The startup seeks to eco-optimize circuit board prototyping, enhancing sustainability and efficiency with innovative design tools

BIEL, BERN, SWITZERLAND, May 31, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Electronic circuit boards are the backbone of nearly every electronic device we use today, allowing us to perform a wide variety of tasks. When a button is pressed on any of your household appliances, it's a circuit board that processes these commands and ensures that the appliance operates as it should. And beyond our homes, circuit boards are present in places you might not expect, such as in traffic lights controlling the flow of vehicles, or in vending machines dispensing your favorite snacks. The global printed circuit board market size was valued at USD 82.41 billion in 2022 and is expected to hit USD 128 billion by 2030, registering at a CAGR of 5.66% during the forecast period 2023 to 2030, as reported by Precedence Research .

The traditional circuit board prototyping process starts with ready made, universal development boards and specific components that are wired together in a rather fragile way. Then designing the circuit layout, creating intermediary circuit boards, testing for flaws, refining the design based on testing results, finalizing the design for full-scale production are costly phases in terms of money, time and engineering knowledge.

A paradigm shift is underway as we switch from traditional hardware prototyping process, where multiple versions are tested and wasted, to Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Practices, but the design concepts and tools to support this transition are failing to keep up.

FlecheTech is a Swiss start-up that builds beginner-friendly design tool for prototyping electronic circuit boards, requiring no prior knowledge and appealing to both engineers and hobbyists. The suite aims to make it as easy to design for electronic circuit boards as it is to design for mobile apps and websites with todays “no code” solutions.

FlecheTech has the capacity to dramatically reduce prototyping expenses for innovators, bringing costs down from 10,000 euros to mere hundreds, inclusive of licensing and materials. Simultaneously, it can result in an 80% reduction in engineering hours, providing substantial time savings.

These new design tools optimize the electronic circuit design and prototyping process across multiple sectors. Their diverse applications include IoT devices, home improvement gadgets, enhancing automation processes in robotics, and driving the digitalization of industries. In addition to cost and time savings, FlècheTech offers other advantages such as reducing environmental impact by disrupting the cycle of buying and disposing, encouraging hardware upgrades and repairs, requiring considerably less technological knowledge, and making the process more accessible and user-friendly.

Since 2017, the startup has been crafting these powerful tools, incorporating AI and deep learning, on a self-funded basis with an initial investment of 500k CHF. Now, it is in the process of raising another 800k CHF in pre-seed funding from a combination of Swiss and international angel investors and venture capitalists. This funding will enable the company to expand its team and secure the development of their product for the next 18 months.

“The most challenging part of engineering a circuit board is matching the right components to the right user specifications. Engineers and product teams often use different development boards to ideate and iterate from specifications towards the final works-like-looks like prototype, a process highly iterative, expensive and generating significant waste. This is a major barrier for both small and large companies. With our tools, we want to massively improve the workflow and enable innovators to leap from specifications directly to a pre-production prototype”, says co-founder and CTO Adrien Girod.

“The unprecedented rise in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate and create innovative, cutting-edge solutions. The growing world needs friendly tools that operate more swiftly, generate minimal waste, and are more considerate of resource consumption. I'm thrilled about the potential of FlècheTech to revolutionize the industry. In the upcoming months, we'll be dedicating our efforts to transition our first product from its beta phase to a reliable, stable offering.”, says co-founder Steven Rossel.

Having studied micro-technical engineering and Gold medalist inventor at the 2018 Geneva Invention Fair, Adrien had felt the need to improve the prototyping process for a long time, working on the solution for more than 4 years now. The motivation grew to save time and money while prototyping, and also to create more friendly tools for other innovators.

Adrien and Steven saw the opportunity to kick off FlècheTech while studying together at HEIG-VD University of Applied Sciences (in French Haute Ecole d'Ingénierie et de Gestion du Canton de Vaud HEIG-VD). The university lab has served as an incubator for the start-up, nurturing its growth and development, and now supports FlècheTech as a client and beta tester. HEIG-VD is also known internationally for its interdisciplinary education, R&D and practical orientation.

“The pre-seed funding means FlecheTech can accelerate its development and bring the product to market much faster. We’re proud to have prepared the startup for funding in an incredibly difficult market and we’re very excited about the future. I believe in the tool’s potential to revolutionize the prototyping process for both engineers and hobbyists, reducing waste and time-to-market”, says co-founder & CEO Julian Walder, coming on board with experience of working with large companies and successfully funded startups.

Founders:

Adrien Girod CTO: Patent holder in the med-tech sector and Gold medalist inventor at the 2018 Geneva Invention Fair. Degrees in micro-technical engineering from EPFL and HEIG-VD University of Applied Sciences.

Steven Rossel CCO: Experienced in high-performance RF systems, FPGA digital design and verification. BSc in Embedded Electronics and Mechatronics from HEIG-VD University of Applied Sciences.

Julian Walder CEO: Experience of working with large companies and successfully funded startups such as SeedBlink, MEc in Industrial Management & MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from WU & TU Vienna.

The startup benefits from the expertise of advisory board members like Jean-Philippe Rey, who brings over a decade of experience as a CTO for an industrial IoT company, handling Production and Quality Management. Rey's educational background includes a BSc in Embedded Electronics and Mechatronics, further solidifying his contribution to the team. Octavian David completes the advisory board team as a lawyer with extensive international experience

Julian Walder
FlecheTech
+41 79 377 38 37
julian.walder@fleche.tech
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