The newly selected winners of the i4Challenge accelerator are working on diverse solutions ranging from high-resolution printed electronics for robotics, more efficient fuel cells, to the next-generation global supply chain and building water supply management solutions. Four of them hail from Switzerland, including an academic institution.
Now in its seventh edition, the i4Challenge accelerator is an initiative of the Industrial Transformation team of Basel Area Business & Innovation aiming to support startups, SMEs and individual innovators who want to bring their industry 4.0 project to market. The program allows them to develop proof of concepts, define business models, develop and test their solutions, while building their network with established companies to support their market success.
Six projects from three countries have been selected by the jury. “The latest selected projects join the more than 50 companies that I have had the privilege of supporting over the seven years of the competition,” said Sébastien Meunier, Director of Industrial Transformation at Basel Area Business & Innovation.
The new cohort comprises the following projects:
Authena | Zug – supports brands in fighting against product counterfeiting and diversion through an advanced Authenticity and Traceability as a Service platform. By integrating IoT sensors, AI and blockchain into supply chain management, its platform enables real-time tracking and ambient condition monitoring down to the single-unit level.
Inveel | Villigen (AG) – provides technology for low-cost and high-speed production of extreme high-resolution printed electronics. Its primary customers are robotics companies for proximity sensors and robot gripper companies using its touch sensors, which benefit from Inveel’s advanced sensory skin technology, enhancing robots’ precision and safety.
Manukai | Zurich – developed software makes the process of turning CAD designs for metal machining into machine instructions faster and more efficient. It significantly reduces the wear of machining tools and increases production speed and part quality.
The team at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Fribourg is developing a patented, multi-stage gas separation device using palladium-coated graphene membranes. This technology aims to significantly improve the long-term efficiency of fuel cells required for the general replacement of combustion engines.
Shayp | Brussels – developed an IoT-enabled SaaS platform that provides water consumption insights in buildings, allowing managers to eliminate water waste and related anomalies and improve building water efficiency by up to 22%.
DatenBerg | Karlsruhe – offers software that enables companies to successfully collect, store and analyze their machine and quality data to optimize the operation, monitoring and process planning of their production lines.
(Press release/RAN)
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The new Swiss Venture Capital Report was published on 26 January. It analyses 304 financing rounds closed in 2020 and includes further article such as an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, and a list of Swiss "soonicorns". 
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