Startup Spotlight returns on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 16:00 CEST (14:00 UTC), with five companies presenting their technologies ahead of electronica 2026 in Munich. Part of Elektor's electronica Fast Forward 2026 activities, the second episode features DeepGate, VAEngineering, LIOM, Synthara, and HCP Sense. Each company will have five minutes to introduce its technology, followed by a live discussion about its development, applications, and plans for the exhibition.

Startup Spotlight: The Five Companies

DeepGate develops tools for deploying artificial intelligence on resource-constrained microcontrollers. Its platform compiles machine learning models into optimized binaries and benchmarks their performance on real hardware. Developers can compare memory consumption, execution speed, and hardware requirements before committing to a particular microcontroller. The company is targeting one of the practical difficulties of embedded AI: getting useful inference performance from devices with limited processing power and memory.

VAEngineering is a Belgian electronics engineering company working on custom hardware and embedded software. Its services cover PCB design, firmware development, prototyping, and preparing designs for production. Projects range from high-speed imaging equipment and autonomous robotics to embedded platforms and compact satellite systems. The company will discuss its approach to taking an electronics concept through the development process to a working product.

LIOM is developing wearable technology for continuous biochemical monitoring without needles or skin penetration. Glucose measurement is its initial target, with the longer-term aim of combining metabolic information with cardiovascular, fitness, sleep, and other physiological measurements. The company is working toward a wearable that can provide users with continuous information about their body's chemistry alongside the measurements already familiar from smartwatches and fitness trackers.

Synthara develops semiconductor technology based on in-memory computing. Its ComputeRAM platform allows certain computational operations to be performed directly within memory, reducing the movement of data between memory and processing units. Such transfers are a significant source of energy consumption and processing delays in conventional computing architectures. Synthara is targeting embedded chips used in applications including AI processing, intelligent sensors, robotics, and wearables.

HCP Sense develops systems that use the electrical properties of mechanical bearings to monitor their operating condition. By measuring electrical impedance through a bearing, its electronics and algorithms can assess lubrication, mechanical loads, and developing damage. This makes it possible to obtain condition information directly from the bearing during operation, without integrating conventional sensor elements into it. Applications include industrial machinery monitoring, predictive maintenance, and the optimization of lubrication intervals.

Watch Startup Spotlight #2 Live

The five companies will join Elektor for a live online discussion before exhibiting at electronica Fast Forward, which takes place at Messe München from November 10 to 13, 2026. The startup platform gives selected electronics and deep-tech companies an opportunity to demonstrate their technologies, meet industry representatives, and present their work to potential customers and partners.