THE ACCELERATOR LAUNCH
MassChallenge Switzerland
Accelerating high impact startups in collaboration with 20+ Corporate Partners & 400+ independent experts.
The 2023 Accelerator has opened applications until March 1st
With?610 startups supported?so far, the Accelerator is still attracting more and more early-stage startups each year. In 2023, there will be?new benefits for the finalists, like a new cash Prize, and more in-person events with our partners.
Share the news with startups you know!?
You can relay the message to startups who could benefit from our program, by sharing one of our?LinkedIn posts , emailing the startups you think would be a fit, or adding the news to your own newsletter. Here's a?toolkit with all the info ?you need.
"It was THE best experience meeting like-minded entrepreneurs and innovators, while also having the opportunity to create amazing corporate connections!" -?Dr. Taraka Ramji Moturu, Ph.D., CEO of?Peelon .
New Louis Dreyfus Company Climate Resilience Prize
CHF 100,000 non-dilutive cash prize to support?startups?in agriculture and food value chains
We are very excited to announce the new?Louis Dreyfus Company Climate Resilience Prize .
Thanks to this prize, this year,?startups?in agrifood tech?following our?accelerator?will have the opportunity to win CHF 100k more, to help tackle the climate and?sustainability issues we face.?Early-stage startups?have to apply?through the Accelerator?and?later-stage?startups, above $2M funding,?can apply here .
Alumni above $2M in funding can apply
As a startup in Agrifood Tech, you have a new collaboration opportunity!
Sustainable Food Solutions Challenge
has closed applications, here are some insights
514 startups?have applied this year.
Why are we doing this?
The food value chain, accounts for?c. 25-30% of total Green House Gas emissions, and according to the IPCC, observed climate change is already affecting food security through increasing temperatures, and changing rain patterns, and a greater frequency of some extreme events.?
MassChallenge believes startups and corporations can help this effort.?Startups can play a unique role in bringing new disruptive ideas to the table. Corporations can play a critical role in scaling these ideas, thus bringing benefits to society at high speed.?
NEXT STEPS?
MCCH Impact Report 2022
See the numbers and get more insights into what we accomplished in 2022. Both the Accelerator and the Sustainable Food Challenge were a success last year. Now available on our Swiss web page, you can?read the full report here .
Community?
MIXTERESTING ,?with their digital mixing master, helps to develop CO2 friendly concrete 10x faster through virtual simulation of promising concrete mixtures. It has been ranked among the?Top 50 Contech Startups ?in 2023 redefining the construction technology ecosystem!?
Adiposs ,?with?their ImageBAT, first-in-class medical imaging product for brown adipose tissue, and? Limula ,?on a mission to provide the most personalized cancer treatments to patients in need, at reasonable costs, are both featured as one of the?13 biotech companies to discover in the Swiss Health Valley in 2023. Read the?whole article here .
Limula?is also now partnering with? CSEM ?to automate the production of CAR T cells. CSEM supports Lausanne-based start-up Limula in its mission to make cell therapies more affordable. The technology developed enables the automated production of CAR T and other cell therapies at scale. The prototype is now going toward pre-industrial stage.?Read more here .
michroma ,?the ingredient biotech startup, is on track to expand and scale fungal food colors platform, and closes $6.4 Million Seed Round to Bring Novel Food Coloring to Market!?Read more here.
"We see compelling market and consumer potential for Michroma's fungal platform to create next-generation natural ingredients, from colorants to flavors, that are healthier and more sustainable while maximizing production efficiency.?We are excited by the speed and skill with which they are building out their capabilities. Even more so, in light of the current disruption of supply chains globally, we believe Michroma is laying the foundation for the sustainable ingredients of the future."
Said?Noramay Cadena, Supply Change Capital’s Managing Director and Michroma Board Member. (ref. here )
Psigryph Inc. ?has achieved another step and announces the formation of its inaugural scientific advisory board, PsiSAB. The team includes academic and industrial scientists and product developers with expertise that cover all major areas of the potential applications of their Nanopect? technology.?Press release here .?Redefining the way we deliver bioactive molecules across the cell membrane, the patent-pending Nanopect? nanodelivery system can transport large numbers of molecules across cell membranes of plants, animals, and humans.
Ocean Twist Biotechnology ?has closed an angel round of €625,000 led by our partner? CDP Venture Capital SGR .?With a previous seed?round of?€200,000, they are now ready to develop their sustainable, high-performance aquaculture feed! (ref. Crunchbase )?Discover their potential impact here .
Aspivix ?receives U.S. FDA Clearance for Carevix?, Their Novel Cervical Stabilizer. Mathieu Horras, Chief Executive Officer of ASPIVIX emphasized: “With the 510(k) clearance of Carevix?, a design-award winning device, we will provide our U.S. users with an innovative and easy-to-use system that brings a gentler alternative to a century-old gynecological tool."?Read more here .
BIOWEG ?and? Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. ?announce a partnership to develop cost-effective and efficacious bio-based materials to reduce the use of microplastic pollutants.?The two companies seek to develop green and clean alternatives to synthetic polymers.?Read more here .
Ginko had previously worked with Givaudan on a?series of ingredients ,?read our article here ?to see how Givaudan successfully works with many MCCH startups.
Highlight
Why an ETHZ researcher founded a startup to tackle waste in the olive oil industry
Read this article about the founder of?Gaia Tech , among the 12 Winners 2022
领英推荐
Upcoming Events
F&A Next Summit
May 24-25 |?Wageningen, Netherlands
APPLY TO PITCH HERE ?- before March 6
F&A Next is a two-day, not-for-profit summit catalyzing sustainable food and agriculture innovation. About 700 of the world’s brightest minds in agrifoodtech gather at F&A next to drive the industry forward with advanced, sustainable innovations. With the shared belief that transformation is achieved by joint effort, the summit is organized by leading players in the industry, among which Wageningen University & Research, Rabobank, Anterra Capital, StartLife, MassChallenge Switzerland, and many more.
BOOK YOUR TICKET HERE ?(You'll have 10% discount through MassChallenge, even on early-bird tickets. As we are still waiting for the discount code, simply write to us at [email protected] and we'll send it to you.)
FoodHack Summit
May 11-12 | Lausanne
APPLY TO PITCH HERE ?- before March 20
The two winning pitches will receive a?$100k USD investment?from?HackCapital ?(Subject to due diligence), along with additional fundraising and media support to maximize their growth.
Last year's winners included 2 MassChallenge Switzerland winners:?Michroma ?and?NoPalm Ingredients ?(creating sustainable microbial oils).
Bridge2Food Summits
Apply for pitches in one of these seven categories:?vegan cheese, meat-free, fish-free, egg-free, plant-protein innovation, plant-based oil & fat innovation, or new ingredient processing innovation.?Unique opportunity to meet with top people and other creative entrepreneurs, as hundreds of people attend each Summit. In addition, you will benefit from the 1-to-1 networking hours and connecting with 75+ speakers across all events.?Sign up?here ?to express your interest for a 5-min pitch at one or more of the?Bridge2Food?Summits 2023.??
BusinessIn Sustainable Foodtech
Optimizing Resources
March 30 | Zürich
It is the?launching event?of the Food vertical in the connecting platform?Innovation Zurich . Discover innovation opportunities thanks to the connection with R&D centers.
Community Info
OUR NEW LINKEDIN GROUP - JOIN US NOW And share your news, resources, services, job offers, with the Community! Follow us on LinkedIn!
Rent affordable fitted and equipped Lab Space?for Your Startup at?House of Lab Science ! Join the trend in the Kemptthal foodtech & biotech cluster with big names like Givaudan, Bühler and Planted! Our?2nd location ?in?The Valley Kemptthal? will be ready for you in 2024 and rental contracts are now open. Book your lab by June 1st 2023 and receive a free 10h consulting package worth CHF 3000 to help grow your business. Learn more at?www.houseoflabscience.world ?or [email protected]
Are you looking to form a board or willing to join one??Contact us to be linked directly to the Board Academy ?and get straightforward training.?
The? BioAlps - Life Sciences Cluster ???? ?directory can help you find potential partners in the?Swiss Health Valley.?Discover their useful tool here .
Arboretica ,?has launched a very interesting article about Cop27 and its biases. Arboretica’s team of data analysts examined popular articles and Twitter media around COP27, performing network analyses on the main topics discussed, the most influential people, and the most engaging content driving conversations, to determine which people, topics, and terms dominated the conversation.
Did you know that engagement around conference content peaks 2 weeks before the conference itself, or that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak generated more Twitter engagement than any other individual? Read their article here .
Keep posted on our web page https://masschallenge.org/programs-switzerland/