Global recognition for six Swiss startups

Dietikon-based startup emost has developed emost Butler, a clean and silent mobile power generator that operates independent of the power grid, as an innovative alternative to diesel energy generators. The team has won the DB mindbox pitch day, securing the continuation of the startup’s collaboration with Deutsche Bahn (DB) upon completion of the DB mindbox acceleration program.

Through this acceleration program, DB mindbox connects Deutsche Bahn with startups that have the potential to lift DB to the next level and drive the digital transformation at DB business units and organizations. Upon acceptance, startups receive EUR 25'000 with zero equity taken, together with the 100-day guided acceleration program – including expert coaching and mentoring by the DB department - and a 24/7 access to the DB mindbox coworking space in Berlin center. The program presents the opportunity to test and accelerate emost Butler inside DB – with real DB data, in the real-world DB environment. The added value of emost Butler for DB was confirmed by the expert jury upon completion of the acceleration program. 

Comcast NBC Sportstech Accelerator welcomes Zatap/collectID
Zatap/collectID from Winterthur developed a platform for creating direct-to-customer connections for brands through “phygital” products, which allows the user to unlock engaging digital experiences by tapping the product with a smartphone, while enabling brands to build sophisticated customer profiles. Comcast NBCUniversal has selected the startup to be part of its SportsTech accelerator program from over 1500 applicants in 52 countries around the world. The six-month acceleration program provides founders with opportunities to collaborate with leaders from some of the world’s most recognized sports brands, including NBC Sports, NASCAR, the Premier League, PGA TOUR, Sky Sports, Comcast Spectacor, and US Olympic sports organizations. Since the first class in 2021, SportsTech alumni have achieved 132 pilots, partnerships, and commercial deals with consortium partners. The 2024 program will begin on 4 March in Florida with a roadshow of partner events and immersion experiences designed to deepen customer discovery. 

DuoKey and Saporo among the winners of the InCyber Awards
Organized by the InCyber FIC - Europe Forum, the InCyber Awards honors innovative European companies in the field of digital security and trust. Among this year's five winners are DuoKey and Saporo. Winner of the Growth Award, DuoKey specializes in encryption for cloud environments such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google and Salesforce. Thanks to an encryption solution based on secure multiparty computing (MPC), which divides and distributes encryption keys, DuoKey guarantees a high level of security for sensitive data, even in the event of unauthorized access or data leakage. A fast-growing company, DuoKey has already won over two of the world's largest automotive groups and one of the biggest names in Swiss watchmaking.

Winner of the Jury's Coup de Coeur award, Saporo helps organizations increase their cyber resilience by helping them anticipate how attackers can exploit identity weaknesses to reach critical assets. It enables them to identify all identity attack paths and prioritize actions to eliminate the greatest risks with minimum change.

Prior to the InCyber Forum awards ceremony, an event will be held on March 25 at the Swiss Embassy in Paris to highlight this year's winners. Swiss cybersecurity start-up Strong.network will also be on stage. The company won the very first Forum InCyber Awards two years ago.

Two Swiss start-ups among the Global Cleantech 100
The Global Cleantech 100 award recognizes private companies that are envisioned to make significant market and environmental impact over the next five to ten years to sprint to net-zero. The award attracts a high level of interest from many investors, as reflected in these numbers: since their founding Global Cleantech, 100 companies have raised $8.8 billion, and in 2023, the average equity round counted $21 million. 

Among the 2024 top 100 companies from 21 countries worldwide are two Swiss startups, Akselos and Bcomp. Lausanne-based startup Akselos provides engineering simulation software that is 1000X faster and 10x more accurate than legacy approaches when modelling large-scale assets. The company’s products help to optimize clients’ designs at an unprecedented scale, run condition-based monitoring and predictive maintenance programs, and safely extend the life of their assets, from wind turbines, and pressure vessels to large floating structures. With operations in Europe, the USA, and SouthEast Asia, Akselos serves more than 40 companies worldwide.  

Bcomp from Fribourg developed proprietary reinforcement technologies ampliTex and powerRibs used for making light and stiff composites that enable reduction of the environmental impact of products, thanks to weight reduction, dematerialisation, renewable raw materials, and viable end-of-life options. Bcomp is active in the automotive and mobility industry, motorsports, marine, sports, and other sectors.  

(Press releases / SR)