Transitioning towards a circular economy

Linear business models are putting enormous stress on the environment and resources, which are becoming more difficult to extract. Switzerland’s high level of resource consumption requires new entrepreneurial ideas and business models that aim to implement the principle of the circular economy.

To facilitate the transition, Impact Hubs in Switzerland in collaboration with Sanu durabilitas and Mava foundation, have jointly launched the Circular Economy (CE) incubator, an initiative designed to support and provide grounds for developing sustainable business models and social and technical innovations.

“The initiative is a first step to reinforce the links and synergies between key players nationally, to create a single growing community and thus contribute to the positioning of Switzerland as a leading country in sustainable innovation,” says Viktor Vogt, correspondent Impact Hub Zürich & Circular Economy Switzerland.

The CE Incubator program enables individuals and startups to prototype and develop innovative solutions that aim to accelerate the transition towards Circular Economy in Switzerland. During the program, six entrepreneurs from each of the participating cities, Bern, Zurich, Basel and Geneva will work on implementing their solutions and validating their business models, with the support from high-level mentors, experts and impact investors.

The projects are selected based on their impact, the degree of innovation, the feasibility of the business modal, implementation capacity and team commitment. The program runs from January to April 2019 after which the entrepreneurs present their solutions to the audience at the Demo Day. Up to three outstanding startups will have the opportunity to benefit from an additional four months of acceleration to bring their solutions to another level.

Registration is now open until 11 November 2018.

(RAN)