Discover the Highlights of February: Your Essential Newsletter Digest!

Few Days Left to Apply for our Early-stage Accelerator ??

Our Early-Stage Accelerator will close applications this Wednesday, February 28th. Feel free to share with startups in need of support and help us spread the news! By engaging or sharing this post .

We welcome early-stage startups with high potential and high-impact solutions across all sectors and markets!

To apply ?? https://masschallenge.org/programs-switzerland/ As a non-profit organization, everything we give away requires no fees or equity.

Latest Alumni Highlights ???

• Pacifico Biolabs Secures $3.3M to “Transform Seafood ” with Whole Cut Alternatives. With the capital, the startup plans to improve and further scale its “unique” biomass fermentation process to make mycelium-based whole-cut alternatives, starting with seafood. In addition, it will expand its team with?key positions, such as a CTO and chief of staff.
• Financial boost for Logmind. The Lausanne-based startup?Logmind?has?secured its?seed?financing round , led by?Spicehaus?Partners and backed by angel investors from four different countries. The funds will accelerate R&D efforts and the commercialization of?Logmind’s cloud-based log data analysis platform.?
• Sixteen fast-growing high-tech Swiss companies from various industries have been selected to participate in the 3rd round of the LeadiNNg to Scale Up program, which kicked off on 23 January 2024 at IMD. We're happy to discover 4 Alumni among the selected startups. Aspivix , Limula , RigiTech and Smeetz . The LeadiNNg to Scale Up program is designed to fill a gap in Switzerland’s innovation support ecosystem.
• Hamburg: COLIPI Receives €1.8M in Seed Financing to Further Develop CO2-Neutral Oil.
• BioAlps features a new application from Biospectral in this article: Monitor your blood pressure with OptiBP.
• GeoPard to work with Indigo Ag to Advance Sustainable and Regenerative Agriculture and improve yield outcomes for farmers and agribusinesses globally through its Carbon and Biological programs.
• Veridis secures funding from NETZSCH and DOEN Participates to bring the new quality measurement standard (MADSCAN) to the market, thus making recycled plastics the norm by 2030.
• Crimagno has won the Green Product Award, with their beautiful KOBI shoes, during the Fashion Award Ceremony 2024 .
• Inulox officially becomes Zya and gets to be featured in Wired. Zya has already raised ￡4.1 to turn the sugar you eat into fiber .
• Check this interview with NoPalm in the Vegconomist , telling us how their oils and fats have a dramatically lower impact on nature, climate, and biodiversity.

Upcoming

? >>Venture>> Startup Competition - Before February 28

If you're an early-stage startup or nonprofit organization looking for non-dilutive funding and mentorship, check out our friends at >>venture>> Startup Competition , Switzerland's leading startup competition.

With your innovative business or nonprofit idea, you have the chance to win up to CHF 150,000 in cash prizes plus a McKinsey & Company consulting package.

Participating in the competition provides you with the necessary groundwork, funding, connections, and guidance that will help prepare and shape your business.

If you're ready to venture forward, the submission deadline is February 28, 2024. To learn more and apply visit at www.venture.ch .

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? Pitch at the F&A Next Summit - Before February 29 - Summit on May 22-23, Wageningen, Netherlands

Startup opportunity - apply here until 29 February to pitch on stage!

Embark on a transformative journey with F&A Next 2024, where innovation meets food and agriculture in a symphony of thought leadership, groundbreaking insights, and impact networking.

The F&A Next program is carefully curated across dynamic tracks, each exploring crucial facets of the agrifood sector's future.

Secure your ticket here . Get 15% discount on your Early-bird before March 13, and an extra 10% discount with our MassChallenge code: nMAS24-d

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? pitch at the START Summit 2024 - Before March 3 - Summit on March 21-22, St Gallen

Startup opportunity - don't miss out on applying to their Pitching Competition!

Ready to build with the best?? We're excited to announce our participation at START Summit 2024, one of Europe’s largest early-stage startup and tech conferences in St. Gallen, Switzerland, from March 20th to 22nd! Among the 6,000 participants, you'll find over 800 startups and 900 prominent investors, along with a lineup of over 150 speakers such as Matt Cohler (Benchmark), Philipp Schr?der (1KOMMA5°), and Judith Dada (La Famiglia). Additionally, you'll have unrestricted access to the next generation of Europe’s top talent!

Secure your ticket here ! Plus, enjoy an additional 30% off with the code: MASSCHALLENGE30

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? BusinessIn - Sustainable Food System - March 7, Lugano

BusinessIn.ch is a platform connecting innovation players during events targeting SMEs/startups.

Over the period 2021-24, the federal agency Innosuisse has mandated BusinessIn at a national level with the program Business in Sustainable Foodtech in connecting foodtech SMEs/startups to R&D actors.

The event in Lugano in March 2024 proposes to ask the right questions in a company active in the food industry along the value chain from food production to food consumption, on how to foster sustainability of the food ecosystem, thanks for example to resource, waste and offer management.

Get your ticket here , and get a 20 % discount with the code MCBI2024.

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? Rethinking Material Summit -?Special Early-bird discount - Before March 7 - Summit on May 14-15, London

Join us at Rethinking Materials ! This international event provides a platform to connect leaders developing and scaling sustainable alternative materials and circular solutions for consumer goods.

The summit recently launched a call for startups. Opportunities include pitching on-stage and showcasing in the exhibition, find out more: www.rethinkingmaterials.com/start-ups .

Use our code MCS10 to receive ￡600 off your summit pass, . Start-ups are also eligible for discounted rates, get in touch to find out more: www.rethinkingmaterials.com

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? TECH4Eva - The Global Femtech Accelerator - Before March 15

Calling all Femtech pioneers around the world ?? The equity free?Tech4Eva - The global Femtech accelerator ?is open for applications!

Embark on a 6-month journey to revolutionize women's health. We accept applications across a wide range of sectors ?? Apply Now! Join their 4th cohort to bring your start-up to the next level.? More info here .

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? Swiss Biotech Day 2024 - April 22-23, Congress Center Basel

Let's meet at the Swiss Biotech Day 2024 on April 22-23 in Basel!

The Swiss Biotech Day is a premier biotechnology conference in Europe, attracting professionals from the global life sciences community. In 2024, it will once again provide a platform for networking, engaging discussions, and the exploration of advancements in R&D, manufacturing, data management, artificial intelligence, and innovative financing. Check out the event page for information and registration .

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? Sustainable Food Solutions Challenge - Finale ?? - June 5, Renens

The Sustainable Food Solutions Challenge is our later-stage matchmaking contest for startups in FoodTech and AgTech with MVPs and ready to scale up. They meet our Corporate Partners and global Leaders from the Food and Sustainable Industries. This Challenge encourages collaborative discussions from March to June.

We invite you to witness the 8 collaborative pitches between our Corporate Partners and the 2024 selected Startups. Join us here .

??Learn more and get regular community tools and opportunities on our Community Newsletter here .