MassChallenge Switzerland Top 12 2020 Startups announced

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5th annual MassChallenge Switzerland program was held entirely online. However, this didn’t stop innovation. Over the course of the accelerator, 89 startups participated in 1081 one-to-one meetings during a Mentor Matching event, 192 meetings during Investors Day, 142 Demo Day and Partner Demo pitches, and 188 active corporate-startup exchanges. In addition, MassChallenge Switzerland opened up its curriculum to the broader ecosystem for the first time ever, which resulted in 1,107 total attendees participating expert workshops and seminars on core entrepreneurship topics.

The top startups were selected following an online pitch, in which they demonstrated their growth and impact to top corporate executives, industry, academia and innovation leaders from across the globe. The top startups will now move on to the final judging round that will determine the competition prize winners.

2020 MassChallenge Switzerland Top 12 Finalists

• AEROPOWDER (United Kingdom): Created pluumo, the world's first sustainable thermal packaging material made from surplus feathers, designed for food deliveries. 
• DePoly (Switzerland): We can close the loop of PET recycling, saving 2000 gallons of gasoline/ton of plastic & reduce the energy to make new PET bottles by 66%.
• Exomys - Augmented Humanity GmbH (Austria): Develops passive exoskeletons for industrial application. Our goal is to rise productivity and prevent occupational diseases.
• IBISA (Luxembourg): Enables the next generation of insurance for agriculture harnessing the use of satellite data and blockchain.
• Limula (Switzerland): Bringing gene-therapies to the people by enabling hospitals with an automated all-in-one manufacturing platform.
• Naturbeads (United Kingdom): Replaces fossil-fuel based polluting plastic microbeads with natural and biodegradable cellulose beads.
• Neustark (Switzerland): Creates climate positive construction materials by turning CO2 into minerals.
• Orange Fiber (Italy): Is the Italian company that patented and manufactures sustainable and innovative fabrics from citrus juice by-products.
• Readily3D (Switzerland): Readily3D develops the fastest 3D bioprinters in the world.
• SGMA (Sol-Gel Materials & Applications) (United Kingdom): SGMA barrier coating replaces plastic in potecting fibre &metal packaging. It is 100% plastic free, biodegradable, compostable & recyclable.
• TechnoCarbon (France): Disruptive technologies create a path forward towards sustainable architecture, industry and cities, protecting climate & life.
• Urban Connect (Switzerland): We deliver an ecosystem of shared low carbon vehicles to corporates that meets all their mobility needs.

The 12 finalists represent top startup trends in 2020: 

• Sustainable Food Systems (24%) including agri-tech, plant-based food & ingredients, precision nutrition, and more
• High Tech (22%) including fintech, enterprise technology, robotics, and the Internet of Things
• General (22%) including materials and advanced manufacturing
• Healthcare/Life Sciences (19%) including medical devices, therapeutics and more.
• Energy (9%) including water treatment and efficiency
• Social Impact (4%) including environment and public health

“MassChallenge believes we have a stronger future through collaborative innovation. Our role is to work with our experts and partners to find and select high-impact high-potential startups, and then equip these bold entrepreneurs to disrupt the status quo,” said Matt Lashmar, Managing Director of MassChallenge Switzerland. “The cohort of 2020 was our strongest ever, and I’d like to thank each of the founders for participating in the program. These entrepreneurs, together with our experts and partners, interacted at the highest level we’ve ever seen, despite working together entirely online. I believe this increased collaboration, at a time of unprecedented disruption, will enable our startups to create meaningful change in society.”

First Virtual Award Ceremony for MassChallenge Switzerland

MassChallenge Switzerland is hosting its first-ever virtual celebration of innovation and creativity. On the night MassChallenge will reveal which startups have won awards and cash prizes, and will also celebrate the best “Intrapreneur Team” from its corporate partners, and reveal who has mentored the top startups. On top of that, you’ll gain powerful insights from top business leaders on how entrepreneurship has helped society push through challenges of the past and helped us thrive through change. Join us on October 29th and log into the virtual Awards Ceremony to be part of our vibrant global innovation community - RSVP here.

(Press release)