Swiss startups shine worldwide

Three Swiss startups have been selected to participate in the TechTour Photonics event in Brussels, where they will pitch to an audience of leading investors, industry experts, and innovators. They will also engage in One2One meetings to unlock new collaboration opportunities. Zurich-based ENANTIOS has developed a benchtop analytical instrument that gives industry, research, and academic facilities easier access to chiral analytics. Their patent-pending technology enables the first-ever full utilization of Raman optical activity (ROA) measurement in industry. At Novoviz, the team designs and manufactures single-photon computational engines optimized for applications requiring high sensitivity and speed without handling large data volumes. Their goal is to advance fields like quantum imaging and machine vision by simplifying experimental setups and reducing overall costs. PROUD SA, originating from the EPFL in Lausanne, leverages unique diamond-based solutions to enhance the energy efficiency, performance, compactness, and reliability of power electronic devices.

Voltiris wins ticket to Mexico
Voltiris is the winner of the start- and scale-up challenge, a competition organized by GreenTech Americas, the Netherlands Embassy in Mexico, the Netherlands Business Support Office Querétaro, and AVAG. The challenge aimed at innovative companies from the Netherlands seeking to enter the Latin American horticulture market. Voltiris’ solution—a greenhouse solar energy system that generates electricity without affecting crop yields—was selected for its innovation, sustainability, and market suitability. As the winner, Voltiris will receive a flight to Mexico, a booth at the GreenTech Americas exhibition from March 25-27, 2025, and the opportunity to pitch their business at the event. The jury praised the technology for its contribution to controlled environment agriculture.

Energy startups in the SET100 List
The Start-Up Energy Transition (SET) Award, organized by the German Energy Agency (dena) in cooperation with the World Energy Council, is one of the leading global awards for energy startups. With more than 350 applications received from around the world, an international jury selected the top 100 most innovative startups, classified into five different categories. Cowa Thermal Solutions AG, from Switzerland, is among the finalists and the only European company in the top three in the “Clean Energy & Storage” category. The Swiss startup is developing compact thermal energy storage solutions to boost renewables in buildings and thermal energy systems. Urbio, which accelerates the decarbonization of global buildings through its patent-pending generative design software, secured a spot in the “Buildings and Construction” category. The platform automates clean energy system designs for individual buildings and entire cities, reducing design times by tenfold and streamlining scattered data sources into cohesive workflows. This enables energy providers and consultants to create efficient and customized solutions. The finalists will be further evaluated during the award ceremony in Berlin.

While not in the Top 3, two Swiss startups made it to the SET100 list: Emost, which offers customized, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions focusing on quiet, clean power indoors and addressing weak network connectivity, and Freesuns, which designs and manufactures solar panels for any roof shape or style.

Authena awarded in Saudi Arabia
Swiss startup Authena continues to earn accolades for its product authentication solution using blockchain and IoT. Recently, His Excellency Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, awarded Authena the Saudiathon award, selecting them from over 300 applications and 23 finalists. Authena’s platform allows businesses and consumers to verify product authenticity through digital certificates, ensuring transparency, trust, and security in industries such as luxury goods, pharmaceuticals, and consumer electronics. The platform provides real-time tracking and tamper-proof verification.

(RAN)