Five Swiss startups contest for the Luxury Innovation Award

The Luxury Innovation Award is a global competition for the emerging luxury startups developing innovative solutions for the luxury industry. The competition is organised by the Luxury Venture Group, a Swiss-based incubator, accelerator and venture capital ecosystem whose aim is to scout, select, accelerate and invest in startups in the luxury and related industries.

For its first 2020 edition, the program attracted149 applications from outstanding startups from 34 countries all around the world. The jury has nominated eight most outstanding contestants to pursue the challenge. Among them are five Swiss startups – these are:

Iazzu, category Art & Culture
Iazzu’s newly developed online channel provides a user-friendly tool for presenting works of art to a worldwide network of galleries and exhibition organisers, to patrons as well as new collectors and buyers. It is an augmented reality application with which users can conveniently visualise works of art with their mobile device on their walls at home. The integration of useful and popular features such as an event calendar, gallery chat, currency converter and all social media channels turns the app into a comprehensive digital presence for the smartphone age.

PhytoSwiss Pharma, category Cars, Yachts, Travel experience, Real Estate, Beauty, Food and Lifestyle
Based in Sion, PhytoSwiss develops innovative, evidence-based phytodrugs and phytotherapy supplements to treat or prevent diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Its phytodrugs are based on combinations of bioactive botanical extracts that target multiple molecular and physiological pathways with synergistic effects. Compared to classical R&D approaches, PhytoSwiss’ data-driven model allows for significantly reducing the time of development, risks and necessary resources for a faster revenue generation.

Acatena AG, category Sustainability, Biodiversity and Social Responsibility
The blockchain technology startup Acatena operates a global platform that enables Premium brands to protect their brands against counterfeiting while increasing direct end-customer engagement and full supply chain visibility.

CollectID, Category Watches, Jewelry, Fashion, Design and Accessories
Based on IoT and Blockchain technology, CollectID developed a product authentication ecosystem that enables anyone to authenticate and trade any product easily. The platform safeguards consumers from accidentally buying counterfeit products and gives them the possibility to collect their beloved items and trade them easily. By creating a digital twin of the products on the blockchain, the company enables brands to prove the authenticity of their products at any time.

THE RAYY, Category Watches, Jewelry, Fashion, Design and Accessories
THE RAYY is a revolutionary brand creating fine jewellery based on its award-winning technology developed at EPFL and Rayform over years of scientific research. The technology allows crafting a gold surface so precise that rays of light are reflected to form a meaningful image, a personal message painted with light. Illumination can be artificial, but sunlight best reveals the hidden image. The products are designed and made in Switzerland with responsibly sourced materials.

Next to the five Swiss finalists are the following companies: Xibit (Germany), Lanéva (Monaco), JOSEFIN LILJEQVIST (Sweden) and SIRI SIRI LLC (Japan).