Clima Now bestows CHF100’000 onto Terra Preta

This year's Clima Now Spotlight, with a total jury prize of 175,000 Swiss francs and an audience prize of 15,000 Swiss francs, was centered around the theme of "Swiss FOODprint," aiming to idedntify and award projects dedicated to minimizing carbon emissions in the food sector. An expert jury composed of individuals from various sectors, including industry, science, the startup ecosystem, and impact investing, handpicked 19 projects featured on the Clima Now Wall of Fame. Through a public vote, seven projects earned the opportunity to present their solutions at the Pitch Night, with three projects standing out.

The first-place award prize of CHF 100’000 was bestowed onto Terra Preta, founded by Thomas Käslin, Juan David Gonzalez, Marcel Rohner, and David Bachmann. This startup's mission is to achieve carbon removal through the deployment of mobile and cost-effective reactors, with carbon removal measurement and verification performed via a digital control system. Terra Preta collaborates with coffee and cocoa traders to enhance farmers' profit margins by enabling large-scale decentralized biochar production in the Global South. They provide net-zero-committed companies with credible climate action in the form of transparent and permanent carbon removal credits, delivering social and environmental co-benefits to rural communities in the Global South.

Securing the second-place prize of CHF 50,000, ProSeed is on a mission to revolutionize the food industry by upcycling brewery by-products into high-value raw materials for food ingredient production. The startup offers breweries an innovative solution to transform their by-products into food-grade raw materials for protein- and fiber-rich ingredients, such as pasta and meat alternatives. This not only generates additional revenue for breweries but also reduces waste.

SmartRegenAg, the third-place winner, was awarded CHF 25,000.
Approximately 60% of food production emissions are attributed to agriculture. SmartRegenAg addresses this challenge by helping farmers enhance soil resilience, increase yields, and sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Participating farmers receive coaching, data, and tools to transition to regenerative agricultural practices and are compensated for every ton of carbon they sequester in the soil. The SmartRegenAg team, comprising ten members, aspires to inspire 1,000 farmers to become pioneers in regenerative agriculture, with a goal of sequestering 200,000 tons of CO2eq over three years.

Audience award
The Audience Award was bestowed upon Voltiris, which employs solar modules on greenhouses to harness excess light generated by photosynthesis in plants to produce solar energy. This innovative approach enhances greenhouse efficiency and reduces dependence on external energy sources.

Photo credit: Henrik Nielsen