W. A. de Vigier awards the five winners on air

The W. A de Vigier 2020 startup competition has ended. From 192 submitted applications, the selection committee identified the top 60 startups that presented their ideas to the jury. While only 16 made it to the shortlist and ten to the final round, five have taken home the award prize. The most dominant sector this year was cleantech – four of the winners are that are developing sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions.

The Winners are

Bloom Biorenewables AG (Marly, FR) –Sustainable Alternatives to Fossil-Based Molecules
Petroleum is found in most everyday products, which negatively affects the environment. Bloom found a way to transform wood and agricultural waste into renewable materials that entirely replace petroleum. Thanks to this solution, companies have a green and locally available alternative, reach eco-conscious customers, meet government guidelines, save on C02 taxes and help tackle climate change.

FenX AG (Zurich) – Sustainable High-Performance Insulation for the Building Industry
When choosing insulation materials, the building industry has to compromise on either price, flammability or ecological impact. At FenX we found a way to turn industrial waste into handy and high-performance insulation panels that are safe, non-flammable and have a minimal carbon footprint. Thanks to their solution, the startup provides excellent insulation that fulfils all the market requirements in terms of safety and green labels, at a low cost.

Oxara AG (Zurich) - Transforming Excavation Materials Into Sustainable Building Products
Every building project begins with digging out tons of dirt. While there is insufficient landfill space for the excavation waste, there is a shortage of concrete needed for building. Oxara developed a chemical mixture that turns excavation waste into eco-friendly building material. This saves the building industry millions in landfill costs and provides it with enough sustainable material for construction.

EH Group Engineering AG (Prangins, VD) - Innovative Fuel Cell Technology for Clean Energy
Hydrogen power would be a strong and clean power source; however, it is too expensive, complex and unreliable to be widely used in the market. EH Group developed a technology that harnesses the power of hydrogen in a compact, reliable way at low cost and minimal initial investment. The solution enables major manufacturers in the automotive, aviation and maritime industries to get ahead of their competitors.

Microcaps AG (Zurich) – Precise Microencapsulation on an Industrial Scale
Making sure that drugs are released in the affected part of the body and at a specific rate is a huge challenge, because the size of the capsules that deliver these active ingredients is uncontrollable. At Microcaps we developed a patented technology that enables the size control of these microcapsules with Swiss precision, hence they all behave exactly the same. This means we can directly tailor and predict the release profile of a drug. Our solution is also highly relevant for fragrances, flavours and probiotics.

A video of the award ceremony including a speech by Peter Brabeck-Letmathe can be watched on Youtube. 

(Press release/RAN)