Swiss industry leaders nominated in Forbes 30under30 Europe

 

The third annual edition of the 30under30 Europe is out. Among the 300 innovators from 34 countries is Switzerland, represented in the categories of Finance, industry, Science & Healthcare and Law & Politics. Swiss Startups on the list include Melonport, Goodwall and eeproperty.

 

Forbes 30under30 Europe features 300 young disruptors across a diverse list of categories, including, finance, industry, social entrepreneurship retail and e-commerce and technology. The list was compiled by the Forbes team of expert judges to present and celebrate the young industry leaders from Europe. Nominations have been made from 34 European countries including Switzerland, which is represented by eight innovators in the category of Finance, Social entrepreneurs, industry, science and Healthcare and law and Politics. These include;

Reto Trinkler – melonport (Finance)
Trinkler is a Blockchain developer with background in mathematics from ETH Zurich. He cofounded Melonport based in Crypto Valley Zug. Melonport uses blockchain technology to build software that enables users to set up and manage technology-regulated investment funds. The startup aims to reduce barriers to entry, impose more efficient regulation methods and increase transparency. As chairman, cofounder and tech lead, Trinkler leads the company'sdevelopment team.

Omar and Taha Bawa – Goodwall (Social entrepreneurs)
Brothers Omar and Taha Bawa cofounded Goodwall, a social media platform where students can showcase their academic and extracurricular achievements. The LinkedIn-like platform helps students connect with their peers, universities and scholarship opportunities.

Christophe Haldi – CEO and Founder, eeproperty (Industry)
Based in Yverdon-les-Bains in the Canton of Vaud, eeproperty offers connected building solutions for landlords. The company's system allows landlords to connect and manage interactions for their residents. The company also provides solutions for landlords to manage laundry systems within their buildings without the need for extra equipment.

Another startup with connections with Switzerland was listed, that is, Monetha. Founded by Laurynas Jokubaitis and Justas Pikelis, the company is developing a decentralized trust and reputation system for global commerce in combination with a mobile payment solution on the Ethereum blockchain. Sellers profit from a transparent reputation to boost their commerce, and buyers gain certainty while purchasing. Their ICO raised $37 million in 18 minutes.

Researchers from the ETH Zurichalso made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe. These include;
Nicholas Cohrs and Anastasios Petrou: the two developed a method to use 3D printing and medical imaging technologies to manufacture and evaluate a soft artificial heart, imitating the biological human heart in its form and function. They envision such artificial hearts could be individualized to the proper size for each patient.

Estefania Tapias and her team at ETH Zurich and at the Future Cities Laboratory in Singapore work on a project to map data on how residents of the tropical city experience heat. They aim to help urban planners improve the city's design and disperse heat more effectively.

Coming from the world of experimental particle physics, Jannis Fischer and Max Ahnen invented a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner the size of a vintage hair dryer that is 10 times less expensive than current models. They envision it could aid in early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

Other fields outside business and research also had a Swiss presentative. In Law and Politics, Flavia Kleiner, the cofounder of Operation Libero, was identified to be the industry leader of this category in Switzerand. Operation Libero is a movement promoting a pro-immigrant political platform in opposition to the populist Swiss People's Party. Operation Libero makes a case for fundamental principles of Swiss democracy and the rule of law as vital to an enlightened understanding of what democracy needs to be effective.

Picture from L-R: Reto Trinkler, Omar & Taha Bawa, Christophe Haldi and Laurynas Jokubaitis & Justas Pikelis

(ran)