VENTURE - Companies for Tomorrow

VENTURE - Companies for Tomorrow >>venture>> is Switzerland's leading annual startup competition.

🚀 From cutting plastic waste with scissors to building an industrial recycling plant.Every startup has a moment when an ...
03/08/2026

🚀 From cutting plastic waste with scissors to building an industrial recycling plant.

Every startup has a moment when an idea starts to become something bigger.

For DePoly, that journey began with a simple but ambitious question: Could plastic waste be transformed back into its original building blocks?

After hundreds of experiments—and countless setbacks—the team proved it could.

Winning >>venture>> in 2019 marked an important milestone.

As CEO and co-founder Samantha Anderson recalls: "For us, it was a decisive moment—it showed we were on the right track."

Since then, DePoly has continued to scale its technology, moving from laboratory experiments to industrial production and bringing the vision of a truly circular plastics economy one step closer to reality.

Stories like DePoly's remind us that breakthrough innovation rarely happens overnight. It takes persistence, resilience, and a community that believes in bold ideas.

📖 Read the full interview with Samantha Anderson in our 2025 Annual Report:https://www.venture.ch/_files/ugd/d3dc8c_9f8627f8989647c982d1c254bb996acf.pdf

30/07/2026

☀️ Summer Series | Industrials & Engineering

The best engineering breakthroughs rarely happen overnight.

As jury member Patrik Eigenmann puts it in this video, truly great ideas are often the result of countless iterations rather than a single moment of inspiration. And according to Nathalie Casas, that spirit of perseverance was evident throughout this year's Industrials & Engineering semi-finalists.

🎥 Watch as they reflect on the passion, commitment, and remarkable diversity of the ideas presented during Jury Round 2, from semiconductors to food packaging and beyond.

One startup stood out all the way to the very end of the competition: EDWATEC. Later selected by our Advisory Board as the winner of the Industrials & Engineering vertical—and ultimately awarded the >>venture>> 2026 Grand Prize—the startup is addressing one of today's most pressing environmental challenges. Its electrochemical water treatment technology removes persistent PFAS ("forever chemicals") without the need for intensive chemical processes, offering a scalable and more sustainable solution for clean water.

It's a powerful reminder that world-changing innovation isn't just about having a brilliant idea. It's about the perseverance to keep improving it until it can make a real difference.

Congratulations once again to EDWATEC on this remarkable achievement, and to Aithon Robotics and Cria Technologies for earning their place among this year's outstanding finalists. 👏

💡 "Innovation is not a concept that is positive per se."It's a statement that challenges one of the most common assumpti...
27/07/2026

💡 "Innovation is not a concept that is positive per se."

It's a statement that challenges one of the most common assumptions in entrepreneurship.

In our 2025 Annual Report, Peter Maurer—former President of the International Committee of the Red Cross and member of the >>venture>> advisory board—shares why innovation alone doesn't create progress.

Technology can solve problems. But it can also create new ones.

The real question isn't how innovative an idea is—it's how that innovation is introduced, who is involved, and whether society is ready to embrace it.

As Peter Maurer puts it: "Innovation requires social embedding. It must be accompanied by dialogue, consensus-building, and the involvement of those who will live with its consequences."

For founders, this is an important reminder: building a great product is only part of the challenge. Creating lasting impact means engaging stakeholders, understanding context, and thinking beyond the technology itself.

At >>venture>>, we believe the strongest startups combine scientific excellence with responsible entrepreneurship.

💬 Do you agree? Can innovation ever be truly successful without societal acceptance?

📖 Read Peter Maurer's full interview in our 2025 Annual Report:https://www.venture.ch/_files/ugd/d3dc8c_9f8627f8989647c982d1c254bb996acf.pdf

23/07/2026

☀️ Summer Series | Consumer Solutions

"They're all people who really want to achieve something. They're very bold. They really want to create a better world."

That is how jury member Rolf Hiltl describes the startups that stood out during Jury Round 2 in the Consumer Solutions vertical.

His fellow juror, Catarina Dahlin, looks for something equally essential: founders with genuine passion for their mission and the confidence to turn it into reality.

Together, their reflections paint a picture of this year's finalists — TruLux, HALA and OptiZone — entrepreneurs driven not only by innovation, but by purpose.

A fitting example is TruLux, which was later selected by our Advisory Board as the Consumer Solutions winner. The startup is tackling one of the luxury industry's biggest challenges: trust. Using AI-powered visual authentication, TruLux enables brands, retailers and consumers to instantly verify the authenticity of high-value goods with nothing more than a smartphone, making resale safer, protecting brand value and helping genuine products remain in circulation for longer. It's a bold vision that combines cutting-edge technology with a more transparent and sustainable future for commerce.

Congratulations to TruLux on winning the Consumer Solutions vertical, and to HALA and OptiZone for earning their place among this year's finalists. 👏

🚀 A new competition format for a milestone year.As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of >>venture>> with our 2027 editio...
20/07/2026

🚀 A new competition format for a milestone year.

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of >>venture>> with our 2027 edition, we're making it easier than ever for founders to enter Switzerland's leading startup competition.

The biggest change? A simpler application process.

Instead of submitting a full startup plan from day one, every team will start with one simple online application form. The form is structured around our six core jury criteria: Innovation, Technology & Product, Market, Sustainability, Business Model, and Team. Only the Top 200 teams will then be invited to submit a comprehensive startup plan in the second stage.

With this streamlined process comes a new timeline:

📅 Applications open: October 1, 2026
📅 Applications close: November 30, 2026

The application window is now 2 months instead of 5. While the submission period is shorter, the first step is significantly lighter—allowing founders to spend less time on paperwork and more time building their ventures.

What isn't changing? The things that have made >>venture>> Switzerland's leading startup competition for the past 30 years:
✨ Six industry verticals
🏆 The Spotlight Award
💰 CHF 590,000 in non-dilutive prize money
🚀 A platform that connects ambitious founders with expert jurors, mentors, investors, and the wider startup ecosystem.

A new format. The same commitment to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Mark your calendars—we'll see you on October 1st.

13/07/2026

☀️ Summer Series | Business & Finance

What does it take to stand out in the eyes of the >>venture>> jury?

Over the summer, we're revisiting the videos from our Award Ceremony, where our Jury Round 2 members shared what impressed them most about this year's finalists. We begin with the Business & Finance vertical.

🎥 In this video, jury member Lukas Weber, Head Corporate Affairs & Projects at Bank Vontobel, reflects on what guided the selection of the three finalists: RegCheck, reilo and UAC Labs.

For Lukas, it always starts with the team. He is impressed by founders who bring the energy, motivation and dedication to leave the comfort of corporate careers to build something they truly believe in. And while trends evolve—from robo-advisors to blockchain and now AI—what ultimately sets a startup apart is a strong value proposition.

RegCheck is a strong example of these qualities. Later selected by our Advisory Board as the winner of the Business & Finance vertical, the startup was founded by experts in AI, regulatory compliance and business development. Together, they have developed an AI-powered platform that helps companies navigate complex regulatory requirements more efficiently. Their complementary expertise, combined with strong support from Innosuisse, Microsoft for Startups and the ETH Zürich Start-up programme, has enabled them to transform deep technical know-how into a solution addressing a clear market need.

Congratulations once again to the entire RegCheck team on winning the Business & Finance vertical, and to reilo and UAC Labs for making this year's finals. 👏

Stay tuned as we continue our summer series, celebrating the exceptional startups that made it to the 2026 >>venture>> finals.

Kickstart Your Career in Life Sciences! Join the 3-day PharmaCamp case challenge from 16th to 18th September in Basel!Ph...
08/07/2026

Kickstart Your Career in Life Sciences! Join the 3-day PharmaCamp case challenge from 16th to 18th September in Basel!

PharmaCamp is an association dedicated to helping those in academia transition into careers within the pharmaceutical industry through industry visits and our flagship event, The Challenge.

The Challenge is a three-day event where interdisciplinary teams collaborate to solve a real-world problem proposed by a pharmaceutical company. The competition combines scientific, business, regulatory, and strategic elements, offering an excellent networking opportunity for anyone interested in an industry career. Additionally, cash prizes are awarded to the winning team.

Feel free to check out their website or follow them on LinkedIn if you want to stay updated on their program: https://www.pharmacamp.ch/

PS: Travel expenses and accommodation have to be guaranteed by the participants.

The application deadline is July 15th―in just one week!

Still riding the high from an unforgettable event! ⭐Yesterday’s winners were, quite simply, la crème de la crème, and we...
16/06/2026

Still riding the high from an unforgettable event! ⭐

Yesterday’s winners were, quite simply, la crème de la crème, and we couldn’t be prouder to stand behind such bold, groundbreaking startups.

🏆So here they are: our six vertical winners, each taking home CHF 50,000 to keep building what’s next:

💼 Business & Finance – RegCheck
🛍️ Consumer Solutions – Trulux
⚙️ Industrials & Engineering – Edwatec
🩺 MedTech & Healthcare – Actival
🧬 Biotech & Pharma – Baxiva
🌻 Social & Environmental Impact – Botana AI

🙌 Congratulations to all six for the dedication, ambition, and sheer hard work that got them here. We hope this journey give you the momentum to keep building!

Months of pitch training, mentoring, and relentless work have led to this one moment. 🏆It’s our greatest pleasure to ann...
15/06/2026

Months of pitch training, mentoring, and relentless work have led to this one moment. 🏆

It’s our greatest pleasure to announce the most anticipated winner of this year’s edition… 🥁 Edwatec! The CHF 150,000 goes to the most promising early-stage startup in Switzerland. Congratulations, this is so well deserved! 👏

Thank you to every participant, juror, mentor, advisory board member, and supporter who made this edition unforgettable. And what an edition it was: 451 submissions this year! 💥

Stay tuned for a full recap of the day: photos, highlights, and the complete rankings for everyone who couldn’t be with us live.

Straight from the Award Ceremony stage, the Audience Award results are in! 🥁The public has spoken, and CINDER has won yo...
15/06/2026

Straight from the Award Ceremony stage, the Audience Award results are in! 🥁

The public has spoken, and CINDER has won your hearts and the popular vote! Congratulations on rallying the crowd and taking home the Audience Award of CHF 10’000! 👏⭐

Stay with us, our Grand Prize winner is just moments away. Turn on notifications so you don’t miss it! 🔔

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