Outstanding startup solutions receive prizes

Jury members in various competitions across Switzerland were particularly impressed by the solutions from five startups, awarding them the top prize.  Besides recognition, two winners also won a grant and secured a spot in an accelerator program to propel their development.

ImpactLab, the first incubator at the FHNW School of Business, offers student entrepreneurs a stage to present their business ideas to the jury to secure a place in the Talent Pitch competition in Zurich. At the Elevator Pitching Context, the students incubated in the Startup or Company Innovation Track of the ImpactLab pitched in front of a seven-member jury: the prize for the Startup Track went to Dominic Spalinger, founder of PlaynVoice, the company offering a platform that listens, transcribes patient conversations and generates medical documents. By eliminating manual documentation, the company saves medical practitioners up to 8 hours per week.

CLIMADA wins Zurich Innovation Championship 2024
For the fifth time, Zurich invited start-ups in the financial services industry worldwide to apply for the Zurich Innovation Championship, its annual competition offering collaboration opportunities to grow their businesses. More than 3,300 applications were submitted, from which nine outstanding startups from the EMEA, North America, Latin America, Europe and APAC regions were selected. ETH spinoff CLIMADA was chosen to tackle the challenge 'Commercial Insurance'. The climate risk analytics company developed a scalable software solution to efficiently deliver forward-looking analysis for the exposed locations of a client, covering the most acute and chronic hazards. The Climada team together with its peers will enter a four-month accelerator program to pilot the practical viability of their initiatives and prepare a business plan together with the Zurich business units that selected them. 

Solarsplit wins first place at Prix SUD 2024
Le Temps and its main partner Romande Energie hosted the Prix de la Start-Up Durable 2024 to reward a Swiss startup developing sustainable products or services. Solarsplit's project impressed jury members and the public, winning the 6th edition prize, which includes in-depth coverage of its activities by Le Temp’s editorial team, ongoing support for a whole year to develop and deploy an effective communications strategy (in the form of workshops with experts) and a 6-month subscription to Impact Hub's co-working spaces. The Neuchâtel-based startup aims to bring together homeowners, installers and investors via its mobile app to encourage the development of solar energy. Once the user has defined their project, they will receive multiple quotes from installers, with a scoring system for each quote, hence facilitating your decision-making process.This approach aims to democratise access to solar energy by making the process of installing photovoltaic panels simpler, faster and more profitable. Sofar, the company has 11 installers and has monitored 1124 assets.

Novigenix crowned best 2024 technology innovation in oncology
Novigenix, a pioneer in AI-driven healthcare solutions, was awarded with ‘Best 2024 Technology Innovation’ in oncology by the MATWIN Board, the premier European convention dedicated to innovation in cancer treatment. This recognition underscores Novigenix’s pivotal role in transforming cancer care through technological innovation and AI-driven solutions. The Lausanne-based startup is leveraging advanced AI and RNA analysis of liquid biopsy to provide precise insights into patient immune responses to cancer treatments. Insights into the dynamic nature of the patient’s immune response pave the way for significant therapeutic discoveries by incorporating perspectives of patient immunity and host reactions, a relatively new concept in the field.

MC² Finance awarded a grant from Ripple to build on XRP Ledger
MC² Finance is the world’s first regulatory-aligned digital asset portfolio creation platform, aiming to democratise access to advanced analytics, foster transparent and accountable investment discussions, and simplify the investment process for everyone. The Zug-based startup received a grant from Ripple, the leader in enterprise blockchain and crypto solutions, to build on XRP Ledger, an open-source, public blockchain. Ripple's powerful institutional connections and extensive network, along with its status as a top 10 token, provide a solid foundation for building MC² Finance’s platform.

(SR/RAN)
Image: SolarSplit team at Prix de la Durable award ceremony