TUUS lands CHF 150k from Venture Kick for plant-based hydrogel nutrition platform
What's the deal? TUUS, a foodtech startup spun out of EPFL, has won CHF 150,000 from Venture KickDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to develop its plant-based hydrogel platform for the controlled release of nutrients and active compounds. The technology, called HyCORE®, is designed to deliver a constant rate of absorption — starting with a next-generation energy gel for endurance athletes before expanding into clinical nutrition and pharmaceuticals.
The funding will go toward business development, team growth, and advancing partnerships with nutrition and healthcare companies. TUUS plans a B2B licensing and co-development model to scale the platform across markets.
Why now? Endurance athletes commonly use energy gels that cause sugar spikes, stomach discomfort, and uneven energy delivery. More broadly, many oral delivery systems for nutrients and drugs fail to provide stable absorption, reducing effectiveness and increasing side effects.
TUUS is targeting the energy gel market, estimated at around $1B in 2025, before moving into clinical nutrition and diabetes management — a combined opportunity of roughly $60B.
What could go wrong? The startup is early-stage and still preparing co-development projects rather than shipping product. Moving from sports nutrition into clinical and pharmaceutical applications will require regulatory clearance and significantly more capital. A B2B licensing model also means TUUS depends on partners to bring its technology to market — a path that can be slow and unpredictable.
The signal: Venture Kick's backing reflects growing investor interest in foodtech that bridges nutrition and health. Controlled-release delivery is well established in pharma but underexplored in consumer nutrition, and TUUS is betting that a plant-based, cost-competitive format can unlock both markets.
The team — led by chief executive officer Tiziano Caldara and chief technology officer Pietro Nasturzio — combines expertise in chemistry, materials science, nutrition, and drug delivery, with academic and industry advisors including EPFL professor Francesco Stellacci.
"Venture Kick has been much more than funding for us. The program helped us sharpen our business model, pressure-test our assumptions with experienced juries, and build credibility with investors and strategic partners," Caldara said.
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