attention to clinical evidence, regulatory approvals, reimbursement pathways and clinician adoption.

InsectNeuroNano — insect inspired neuromorphic chip and sensor arrays

InsectNeuroNano presented a hybrid chip platform intended to run energy efficient, fast artificial neural networks together with integrated sensor arrays. The team cites insect sensory architectures as inspiration and envisions applications including crop monitoring, water supply monitoring and sensing in hard to reach environments when deployed on microdrones. Participants said the Demo Day helped them to refine commercial use cases and improve how they communicate the technology to investors and corporate partners.

Neuromorphic and edge AI platforms:Neuromorphic computing refers to hardware and architectures designed to mimic biological neural systems to improve energy efficiency for certain types of computing tasks. When combined with on-device or edge AI and sensor arrays the aim is to reduce the need for continuous cloud connectivity and support fast, low-power inference in constrained environments.

BIGALPS — transforming soils into rock for stabilisation

BIGALPS presented a technology intended to stabilise soil by transforming it into rock like material to tackle erosion, landslides and difficult ground conditions for construction. The team positions the technology as environmentally friendly. Their representative said expert sessions prompted new reflections on non technical factors that affect market uptake and helped them structure their message to non technical stakeholders.

Soil stabilisation technologies:Soil stabilisation covers a range of chemical, biological and mechanical approaches to increase soil strength and reduce erosion. Environmental impact, long term durability, permitting and cost relative to traditional civil engineering approaches are key commercial considerations. Claims of environmental friendliness should be supported by lifecycle studies and regulatory acceptance.

How the Venture Building journey is structured

The EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Programme outlines a staged process that takes selected teams from demonstration to the point where a venture can be formed. The four main phases are Tech Demo Days, Opportunities' Exploration, Team Creation, and Venture Support Services. Progression is selective and based on assessments of market attractiveness and team readiness.

Opportunities' Exploration:A phase in which experts evaluate feasibility and market fit. Participants receive guidance on commercial feasibility, recommendations for improvements and an initial sense of corporate interest.

Team Creation:Tailor made recruitment and matchmaking services to fill skill gaps. This can include access to entrepreneurs in residence and talent brokerage events intended to assemble teams that combine technical and business experience.

Venture Support Services:On demand advisory support across domains such as intellectual property, finance, legal, branding and human resources aimed at shaping a sustainable business. Higher maturity cases may receive bespoke consultancy and introductions to potential investors or corporate partners.

Voices from the participants and experts

Project teams reported that the Demo Days forced them to simplify and refine their messages. Anders Mikkelsen of InsectNeuroNano said the event helped them recognise they were not communicating their ideas effectively to non technical audiences. PHRASE highlighted detailed feedback on presentation skills and market strategy. BIGALPS noted the sessions exposed non technical gaps important for market progress.

External experts and business figures who took part offered both encouragement and practical advice. Natalia Álvarez Liébana, Open Innovation Senior Analyst at Repsol, said programmes like EIC T2M play a vital role in moving scientific research towards market readiness and recommended simple, audience adapted pitches and early user validation. Neema Nelly, CEO at EMEA Venture Builder, emphasised the skill gaps researchers typically face in market validation and investment readiness. Thomas Seguin, founder at Luni Energy, stressed falling in love with the problem not the solution and validating assumptions with potential users as early as possible.

Common expert recommendations:Simplify pitches for non technical audiences, prioritise customer discovery and early adopter feedback, build diverse teams that combine technical expertise with business and industry experience, and be prepared to pivot when market validation contradicts initial assumptions.

Eligibility, timing and practical notes

The Venture Building Programme is reserved for beneficiaries of EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition grants. Research institutions are advised to involve their Technology Transfer Offices in the process. The programme accepts expressions of interest on a rolling basis with monthly reviews and thematic grouping of applicants for Demo Days.

The EIC further describes the Venture Building services as free for eligible EIC beneficiaries. Interested teams were asked to express interest to be considered for Tech Demo Days and subsequent phases. Organisers listed thematic categories for grouping including energy, AI, medical technologies, mobility, quantum technologies and advanced materials among others.

Tech Demo Day theme	Number of projects (total 39 across events)	Representative example projects or focus
Artificial Intelligence	Included	InsectNeuroNano, neuromorphic chips and sensor arrays
Energy	Included	Projects on energy systems and green technologies
Energy Storage	Included	Battery and storage process innovations
Energy and Sustainability	Included	BIGALPS, soil stabilisation for erosion and landslides
Medical technologies and medical devices	Included	PHRASE, VR/AR rehabilitation ecosystems

Context and caveats

Demo Days and early venture building support are useful interventions for researchers but they are not a guarantee of commercial success. Several important hurdles remain after the Demo Day phase. These include securing customers and pilots, obtaining regulatory approvals where applicable, proving durability at scale and assembling a founding team that can execute on commercialisation. The feedback from experts is valuable but must be followed by disciplined market validation and resource planning.

A site note on the EIC Tech to Market pages states that the broader programme is paused and expected to resume in 2026. That suggests parts of the T2M offer may be restructured or temporarily suspended. Teams interested in the Venture Building services should check the EIC Community helpdesk for the latest status and openings before making plans.

What teams should do next

For projects that progressed from Demo Days, the immediate step is the Opportunities' Exploration phase. Teams should use the expert guidance to sharpen customer segments, define measurable validation milestones and identify early adopter partners. Practical steps include arranging pilot conversations with potential users, performing basic unit economics exercises, and engaging their institutional technology transfer offices early if spin outs are intended.

Practical first steps for researchers:Translate technical claims into clear value propositions, document expected benefits for defined customer groups, run small scale customer discovery interviews, and recruit one or two co founders or advisers with commercial experience to complement technical skills.

Where to find more information

The EIC Tech to Market Venture Building Programme is delivered as part of EIC Business Acceleration Services. Beneficiaries of EIC Pathfinder and Transition funding can contact the EIC Community helpdesk selecting the relevant subject line for the Venture Building Programme. The EIC webpage also publishes calls for experts and entrepreneurs in residence when applications are open.

Organisers will run additional Tech Demo Day editions in Health and Biotech and in Quantum tech and Electronics. Teams that meet the eligibility criteria should watch for updates and confirm whether active services have resumed before committing to timelines.