Cleantech start-ups with ambition and resilience

Dear reader

I expect some of you attended the Start Summit in St. Gallen over the past few days. The event has developed into one of the most important meeting places for the start-up scene in recent years. We were also there and had numerous conversations with founders and supporters. The increasing importance of sustainable companies was palpable at the event and it was fitting that Pascal Bieri, co-founder of Planted, was named HSG Founder of the Year.

The canton is also home to Pada Switzerland. You may not have heard of it before, but you may be familiar with its products. Pada Switzerland produces tobacco and hemp cigarettes, hemp tea and other products under the brand name Heimat. The original company behind the brand had to file for bankruptcy in January, but an investment totalling millions and new major customers from abroad have now enabled a new start.

Several cleantech companies are also active abroad and there was news in terms of financing. ETH spin-off rrreefs, which focuses on regenerating degraded coral reefs with modular reef structures, secured CHF 400,000. TeraSol, a company specializing in soil protection and the reuse of excavated materials, raised CHF 500,000. Crosstown H2R, which develops carbon-free gas turbines for power generation, received almost CHF 2 million, and environmental analytics start-up Sparrow Analytics closed a seed round of just under CHF 2 million.

Other interesting young companies from the sustainability sector can be discovered in our articles on the 20 companies selected for the first Tech4Regeneration programme and the winners of the Bern Upcycling Challenge. Bloom Biorenewables also came out on top in an international competition in which it won EUR 10,000 and a proof of concept with Procter & Gamble.

Speaking of prizes, Obaris received CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick: the start-up is developing a patch for painless drug delivery. And the three finalists for the ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark have been announced.

The most surprising news of the week came from Weev, which is digitalising the supply chain in the shoe, leather and clothing industry. It has secured the support of and an investment from Salesforce founder Marc Benioff.

Next week, canton Ticino’s start-up day will take place in Locarno. Unfold 2024 will take place in Bern the week after Easter, and in Basel the new healthtech event BOOM Summit will follow on 10 and 11 April. I would also like to draw your attention to the approaching deadline for the Digital Health Incubator on 31 March.

A newsletter will not appear next week on Good Friday. As always, we will provide you with the latest news from the start-up scene on our website every working day before and after Easter.

Have a good weekend.
Stefan Kyora

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch