A few weeks ago, some startups from our community received a Student Start-Up Loan! The Student Start-Up Loan is offered by StartLife and StartHub Wageningen to students with a promising business idea. The loan gives students the opportunity to accelerate their first business activities. In the upcoming weeks, you can expect a little interview with each of the startups. What is their company’s mission? Why did they become an entrepreneur? Where will they use the loan for and what are their future plans? This week, we’ll introduce you to Aria Samimi, the founder of InsectSense!
To the question why he decided to become an entrepreneur, Aria answers: “I didn’t become an entrepreneur, I was born to be an entrepreneur [laughs]. Nature is a source of inspiration for me and science is the key to explore that. A science-based entrepreneur is someone who turns that key, opens the door, and influences people's lives by implementing that science in their lives. Doing this gives me energy and happiness.” In the beginning of this year, Aria founded InsectSense, a science-tech venture that explores the possibilities of applying insect-behaviour and its underlying molecular biology to the field of bio-sensing. The aim is to translate this research into diagnostic solutions that could be used for the betterment of mankind.
“So far, we’ve built the prototype of an insect-based diagnostic device that can be one of the fastest, non-invasive, most accurate and cost-efficient technologies for detection of diseases at an early stage in humans, animals and plants”, Aria explains. Soon he and his team are going to test the possibility of early detection of COVID-19 with their devices. Aria plans to invest part of the Student Start-Up Loan he received in identifying the IP strategy of the company. The rest of the loan will go into development of their prototype and technology, which they will be busy with in the upcoming months. “Besides that, we’ll be validating various applications of our platform-technology, writing proposals and fundraising, fundraising and fundraising…”, he says. The StartHub team wishes you the best of luck!
- Jan Meiling hands over the loan on behalf of StartLife
Curious to find out more about InsectSense? Check their website here.
Want to know more about the possibilities of the Student Start-Up Loan? Click here.