An Overview of Cleantech Start-Ups

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS

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Since 2010, western Switzerland’s cleantech cluster - CleantechAlps - has been the platform dedicated to the development of the clean technology sector in western Switzerland. As the regional gateway into the cleantech field, its purpose is to bring together research organisations with industries and services that contribute to the protection and conservation of natural resources and the production of renewable energy. CleantechAlps is the region’s driving force for the development of the cleantech sector; promoting interaction between businesses and players in the field, and increasing their visibility.

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www.eqlosion.ch [email protected] EDITORIAL

Give cleantech start-ups the visibility they deserve

It is an established fact that the cleantech (or clean technologies) sector is responsible for almost 5% of Switzerland’s GDP, with a growth of 25% in people employed in the sector over the last five years.

Start-ups are an important element of the cleantech sector in Switzerland and have the potential to form a substantial part of tomorrow’s economic fabric and prosperity. At present, however, there is relatively little information available on the ecosystem of the young cleantech enterprises in our country.

Clean technologies are not actually an industrial sector in themselves, and their image is still somewhat scatte- red. Any company that develops or offers a technology, product or service that involves a response to an environmental issue is a cleantech enterprise.

The feedback we receive, not only from the general public but also from the media, indicates to us that there is a failure to understand the diversity and numbers of companies who operate under this umbrella. In these days of energy transition, the signature of the COP21 climate agreement, and with the subsequent implementation of the measures discussed at the Paris conference, it is opportune, if not essential to provide those involved, and the cleantech ecosystem in general, with the visibility they deserve.

We regularly receive comments about the absence of a guide on funding for cleantech start-ups, and propose to remedy this situation with a section dedicated specifically to the various parties involved in funding, together with the instruments and programmes available to them.

Since this study is the first of its kind in Switzerland, it may be that certain enterprises have slipped through the net, and we apologise in advance for this. This publication is merely a first step towards increased support and visibility for Swiss start-ups.

We hope you enjoy reading our report.

Eric Plan Secretary General of CleantechAlps An overview of Swiss cleantech start-ups in figures

207 10% clean technology start-ups of Swiss start-ups created over the last 10 years are in the cleantech and still active sector

key players recorded 57 in the area of funding 35% 26% of start-ups consider funding of cleantech start-ups are spin- to be their main challenge offs of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and Zurich (ETHZ) Export targets for cleantech start-ups

45%

27% 17%

2 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS SUMMARY

Overview of 4 enterprises

Funding 16 mechanisms

Walter Steinlin 32 ê The cleantech sector will grow rapidly and find its place in the economy

Business profiles Yves Loerincik The development of 36 33 ê sustainable projects is the only possible 75 future

Benoît Revaz Cleantech start- 34 ê ups and companies are becoming more 77 and more important as pillars of our List of start-ups economy

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 3 OVERVIEW OF ENTERPRISES

INTRODUCTION natural resources. Human activities and economic processes therefore need This overview lists and gives a pers- to be reconsidered to incorporate the pective on the whole of the cleantech principle of the efficient, respectful use sector in Switzerland. It covers all those of raw materials, energy and water. Swiss companies involved in innovation WHAT IS CLEANTECH? or technology, and operating in the In this overview, the cleantech sector, Cleantech (or clean technologies) field of clean technologies, that have interdisciplinary by nature and constant- covers those technologies, products a strong potential for growth and have ly evolving, has been divided into 7 and services which have the aim been entered in the commercial register broad categories, then further divided of sustainable utilisation of natural since 2006. into 17, closely following the segmenta- resources and which provide for the This study excludes those companies tions proposed by the Cleantech Group production of renewable energy. that had ceased trading by the date and Roland Berger Strategy Consul- They aim, in particular, to reduce of publication, those that have been tants. Figure 1 shows the structure the consumption of these resources bought out, individual tradesmen, com- used. and to conserve natural ecosys- panies that develop sustainable activi- tems. New technologies have a key ties in capacities such as environmental A FAVOURABLE CONTEXT role here, although importance is consultants and engineering practices, As in all areas of the economy, new increasingly attached to the role of as well as foundations and NGOs. companies in the cleantech sector users and the understanding of their are seeking to develop. They currently behaviour. The global objectives of this overview benefit from a favourable context as a are: result of the Internet revolution, which êê to increase the visibility of this heralded the era of the start-up. Since The environment has thus become sector; the turn of the twenty-first century, and structured and specialised. The un- êê to highlight its dynamism and diver- in particular, during the last ten years, derlying principles of entrepreneurship sity; Switzerland has built up an environ- may remain the same, but the mana- êê to demonstrate its importance for the ment of professional support for young gement and development of innovation Swiss economic fabric; companies. has to adapt to the demands of each êê to give (future) entrepreneurs Incubators – physical or virtual struc- business sector. Clean technologies are suggestions for ways of funding their tures dedicated to the development of no exception; it therefore comes as no ventures. new enterprises – have been created surprise that the new entrepreneurship throughout the country; such as the programme from the Commission for MUCH MORE THAN MERE TecOrbe, dedicated to environmental Technology and Innovation (CTI) inte- TECHNOLOGY... technologies in Orbe (canton of Vaud). grates a vertical approach depending Clean technologies are not only about A wide range of specific support ser- on the sector in question, one of these the simple utilisation of innovative vices, including coaching for start-ups, sectors being cleantech (energy/envi- technologies that safeguard natural re- have been developed alongside these ronment). sources. Cleantech reflects an attitude, incubators. Gradually, entrepreneurial practices and a way of life, which ins- training programs were launched, as pires individuals and companies in all well as multiple competitions for ideas, sectors to act in a way that conserves business plans and prizes.

4 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS CATEGORIES AND SUB-CATEGORIES OF THE CLEANTECH SECTOR

Figure 1

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 5 MAPPING THE LIFE-CYCLE OF pilots and pre-industrialisation of the pro- START-UPS... duct require more resources than in the We will not be examining coaching or majority of other sectors such as medical innovation in this study, as these aspects or information technology, for example. have already been widely covered. We The problem of overlapping is similar for intend to map out cleantech start-ups to those offering funding and their relative PHASES OF THE LIFE CYCLE identify their level of development and positioning along these phases of the life OF A START-UP their main orientations, in line with the cycle. categories referred to in the introduction, The different phases are summarised in so that it will eventually be possible to Table 1, with an indication of the degree PROJECT measure their dynamics. To this end, we of maturity of the business venture. R&D have chosen to analyse the ecosystem of From the idea to concept, proof of these technological enterprises from the concept, R&D prototype, market- point of view of their life cycles oriented research project. (cf. Table 1). Broadly speaking, a business venture emerges from an idea, which may be for the development of a technology or PROJECT/START-UP product with the aim of filling a gap in the Creation market. This is typically referred to as a Validation of the marketing technological or commercial approach. idea, reflection on the business This is the first phase in the life cycle of model, creation of the company, the start-up, which we will call the “R&D” demonstration models. or research and development phase. This is followed by the “Creation” phase, the moment when the company comes START-UP into being once an apparently viable business model has been drawn up. Launch During the third phase, the “Launch”, Initial product, pilot products, initial the business model is validated on the installations/pilot implementations, ground with an initial product or pilot feedback from experiences with pilot project, before entering into the fourth projects, specifications for the first phase, “Development”, which is defined product and first production. as the stage at which the company be- gins to achieve repeat sales. The company then continues to deve- START-UP lop in the “Growth” phase, in which it expands its product range and explores Development new markets, before entering into the (Pre-production) sixth, final phase of the cycle, the “Matu- Market validation, certification, rity and Sale” phase. This marks the end initial product series, industrial of the life cycle of a start-up, with several demonstration models, market options that include purchase by a com- pull, launch on the market, series production. petitor, entry into the stock market (IPO), or renewal with different products or services, which would generally correspond to a return to the previous phases. Ano- START-UP/SME ther option, though less ideal, is a downs- caling of the company’s activities or even Growth liquidation if the company’s market has Growth, opening up of new markets, eroded and what it offers is no longer in structuring, production and functional optimisation. line with customers’ requirements.

...BUT NOT STRICTLY OR RIGIDLY It is clear that in the day-to-day reality of START-UP/SME a company’s activities, the boundaries Maturity and Sale between the various phases overlap, and so this model should be viewed as Consolidation, finding new markets and innovations, buy out by another a point of reference rather than a strict, company, flotation on the stock rigid framework. The phases and their market. content may also vary depending on the specific sector. In the cleantech sector, the phases involving demonstrations, Table 1

6 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS

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Smart City Marché de hes-so.ch/smartcity l’immobilier Modélisation Simulation CFD Cyberadministration

Géomatique Photogrammétrie Bilans d’énergie Hydrologie E-Services Formulation Epuration de substrat des eaux urbaine

Horticulture Design Web Eco-conception ornementale industriel sémantique Accessibilité Moteur de services d’inférence Maquette 3D Analyse du Bilans Energétique cycle de vie de masse du bâtiment Energies renouvelables Essais en Diversité soufﬂerie et interaction Analyse Drone de climatique mesure Gestion de la nature Architecture Morphologie Conception du paysage Environnement urbaine architecturale construit BPM Recherche appliquée & Développement TRENDS IN THE NUMBER tion. A second reason for this reduction OF START-UPS in the number of companies created in 2015 and 2016 could also derive from This overview, drawn up in 2017, has the fact that these young companies are identified 207 start-ups founded in 2006 still less visible and therefore harder to or later, that are active in the cleantech record. Time will tell on this issue. sector. Between 2006 and 2016, an A third explanation lies in the sometimes average of 20 new start-ups per annum negative reputation of the cleantech were created, with a peak of 34 new sector among investors. Founders the- companies entered in the commercial refore prefer to position their companies register in 2011. The period between in sectors that are considered more 2012-2014 saw the emergence of profitable, purely on the grounds of almost twice as many cleantech start- image and perception. In this context, ups as the three-year period prior to a company developing water treatment the 2011 peak. On 12 June 2015, the applications will communicate itself journal “Le Temps” estimated that Swit- as a biotech start-up, while others that zerland created around 200 start-ups market products or software for the per annum. According to these figures, energy or transport sectors will describe the cleantech sector would represent themselves as IT start-ups. This shows around 10% of start-up creations. Since entrepreneurs’ creativity in seeking the 2015, however, there has been a slow- greatest chances of success for their down in the number of start-ups created venture. per annum in the cleantech sector. THE SAME TRENDS WHEN It should be recalled that this overview INCLUDING CONSULTANCIES Figure 2 : The number of innovative only includes those start-ups that are The trend is the same if the analysis in- or technological cleantech start- still in business. Those which ceased cludes enterprises in the area of sustai- ups with high growth potential, trading during the period in question nability in the broad sense of the term, created in Switzerland each year (collapse, purchase or “dormancy”) are covering in particular consultancies and and still active in 2017. not taken into account for the purpose service companies, which are not consi- of this study. It is estimated that there is a greater probability of this in relation to companies founded during the period 2006 to 2010 than after 2011. It is more likely that a company would experience financial difficulties over a prolonged period versus only a few years. Gene- rally, purchases made are of mature companies, which would explain why there are fewer examples of companies from the earlier years. Another explanation is simply that the support programmes for cleantech advanced in 2010 with the Conference on Innovation and Cleantech Masterplan launched by the Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard. Since clean technologies are strongly dependent on the legal framework and on medium and long-term visibility, it is an area where we can readily observe dered in this overview. This group of the impact of political decisions on the companies – almost 220 enterprises in dynamism of the sector. the period in question – has undergone a similar drop from 2015 onwards. EXPLAINING THE REDUCTION FROM This contradicts the suggestion that the 2015 ONWARDS observed fall in the number of cleantech The reduction in the number of com- start-up creations benefits the founda- panies started in 2015 onwards can be tion of non-technological companies explained by a loss of confidence in the that are not only less risky to develop, cleantech sector, in particular energy, but which above all generate a faster due to uncertainty regarding future return on investment due to the appea- legislation, or at least a lack of me- rance of new energy and environmental dium-term visibility. An analysis by cate- requirements (audits, certification, etc.). gory can be used to refine this explana-

8 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS NUMBER OF START-UPS a university. The canton’s dynamism PER CANTON can be attributed to its strategy for Greater Geneva Bern supporting innovation, which has been area, your partner The canton of Vaud leads the field for in place for more than 10 years and the greatest number of start-ups in the which revolves around The Ark Foun- in Switzerland cleantech sector with 61 companies dation. This Foundation, whose mission is to “build tomorrow’s technology and created since 2006, followed by Zurich The Greater Geneva Bern area with 44. This can be explained by the industry in Valais”, offers dedicated two Federal Institutes of Technology, support for innovation along three main (GGBa) is the agency for eco- EPFL and ETHZ, in these regions. axes, one of which includes enginee- nomic promotion in the can- These are real drivers in the generation ring sciences and energy. The concept tons of Bern, Fribourg, Vaud, of start-ups, and since almost a quarter implemented in this canton with regard Neuchâtel, Geneva and Valais. of Swiss start-ups – around 50 compa- to innovation strategy and deployment A region of excellence and on the ground is cited as an example by nies – are spin-offs of these two institu- innovation, western Switzer- tions, they are ahead of the other Swiss the Swiss State Secretariat for Econo- research centres. The phenomenon of mic Affairs (SECO) in its New Regional land has academic expertise concentration around the two Federal Policy (NPR). and state-of-the-art knowledge Institutes of Technology and their role in energy and environmental as driving forces behind the prolifera- technologies. The GGBa is the tion of spin-offs across all sectors has preferred partner for leading already been discussed. companies who wish to esta- This force of attraction has not escaped the attention of the cantons of western blish a presence in the region Switzerland, where a dedicated struc- and establish relations with ture has been implemented to facilitate the academic world and R&D access by top foreign companies to this institutes. innovation hub (see box). www.ggba-switzerland.ch It is interesting to note that Valais is in third place even though it does not have

Figure 3 : Number of innovative or technological cleantech start- ups with high growth potential, created by canton between 2006 and 2016. }

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 9 DISTRIBUTION OF START-UPS SMART GRIDS AND AGRITECH which may be unrepresentative or even BY BUSINESS SECTOR ARE ALSO EMERGING misleading on occasion. The emerging fields of smart grids and The sectors of resources (drinking and agritech (agricultural technologies) SERVICES, FINANCE, waste water treatment, waste proces- are found on a third level together with HYDROPOWER, FOOD PRODUCTION sing and recycling, environmental and environmental measurement technolo- AND DISASTER PREVENTION materials technologies) and renewable gies and advanced materials, with each The categories of services, finance, energy (photovoltaic, smart grids, sto- group comprising around ten compa- hydropower, disaster prevention and rage and renewable energy in general) nies. The first two sectors show very sustainable food production have very have a strong lead over the transport strong growth over the second period, little representation in this overview. sector. with their activities effectively taking off It would nevertheless be wrong to More than 30 Start-ups are classed in in 2011. suggest a lack of dynamism in these the “Other” category, with a majority of No increase is seen in the number of sectors. Young companies active in these considered “hybrid technologies” companies created in the field of envi- these areas are often not considered (cf. Figure 4). In other words, these are ronmental measurement technologies. cleantech start-ups due to their lack technologies that enable the provision The evidence suggests that the effects of technological focus and a lower of products, services or activities under of COP21 have not yet been realised. potential for growth, which means they the cleantech banner, i.e. ones that It should be noted, that the materials have not been included in this overview. address an environmental or ener- sector has increased in strength since Taking as an example the categories gy-related issue. These are found, for 2011, a trend which is set to continue of “hydropower” and “prevention of example, in the fields of the Internet of due to factors such as government natural disasters”, the developments Things, with start-ups such as Orbiwise targets relating to energy efficiency in mainly involve consultancies, SMEs and or Stemys, electronics with Kandou Bus, buildings. individual tradesmen who incorporate and traceability with Fairtrace. innovation in the services and equip- FALLING FIGURES FOR STORAGE ment they provide, without founding a ECO-MOBILITY AND HYBRID The low number of start-ups in the new entity to market the new product. TECHNOLOGIES ARE GAINING IN field of energy storage – a topic that A large number of companies have SIGNIFICANCE will have a central role in the future – been created since 2006 in the fields of A closer analysis of the subcategories is surprising. The level of technology services, food production and finance. (cf. Figure 5) reveals the significance required is significant, and Switzerland Services, especially in the field of ener- of the fields of eco-mobility and hybrid would therefore be well-placed to make gy audits or environmental consulting, technologies. a sizeable contribution here. With one have seen healthy development, with 2011 could be considered a turning exception, the new companies in this companies such as Quantis, Sofies, point in the development of the clean- sector have emerged since 2013. This Myclimate, and South Pole, which now tech start-up ecosystem in Switzerland, all suggests that the development of operate successfully on an international due to the large number of new compa- this field will follow that of smart grids, level. nies created in that year. Hybrid techno- which emerged at the third level as The field of food production is also en- logies have remained stable throughout seen above. As the specification of joying growth, with a net increase in the the whole period, while green transport subcategories develops along with the number of companies created during has grown by a factor of 3 during the sectors, it is quite possible that storage the last five years compared with the second period (from 2012 to 2016). will eventually be integrated with smart years from 2006 to 2011. Companies In the case of transport, it is interesting grids. such as Pakka, Opaline, Entomeal, Cho- to note that bicycles, motorcycles and The energy storage and battery industry ba Choba and Farmy are examples that other electric scooters account for 30% is nevertheless a specific one. Com- illustrate the desire to take a new look at of the new companies, a further third panies in this sector are often older production and distribution methods in for other vehicles, while other modes ones that are reinventing (or renewing) food production. of transport (rail, marine and aviation) themselves, as described in the 6th account for around 20% with seven phase of the life cycle of a start-up (cf. companies involved. Overall, around Table 1). These companies, such as 60% of new companies are involved Leclanché to name but one, are not with road-based transport. start-ups because of their age; though This is followed by a grouping of the their business models, management water, recycling and waste processing, and development strategies and their photovoltaic solar power and energy funding methods are very similar. efficiency sectors. This perspective once again illustrates Regarding the growth of these sec- the complexity of the world of cleantech tors in and around the year 2011, the and the need to exercise caution when analysis indicates that it is almost zero analysing a particular sector or catego- for the water-related sectors, shows a ry, and when discussing trends. It is of- slight increase for energy efficiency, a ten essential to take a step back to gain stronger increase for photovoltaics and the necessary distance and to identify a very strong increase in the field of the reference points, thereby avoiding recycling and waste processing. analyses that are marred by shortcuts,

10 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS BREAKDOWN OF START-UPS BY CATEGORIES AND 13 SUB-CATEGORIES 19 Figure 4 44

4 1 19 7

8 10 32

62 32 21 23

13 10

5 4 1

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 11 DISTRIBUTION OF START-UPS CERNBY ORIGIN FHNW

RegardingUniversity the GE origins of cleantech start-ups, it is interesting to note the dominanceUniversity (others) of the federal institutes of technologyHEIG-V inD young companies emergingUAS (others)from the academic sphere, with 31 start-ups originating at EPFL Empa and 19 at ETHZ. These are followed by Other research the universitiescente ofr applied sciences and arts orMultinational UAS (10), universities, EMPA and other research centres, each with 6 SME companies. ETHZ

Figure 6 showsEPFL that the sources of start-up creations vary widely, offering Private initiative a wonderful illustration of Switzerland’s wealth of research and development facilities. The dynamism of SMEs, with Figure 6 : Distribution of start-ups almost 20 spin-offs from small and according to their origin. ~ medium enterprises, is also characteris- tic of the capacity for innovation of the Swiss industrial fabric. The figure also shows a high density of start-ups arising from personal initiatives.

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Idea, conception and management by STRID SA Petits-Champs 2 1400 Yverdon-les-Bains T. 024 424 01 11 [email protected] www.tripole.ch TARGET MARKETS tional scale and therefore have target When it comes to looking beyond markets abroad. Europe emerged on Europe, the main target markets are More than 80 start-ups responded to a top, with 10 start-ups interested in Eu- the USA (16, or 27%) and China (10, questionnaire aimed at finding out more rope generally and, most significantly, or 17%). The Middle East (6, or 10%) is about their activities, the main challen- 26 start-ups, almost half (45%), targe- also significantly represented. ges they face and the markets they ting the German market. France (31%), intend to prioritise. Austria (17%) and Italy (17%) are also 58 of these (72 %) stated that they have natural markets that many start-ups an ambition to develop on an interna- want to conquer.

MARKETS TARGETED BY SWISS CLEANTECH START-UPS

Figure 5 : Interest by continent. The (+) indicates interest specific to the country mentioned.

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 13 WHAT DO START-UPS NEED? êê Administrative support, more incuba- www.bfe.admin.ch/cleantech (Promo- The survey identified the current major tors, reduced costs when establishing tion of energy innovations in Switzer- needs of start-ups in the cleantech a new company. land). sector. The main results are illustrated êê Programmes that encourage compa- A detailed list of those involved in pro- in Figure 7. nies to collaborate with start-ups. viding support for innovation in western The ideas proposed by start-ups to Switzerland can be found on the Clean- public authorities as possible areas for GREATER EFFORTS TO PROVIDE techAlps portal under the following link: consideration include in particular: INFORMATION ARE NEEDED www.cleantech-alps.com/en/soutien. êê Centralisation of the information It is symptomatic that what is already There is also a page dedicated to concerning support and assistance available within the ecosystem corres- events in the sector, including invest- available at the federal or cantonal le- ponds to two-thirds of the points raised ment forums: www.cleantech-alps.com/ vel. Assistance is very fragmented and above by the start-ups. This ecosystem en/actualites/evenements. therefore difficult for young entrepre- is represented in Figure 8 showing the The overview of the players involved neurs to identify and decode. players grouped according to their roles in funding, together with their tools, as presented in the second part of this êê Support that is less focused on very and activities. overview, is also a partial response to technological companies (e.g. assis- It clearly shows that the players need the points raised above. tance from the CTI), but aimed equally to make greater efforts to disseminate at all types of start-ups. information, to ensure that young companies are aware of their services. êê More opportunities to meet investors. The report “Promotion offering for These exist, but cannot always be energy innovation in Switzerland to readily found. SMEs and research institutes” gives an êê More links with the local markets, overview on the various offers regar- more confidence in start-ups ex- ding innovation promotion. The report pressed by public authorities and is available on the website of the Swiss public enterprises. Federal Office of Energy (SFOE):

Figure 7 : Current needs of cleantech start-ups.

14 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS

35%

22%

13% 13%

6% 3%

Exchanges with Networking Investment other start-ups opportunities Finding strategic Partnership with partners public authorities Identiﬁcation of and introduction to key partners or clients THE CLEANTECH ACADEMIC LOCAL PLAYERS INSTITUTIONS ECOSYSTEM IN êê Cantons SWITZERLAND êê EPFL/ETHZ êê Chamber of Commerce êê Universities êê Cleantech FR, Cleantech cluster Figure 8 êê Universities of Applied Sciences AG, ZG, etc. (UAS) êê Impact Hub ZH/GE/BE êê Empa êê Basel Area AMBASSADOR PROJECTS êê PSI êê EAWAG êê Planet Solar SWISS CONFEDERATION êê CSEM êê Solar Impulse êê SCCER (CREST, FURIES, …) êê SFOE êê Solar Stratos êê eEnergy Center & Gridlab êê FOEN êê Cabane Monte Rosa êê Bits to Energy Lab êê CTI êê Aventor êê i-Home Lab êê SDC êê Biomobile êê SERI êê Waste incineration plant ZAR êê Seco êê Swisswoodhouse INCUBATORS AND TECHNOLOGY PARKS SEMI-PUBLIC INDUSTRY êê TecOrbe (VD) ORGANISATIONS êê BlueFactory (FR) êê Start-ups êê Energypolis (VS) êê Swissnex (Boston, SF, etc.) êê SMEs êê Tripole (VD) êê Swiss Business Hub (EAU, F, etc.) êê Large companies êê Neode (NE) êê Switzerland Global Enterprise êê Engineering practices êê Bluebox (GE) êê GGBa ê ê Utilities êê BlueArk (VS) ê ê TECHNOPARK (AG, ZH, LU, etc.) INTEREST GROUPS ASSOCIATIONS* FACILITATORS êê swisscleantech êê Swiss Solar Connect êê Swissmem êê Swiss Solar êê CleantechAlps êê AEE êê SuisseEole êê ÖBU êê Energie-cluster êê Swiss Water Partnership êê Reffnet êê SSIGE * (with sectoral interest)

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 15 FUNDING MECHANISMS

Sounding out the situation among start-ups confirms, without a doubt, that funding is their major preoccupation. Public authorities, individuals, venture capitalists and banks are among the numerous players involved in the entrepreneurial ecosystem who handle the all-important topic of funding. The objective of this second part is to clarify the situation regarding the players, their roles, the instruments or tools they have available to them and the funding stages within which they operate.

Figure 9 : Investment volume according to START-UPS the maturity of the start-up. FUNDING STAGES

The course of a start-up is difficult, tortuous, beset by obstacles and problems, but nevertheless brings satisfac- tion and rewards. The start-up constant- ly has to adapt in order to overcome the challenges it faces. These challenges gradually evolve over the course of the company’s development, as do its res- ponses to them, including investments.

Figure 9 illustrates the funding stages in terms of investment volume and funding requirements in relation to the phases of development of a start-up.

16 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS

Mezzanine

Round 3/C

Round 2/B

Round 1/A

Early stage Seed

Pre-seed need for investment

R&D Creation Launch Growth Development Maturity and Sale (pre-production) Table 2 describes the main phases FINANCING MECHANISMS involved in funding a start-up. There are various funding mechanisms, each with its advantages and disadvan- tages, that may be more or less suitable START-UP depending on the development phase, FINANCING STEPS type of company and any specific requirements. Table 3 gives an overview of these various mechanisms. PRE-SEED FUNDING MECHANISMS Finance R & D and allows the development of a technology or idea.

FINANCING MECHANISMS THAT START-UPS CAN ACTIVATE DEPENDING ON THEIR STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT SEED Finance the market validation, the creation of the company, the first employees, the finalization of a prototype and its presentation to the DONATION / PRIZE market. Income received without counterpart, financial reward or in the form of va- CAPITAL rious gains such as media EARLY STAGE coverage, accompaniment An investor puts capital at MEZZANINE FUND the disposal of the com- by experts, contact with A type of financing that Finance the beginning of the pany. In return, they receive partners or investors. combines the characteris- company's development, marketing shares in the company and tics of a loan and equity the first product. become part owners. financing.

GRANT

ROUND A (OR ROUND 1) Direct or indirect financial LOAN aid from a public institution. CONTRIBUTION Finance the growth of the company Foreign capital loan made IN KIND (scale up). Serves to develop available to the company nationally (taking a market share), (or founder) in exchange for Any contribution of property to strengthen its position towards payment of interest and re- other than money. competition and to have the PRE-SALE payment of principal within beginnings of internationalization. Revenues received in return a certain period. for the promise to get the product within a certain time frame. DEVELOPMENT ROUND B & C (OR ROUND 2 BONDING PROJECTS AND 3) Promotes access to bank Industrial financing that Finance the growth and development credit for companies that allows the development of a of the company allows to increase its do not have the necessary product and a pilot plant, in market share by internationalization equity or guarantees to particular in the framework or make the business model even carry out a project. of a strategic partnership. more profitable (scalable). Round C is generally designed to prepare an } } acquisition or an IPO.

Table 3

Table 2

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 17 THE VARIOUS KINDS schemes, awards and various initiatives OF FUNDING SOURCES such as MAtCH, launched by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), or the There are various kinds of organisations CTI’s Business Bootcamp. Some bu- who support or interact with start-ups siness angels may invest tens of thou- and the world of entrepreneurship. sands of Swiss francs, others running Although they can be classified into to hundreds of thousands. In general, categories, it is also true that each the more a start-up develops, the more has its own specific characteristics. funds it will need to move on to the next The diagram in Figure 10 sets out to phase, obliging it to approach fun- describe which organisations intervene ding sources with larger sums at their when in the development phases of a disposal. start-up. Nevertheless, every start-up is The key for start-ups is without doubt to different and every investor has its own be able to show an increase in value at set of rules. each stage of development. For example, although an “impact investor” (an investor concerned with the sustainability of the projects it supports) tends to be interested in companies at a certain level of maturity and to use a loan mechanism, some may still invest capital in younger start-ups. Public institutions implement research and development programmes, security

Figure 10 : Which financial actors are involved in financing start-ups and in which stages?

FUNDING STEPS

FINANCIAL ACTORS Pre-seed Seed Early stage Round A Round B Round C Accelerator  (acceleration programme) Bank  

Business Angel ()  ()

Venture Capitalist - VC ()   

Cooperative  () Corporate Venture ()    Family Office () 

FF&F (Fools, Family & Friends) 

Founder  

Foundation  

Impact Investor   

Incubator  

European Public Institutions (H2020, ...)  National Public Institutions    (CTI, SFOE, FOEN, ...) Cantonal Public Institutions 

Industrial Partner (R&D) ()   

Crowdfunding Platform () 

 Core target () Possible Intervention

18 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS THE PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL ACTORS

A programme dedicated to entrepreneurs, the objective of which is to accelerate the Accelerator growth of start-ups or enterprise projects. An accelerator may offer numerous services, infrastructures, networks or funding. Acceleration programmes vary widely. A financial institution whose main function is to offer financial services such as holding Bank savings, receiving deposits of money, granting loans, managing payment methods. A “providential investor”, an individual who invests some of their wealth in a young com- Business Angel pany with strong potential for innovation. In addition to investing capital, a business angel also provides the entrepreneur with their personal networks and experience. Investors who contribute capital, their networks and their experience to the creation and Venture Capitalist early stages of development of innovative enterprises or technologies that they deem to have a strong potential for growth and return on their investment. A combination of a group of people and an enterprise founded on the basis of economic participation by its members, in terms of capital or sweat equity. Its organisation and func- Cooperative tioning are characterised by principles and values that give the cooperative a universal character whatever its objects or sector of activity. A private enterprise (large company, industrial group or multinational) that wishes to support start-ups, for example by means of a prize or specific programme, often with the Corporate objective of promoting their own image, in the interests of business intelligence or in the spirit of open innovation. Venture capital funds originating with large industrial groups. “Corporate ventures” ge- Corporate Venture nerally have a financial objective and a strategic intelligence objective in a specific sector. An organisation made up of people in charge of managing the assets of one or more Family Office wealthy families.

FF&F (Friends, Family and Friends, family and acquaintances of the project initiator or the company founder. Fools) An individual or legal entity who participates in the creation of a business and who is Founder responsible for undertakings made in the name of the business prior to the date of the definitive constitution. A legal entity under private law created for non-profit aims by one or more donors, who Foundation may themselves be persons or legal entities, to accomplish works in the public interest. Investors with a dual objective: to have a positive social or environmental impact while Impact Investor making a financial gain. A public or private organisation that supports the launch of start-ups. Incubators provide Incubator various different types of support (premises, equipment, expertise, networks, etc.); some also offer grants and financial assistance to get businesses off the ground.

Public institutions (European, All the public bodies that provide services in the public interest. national, cantonal)

An industrial group or SME that (co-)finances the development of a start-up (which in Industrial partner (R&D) general represents a strategic interest in terms of R&D). These offer tools and methods for financial transactions that appeal to a large number of people who come together to fund a project. This type of funding source currently suffers Crowdfunding Platform from an unfavourable legal framework that, among other things, limits private investments for projects beyond territorial boundaries.

Table 4

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 19 KEY SWISS FUNDING PLAYERS êê the Swiss Federal Office for the En- PRIVATE SOURCES OF FUNDING AND INSTRUMENTS IN THE vironment (FOEN) with its Technology The following table gives a global view CLEANTECH SECTOR Fund and its programme for the proof the private sources of funding in the motion of environmental technologies ; Swiss cleantech start-up ecosystem. As part of this overview, we present an êê the Swiss Climate Foundation and Family offices and business angels are outline of the key players in the clean- Climate-KIC. probably the hardest to record. In the tech field who have actively supported Many other organisations, such as the case of business angels, we have indi- or invested in start-ups in Switzerland. CTI, the Zurich Cantonal Bank and the cated the associations with a national They are presented by category in this platform investiere.ch, aim their pro- reach. It should be noted that they are section. grammes at start-ups, whatever their often organised through local repre- Among these organisations, 80% are field of activity. sentatives. These usually take the form private entities, including six founda- of clubs where businesses can meet tions and four crowdfunding platforms. investors, or centralised platforms, such Eleven major public bodies have been as Investiere, which facilitate obtaining listed. Some are specially targeted at funds from this kind of source. the cleantech sector, offering dedicated assistance schemes such as : êê the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) with its pilot and demonstration programme, as well as the flagship projects programme ;

Start-Up Exchange Massachusetts (MA) MAtCH Switzerland (CH) Grow your cleantech business in Massachusetts (CH-companies) or in Switzerland (MA-companies) • Receive up to three months of complimentary membership at a cleantech incubator • Attend selected networking events • Participate in workshops on how to enter the respective foreign market • Gain direct access to experts and individuals in the cleantech sector • Win a grant of up to $5,000

www.bfe.admin.ch/startup A3 Angels A club of private investors and mentors, alumni of EPFL, who provide support for, and may offer kick-start funds for, start-ups originating at EPFL or having a connection with the institution. êê www.a3angels.ch

ABB Technology Particular interest in industrial and energy-related technologies, without geographical Ventures - ATV limitation, investment between USD 1 and 20 million. êê http://new.abb.com/about/technology/ventures

Alternative Bank Switzerland The innovation fund encourages various initiatives, making capital (seed capital) available in the form of participation or by granting loans or providing security. êê www.bas.ch

Aravis Ventures A private equity fund with a particular interest in companies in the field of renewable energy production (wind, solar, hydro). êê www.aravis.ch b-to-v Partners AG 80% of the funds are invested in start-ups in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, mainly in the fields of the Internet, medtech and cleantech. b to v invests from the creation phase onwards, with amounts between EUR 20,000 and 10 million. êê www.b-to-v.com

BKW BKW offers tailor-made commercial and technological partnerships with start-ups including, in certain cases, acquiring a holding. êê www.bkw.ch/fr/le-groupe-bkw/notre-engagement/start-up-bkw

Business Angels Switzerland A private investors’ club for start-ups whose capital requirements are between CHF 50,000 and CHF 2,000,000. êê www.businessangels.ch

Capital Risque Fribourg SA The maximum funding is CHF 750,000 per project, and the first amount is generally limited to CHF 300,000. A minority holding is acquired on a time-limited basis. Start-ups must have operations and create jobs in the canton of Fribourg. êê www.capitalrisque-fr.ch

Climate-KIC An 18-month programme, organised in 3 phases, enabling companies to draw on up to EUR 20,000 (stage 1), EUR 25,000 (stage 2) and EUR 50,000 (stage 3). êê www.climate-kic.org/for-entrepreneurs/accelerator

DuPont Ventures Equity shares and technological support in a wide variety of sectors, focusing in particular on fields that promise rapid growth and those in the cleantech sector. êê www.dupont.com/corporate-functions/our-approach/innovation-excellence/science/ science-collaboration/dupont-ventures.html

Emerald Technology Ventures Particular focus on energy, materials, agriculture and water. Manages more than CHF 375 million and supports 55 start-ups. Launched an evergreen fund with various industrial partners in 2016 (Emerald Industrial Innovation Fund LP). êê www.emerald-ventures.com

Energy Uster AG Development of pilot projects and other specific projects in cooperation with start-ups in the field of energy. êê www.energieuster.ch

Fongit Seed Invest SA - FSI Investments of CHF 50,000 to 500’000 in various sectors, including cleantech. êê https://go-beyond.biz

Foundation of the Founders CHF 130,000 for the launch of a start-up, granted in three stages of CHF 10,000, 20,000 (Venturekick) and 100,000. Reserved for projects originating in a Swiss academic institution. êê www.venturekick.ch

Gebert Rüf Foundation Financial support for start-ups that are not yet able to satisfy the requirements of venture capitalists. êê www.grstiftung.ch

Go Beyond Early Stage A group of private investors who can respond to requests for amounts between CHF Investing 100,000 and 2,000,000. êê https://go-beyond.biz

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 21 Innovaud Give visibility to high growth start-ups, in particular, those with an annual employee growth rate larger than 20%. êê www.scale-up-vaud.ch/en/our-action

Investiere - Verve Capital A crowdinvesting platform that brings together private investors for projects with strong Partners potential whose funding requirements are between CHF 500,000 and 2,500,000. êê www.investiere.ch

LUKB Wachstumskapital AG A venture capital tool from the Luzerner Kantonalbank, for the acquisition of equity or mezzanine financing. The fund seeks investments of between CHF 250,000 and 800,000 for acquisitions of 10 to 33%. êê www.lukb.ch/web/lukb/-/unternehmensportrat

MassChallenge An accelerator that provides an intensive 4-month programme and may make funds avai- Switzerland lable. êê http://switzerland.masschallenge.org

Microsoft The Microsoft programme enables companies to benefit from free services and support, for an amount up to USD 120,000. êê https://bizspark.microsoft.com/about/plus

ONE CREATION Acquisition of holdings in activities that produce goods and services aimed at measuring, predicting, limiting or correcting adverse environmental events affecting water, air or soil, and problems relating to waste, noise and ecosystems. êê www.onecreation.org

P&TS SA (Patentattorneys.ch) CHF 20,000 in annual grants provided in the form of intellectual property services to socially responsible SMEs/start-ups aiming at protecting inventions in areas such as renewable energies, global warming or environmental protection. êê www.patentattorneys.ch/en/industries/innovation-ethique

Polytech Ecosystem Ventures A venture capital fund focusing on technological start-ups in the early stage. êê https://polytechecosystem.vc

Romande Énergie Implementation of pilot projects in the field of energy. êê www.romande-energie.ch

Sandoz Foundation This foundation tends to invest in projects by start-ups that are in line with the foundation’s mission. êê www.sandozfondation.ch

Seed4Equity An impact investing fund that also invests in start-ups. êê www.seed4equity.com

Services industriels de This Fund finances projects in French-speaking Switzerland relating to research, acade- Genève -SIG (utilities) mic studies, the development of experimental systems, the construction of prototypes in the field of electricity production and heat generation, based on new sources of green energy, and in the field of energy savings. êê www.sig-ge.ch/onglets/Pages/electricite-vitale-vert-fonds-sig.aspx

StartAngels Network The StartAngels investors seek out early-stage Swiss companies in various sectors, generally investing between CHF 50,000 and 200,000 per member. In the case of co-investments, the total amount may be increased to CHF 1 or 2 million. êê en.startangels.ch

Statkraft Ventures Projects in the energy sector and any related sector, at the build-up and growth phase, in the geographical zone of Europe. Investment between EUR 500,000 and EUR 4 million. êê www.statkraftventures.com

Stiftung für innovation This foundation awards financial contributions and loans to exceptional projects with parti- Entwicklung und Forschung cular added value. The projects must be innovative and be oriented towards sustainability Graubünden (Foundation) in the canton of Graubünden. êê www.gr.ch/DE/institutionen/verwaltung/dvs/awt/innovation/ueberuns/Seiten/default.aspx

22 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS SUSI Partners SUSI Partners is an investment fund that specialises in the field of energy infrastructures. êê www.susi-partners.ch

Swiss Climate Foundation This foundation provides financial support for innovative projects that contribute to a reduction in the impact of climate change. Companies with less than 250 employees are eligible, provided that less than half of their capital is held by a large group and/or a public organisation. êê www.klimastiftung.ch

Swiss start-up Invest A platform bringing together various investors interested in technological and innovative start-ups in Switzerland. êê www.swiss-startup-invest.ch

Swisscom Ventures Since its launch in 2007, the fund has supported more than 35 start-ups. It invests amounts below CHF 1 million in Switzerland, in companies in the early stage. êê www.swisscom.ch/en/ventures

The Ark Foundation Loans and funding for innovation project development, amounts typically range between CHF 50,000 and CHF 100,000. êê www.theark.ch/incubator

The Foundation for FIT SEED : loan of max. CHF 100,000 granted essentially for the launch of a company’s Technological Innovation activities (after less than 12 months of existence). The project must be realised in coopera- (FIT) tion with a Swiss university, or originate from one. FIT EARLY : interest-free loans of CHF 300,000 to CHF 500,000, subject to the condition of match funding for the project by private investors. The project must be realised in cooperation with a Swiss university, or originate from one. FIT GRANT : funding such as Innogrant (EPFL), InnoTREK (UNIL/CHUV), etc. for projects with the objective of creating an innovative company with strong added value. êê www.fondation-fit.ch

VI Partners VI Partners is a venture capital fund of the evergreen fund type with paid-in capital of CHF 101 million, established by McKinsey & Company and ETH Zurich. êê www.vipartners.ch

VNT Management A fund based in Finland and Germany, active in the German-speaking regions, with total capital of over EUR 150 million, focusing on renewable energies and energy efficiency. êê www.vntm.com

Volkswirtschaftsstiftung Interest-free loan up to maximum CHF 150,000, awarded each year to 4 to 6 start-ups. (Swiss Federal Foundation êê www.volkswirtschaft-stiftung.ch for Promotion of the National Economy through Scientific Research)

Zühlke Venture Venture capital fund focusing on technology start-ups. êê www.zuehlke.com/ch/en/ventures

Zurich Cantonal Bank Start- CHF 15 million invested every year in start-ups in the Zurich region. The amounts invested up Finance are between CHF 300,000 and 1 million. êê www.zkb.ch

4FOVentures An early stage investment fund (capital of CHF 50 to 80 million) aimed at Swiss start-ups, reserved for family offices and qualified investors. Its objective is to invest between CHF 2 and 5 million per company in the first funding rounds.

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 23 PUBLIC SOURCES OF FUNDING These institutions, like those at the of all that is on offer, since services These mainly concern the federal cantonal level, are in touch with the evolve just as the markets for cleantech offices (SFOE, FOEN, SDC), the CTI needs of companies and regularly offer do. It is advisable to check the portals and the European Union. The primary schemes specific to their context. It of the relevant public administrations initiatives and programmes are shown would be unrealistic to attempt to draw regularly. in the table below. up a truly comprehensive catalogue

Commission for Technology Grants for R&D projects carried out in cooperation with a Swiss university (federal institute and Innovation (CTI) of technology, university of applied sciences, university). The CTI funds half the costs of a project for activities by the institutional partners. êê www.kti.admin.ch

CTI Market Entry Camp, Offers support for export-oriented start-ups. An example in the energy domain is the Swissnex and SFOE MAtCH program, which supports exchanges between Switzerland and Massachusetts (USA). êê www.bfe.admin.ch/cleantech (Start-Up Promotion)

Department for Development A public-private partnership granting interest-free loans of a maximum of CHF 250,000 for and Cooperation (SDC) start-ups active in the field of water. êê https://swissbluetecbridge.ch

European Space Agency - ESA BIC is an ESA programme that supports start-ups whose technology and applications ESA are connected with the field of aerospace. ESA BIC in Switzerland can give assistance to up to 10 start-ups per annum, with amounts from EUR 50,000 to 450,000. The support is arranged in several phases and also includes networking and coaching. êê http://esabic.ch

European Union The H2020 is a grouping of a number of mechanisms for funding multi-partner programmes at European level. The H2020 programme is one of the main contributors to R&D on a European level. êê https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020

Joint initiative by several A grant for Swiss projects in the field of renewable energy and/or energy efficiency. The Swiss Federal Offices project must provide a response to a local need and must be able to be managed locally in a way that is independent and sustainable. The REPIC contribution does not exceed 50% of the cost of the project and is subject to a maximum amount of CHF 150,000. êê www.repic.ch

Privately managed public The Technology Fund provides security for loans to Swiss enterprises offering innovative initiative (FOEN/Emerald products that enable a sustainable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to be achieved. Venture) êê www.technologyfund.ch

Stadtwerk Winterthur Programmes arranged by the town of Winterthur for investment in projects that enable (utilities) greenhouse gas emission to be reduced. êê http://stadtwerk.winterthur.ch/nachhaltigkeit/klimafonds

Swiss Federal Office for the The programme for the promotion of environmental technologies may award a grant Environment (FOEN) of maximum 50% of the total costs of the development of a product, a technology or a process in the environment field. êê www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/fr/home/themes/formation/innovation/promotion-des-technologies-environnementales.html

Swiss Federal Office of A support programme from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) for pilot projects, Energy (SFOE) demonstration projects and flagship projects, which encourages the development of innovative technologies and solutions with a market focus, especially in the fields of the economic and rational use of energy and renewable energies. A maximum grant of 100% for research projects and up to 40% of non-depreciable costs for pilot, demonstration and flagship projects. êê www.bfe.admin.ch/cleantech

24 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS COMPETITION AND AWARDS chosen either because they draw on Switzerland (www.theark.ch/guide) was Awards are also an interesting funding large amounts of money or because drawn up by The Ark Foundation. instrument in the early phase of a com- they are specifically aimed at start- pany, especially because of the visibility ups in the cleantech sector. As part of they confer. organisation of the “Suisse des Talents” The awards shown below have been event, an overview of all the awards in

Climate-KIC Climate Launchpad A prize of EUR 17,500 per annum shared between 3 prizes (10K, 5K and 2.5K). The prize is awarded following a 2-day boot camp and intensive coaching. êê http://climatelaunchpad.org

Dr. René Liechti Liechti Prize, “Coup A prize for start-ups, endowed with CHF 50,000 per annum, which Foundation de Pouce”, for young rewards an innovation or sustainable progress in fields such as the entrepreneurs economy, ecology, health, combatting poverty, and vital needs. êê www.fondation-liechti.ch

Lausanne Region PERL "Prix Entre- Prizes of CHF 100,000 per annum for 3 companies in the Lausanne prendre Région region (50K, 30K, 20K). Lausanne” (Lausanne êê www.prixentreprendre.ch Region Entrepre- neurship Prize)

Robert and Ruth Young Entrepreneur An annual prize of CHF 150,000 for the top three and CHF 50,000 to Heuberger Foundation Prize/Heuberger Win- three runners-up. terthur Prize êê www.jungunternehmer-preis.ch

«Our business association supports the concerns of start-up companies: networking, innovation and an optimum policy framework. That is why we have joined swisscleantech.» Social Entrepreneurship Prize : SEIF Awards Four prizes of CHF 10,000 are awarded each year to social en- Impact & Finance - SEIF terprises whose aim is to generate a profit while having a positive impact. êê seif.org

Swiss start-up awards AXA Innovation Award CHF 50,000 per annum for innovative start-ups. êê www.axa.com

Swiss start-up awards Axpo Energy Award CHF 50,000 per annum for start-ups in the field of energy production, energy technologies, energy transfer and storage and electrical engineering. êê www.axpo.com/axpo/ch/en/about-us/engagement/innovation.html

Swiss Sustainable Deve- eco.swisscanto Prize Prize of CHF 30,000, divided among several recipients. lopment Forum - eco.ch êê www.eco.ch

W.A. de Vigier Stiftung Young Entrepreneur A prize endowed with CHF 100,000 per annum (awarded to up to 5 Award companies per annum). êê www.devigier.ch

Zurich Cantonal Bank - ZKB Pioneer Prize Prize of around CHF 100,000 per annum. ZKB êê www.pionierpreis.ch

Zurich Assurance Zurich Climate Prize of CHF 150,000 per annum and a special prize for start-ups. Prize Switzerland & êê www.prixclimatique.zurich.ch Liechtenstein

CROWDFUNDING PLATFORMS backers), crowd supporting (backers of a particularly high-performance Crowdfunding platforms are a special receive modest rewards such as free shower system, which is currently being kind of private funding currently emer- tickets, acknowledgements, etc., but launched on the market. ging within the ecosystem. They have not an actual return on investment) and In Switzerland, the company Velohub been increasing in popularity in the past crowdlending (a loan with a return that has also used this approach to raise few years, offering an interesting alter- includes a repayment of the principal CHF 50,000. native source of funding, although the plus a specified yield). The Swiss association of crowdfunding total amount of funds raised by this type A successful crowdfunding campaign platforms provides further information of source is currently very low when involves both skill and excellent pre- on this subject and has some interes- compared with the funds from classical paration. This activity is more suited to ting links : investors. companies with B2C (business-to-cus- www.swisscrowdfundingassociation.ch A distinction should be made between tomer) activities, which have access to crowdfunding platforms that enable pre- a large community of users. The idea of sales to be offered (such as Kickstarter) using a crowdfunding campaign as a and equity crowdfunding platforms marketing exercise should not be ruled (also known as crowdinvesting) that out, thereby killing two birds with one enable shares in a company to be stone. bought, although some platforms offer In the United States, the company both types. Nebia has successfully run an excellent There is also donation-based crowd- crowdfunding campaign, raising more funding (no returns or payments to than USD 3 million for the pre-sale

Indiegogo A crowdfunding platform that in particular, together with Microventures, provides for capital crowdfunding (crowdequity) for buying shares in start-ups. êê www.indiegogo.com

Kickstarter A crowdfunding platform enabling a project to be financed by pre-sales. êê www.kickstarter.com

Raizers Crowdfunding platform for raising capital to finance a project. êê www.raizers.com

Veolis A crowdfunding (donation-based crowdfunding, crowdlending, crowdinvesting) platform for renewable energy infrastructure projects and companies operating in the cleantech sector. êê http://veolis.ch

26 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Find out more about the advantages of swisscleantech membership: www.swisscleantech.ch/startup_en or +41 58 580 08 25

We bring companies together that are in favour of environmentally responsible business practices. We share know-how, encourage innovation and lobby for effective policy rules. In so doing we contribute to a sustainable future for Switzerland and help to expand market opportunities for our businesses. INVESTMENTS IN THE this overview, categorised by the diffe- sector, but also very conservative. CLEANTECH SECTOR IN rent funding stages. Although only par- The results shown in Figures 11 and 12 SWITZERLAND tial, these figures, based on information are partial to the extent that the informa- There is no systematic survey in gathered from start-ups or available pu- tion obtained relates to around half of Switzerland of investments made by blicly, are the first of their kind. Collating the start-ups. cleantech start-ups and even fewer this information with that available from consolidated figures throughout the life our partners who are active in funding cycles of these companies. and innovation (Venturelab, Kickstarter Figure 11 shows the amounts invested and Platinn) indicates that the figures since 2006 in the start-ups featured in given are not only representative of the

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5

ROUND B AND C ROUND A

Figure 11 : Amounts raised between 2006 and Figure 12 : Amounts raised for the pre-seed, 2016 for cleantech start-ups in Switzerland. seed and early financing phases between 2006 and 2016 for cleantech start-ups in Partial results. ~ Switzerland. Partial results. ~

28 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS AROUND 200 MILLION FRANCS INVESTED The total amounts invested since 2006 in the identified start-ups add up to CHF 191 million, of which 23.8 (12%) is at the pre-seed stage, 22.1 (11%) at the seed 46% stage, 19.5 (10%) at the early stage, 21% 88.5 (46%) for Round A and 40.6 (21%) 12% for Round B, see Figure13. 11% It is interesting to note that investments 10% in the first three funding stages are relatively similar to one another, around 20 million, during the period in question. EARLY It is no surprise, that the amounts are much greater for Round A and B, even SEED though they relate to a limited number of start-ups. The fields of green mobility, PRE-SEED photovoltaics, agritech and hybrid technologies have benefited the most. ROUND B An analysis of investments in the pre- seed, seed and early stages (Figure 12) reveals that photovoltaics and the energy sector in general – apart from energy efficiency – have received limited amounts. Advanced materials, ROUND A smart grids, water treatment, agronomy and forestry, and hybrid technologies are the sectors that have been granted the greatest amounts. Figure 13 : Amounts invested, in millions, in innovative or technological cleantech start-ups identified between 2006 and 2016. Representation according to the financing stages. Partial results. ~

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 29 CONCLUSION

A first step in identifying the At the end of March issues and challenges that is 2017, the Federal Council was presented facing the cleantech start-up with a report on young community in Switzerland. companies showing strong growth in Switzer- The cleantech sector is extremely land. This report, which varied and therefore difficult for the was not confined to cleantech compa- nonprofessional to grasp in its entirety. nies but covered start-ups in general, This overview has raised a number of underlines that the situation of young interesting aspects, but it merely repre- companies in our country is generally sents an initial move towards more in- good. Like the findings described in depth knowledge of this sector that by this overview, there are some gaps in its very nature touches on and overlaps certain areas, in particular a need for a substantial part of the economy. improvement of the framework conditions. Similarly, the funding of young This interdisciplinarity also explains why companies remains a delicate question. it is difficult to obtain precise figures. We are confident that the sums in- This overview of cleantech start-ups vested, which we have published here, is the first step in outlining the issues are far below the actual amounts, if and the potential problems. It is now a nothing else because we have delibe- matter of taking action to give visibility rately excluded from the study those to the young enterprises (or particular- companies that have been the object of ly promising start-ups) of our country acquisitions. and to help them raise the funding they need. The primary intention of this, the first edition of the overview, is to provide a Only with this level of investment and detailed catalogue of the companies in effort can we ensure that our country the extremely diverse cleantech sector, remains at the forefront of global inno- subdivided by fields of activity. Its aim vation rankings, including in the field is also to clarify the investment chain of cleantech. In the wake of showcase and to outline the various players and projects such as Planet Solar (now the tools they use. This objective has Race for Water), Solar Impulse, and been met. Solar Stratos, Switzerland certainly has an important role to play in the deve- But a more comprehensive study of lopment of clean technologies, both the amounts raised during the different at home and abroad, building on the development phases of young Swiss strength of its industrial and academic companies will certainly be at the heart expertise. of a second edition. The need for more precise figures in this sector is such that we cannot imagine leaving it at that.

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Principal Commission for Technology and Innovation CTI GENILEM, Swiss Private Equity & Corporate Finance Association SECA, StartAngels Network, Top 100 Start-ups, Institut für Jungunternehmen Partner Foundation Startupticker – Gebert Rüf Foundation, IFJ, STARTUPS.CH, Y-Parc, Fongit, i-net innovation networks switzer- Stiftung Natur und Umwelt, ETH transfer, EPFL Innovation Park, land, STARTFELD, Innovaud, STARTUP SUPPPORT LUZERN, Technopark Start-up Promotion Centro Ticino, Swiss Startup Invest Luzern, Swiss Economic Forum SEF, swissECS, SEF Growth Initiative for SMEs, Swiss Innovation Forum SIF, BioBusiness, MedTech-Business, Contributor Swisscom, W.A. de Vigier, EPFL Innovation Park, SBB, Zürcher Kantonalbank, StartupCampus, Technopark Zürich, GoBeyond, Microsoft, venturelab be-advanced, Kanton Aargau

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Get off to a flying start with The Ark! Incubator The Ark, Valais | incubator.theark.ch | [email protected] 3 QUESTIONS FOR THE CTI

The cleantech sector will grow rapidly and find its place in the economy

Switzerland is the cleantech nation In this context, wouldn't it be par excellence, how do you explain appropriate to involve some this? industrial partners, to accelerate the movement? Switzerland is a small country whose most valuable raw material lies not in the ground, but You have a point there: when the right in the heads of the men and women who work partners in the economy and in research and perform research there. Certain strong combine forces, almost anything is possible. points and political concepts have made the Regional organisations play an important role Swiss Confederation the world champion in in this, because they know the local system innovation, and, particularly during the last and its actors, and they promote networking. few years, the subject of sustainable use This is a key element in the emergence of of resources has become more important. innovation. CleantechAlps maintains good The CTI is the Confederation's agency for and productive relationships with different promoting innovation. It supports innovative partners and, in this way, it makes a major companies, start-ups and people who are contribution to developing and strengthening interested in starting a business. In the field of the cleantech sector. energy, we have been commissioned by the Federal Council and Federal Parliament to set up centres of excellence in energy research, which are becoming increasingly self-sufficient and have revitalised the Swiss system of innovation.

As you have said, Switzerland regularly tops the ratings for innovation. How do you account for the fact that these companies have so far failed to produce a significant increase in GDP?

The cleantech sector is a relatively recent addition to the Swiss system of innovation and needs time to become more mature. In this field, turning an idea into a marketable application requires expensive facilities, a legal framework, and, above all, a change in behaviour patterns. At the moment, this sector is still a fledgling, but it is going to grow rapidly and find its place within the economy. The different examples of promising solutions Walter Steinlin graduated from ETH Zurich with a described in this report show that there is degree in electrical en- considerable potential in the cleantech sector. gineering. In the course of his professional career he has held various manage- rial positions in the field of research and innovation. He has been President of the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) since 2010. He has three adult children and lives in Bern.

32 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 3 QUESTIONS FOR EQLOSION

The development of sustainable projects is the only possible future

Your company's main aim is to The key actors who are bringing about this shift fall into three groups: the multinationals, develop sustainable projects. municipal authorities, and Generations Y and Why? Z. The change in their approach over the last 10 years regarding sustainability is incre- First of all, we're motivated by the firm dible. As an indicator of this change, take conviction that it's the only possible future. the impact analyses and ecological footprint Secondly, it's a fundamental trend and the analyses offered by Quantis. Ten years ago, opportunities are endless. There are two very no-one considered these services to be very big trends today that are having a major im- important. Nowadays, they are carried out pact on our way of living and working, and on as standard before any major development the way society is organised: digitisation and project is discussed! And that's just one exa- sustainability. Finally, it's a field that we know mple, there are many others. particularly well and within which we are very well-connected. In fact, our approach is being confirmed by the way eqlosion is growing. We've been in The profitability of this type of business for two years, and there are now 6 project is often debatable. What is of us. We're receiving a lot of enquiries, and we've got some really interesting projects your motivation for continuing to under way! work in this particular niche?

The profitability is disputed, and it's an area where there are a lot of preconceptions. For some reason, quite wrongly, people think that sustainability means voluntary work, ethical values, additional costs. It's an idealistic, activist approach to sustainable development, but it isn't ours. There are a lot of young companies in Switzerland in which sustainability is a very significant component, such as Quantis, Opaline, Pakka, and Loyco, to name but a few, and they are growing very well. At eqlosion, we combine a very robust market approach with a very different understanding of profitability, which includes parameters such as well-being, flexibility, making a Yves Loerincik is pas- positive impact, and, in particular, calculating sionate about entrepre- profitability over a longer term. We are buil- neurship, innovation, and ding the future with profitable businesses and sustainable development. a long-term vision. His fifteen years of experience in these fields includes jointly founding and Your arguments are persuasive, heading Quantis (2006) and creating the start-up but even so, between ourselves, eqlosion (2015). With his don't you think that the economic team, he offers opportunity analyses and feasibility reality of your business model is studies, business launch very idealistic? and development services, and project management services for innovative, Quite the reverse, civil society is undergoing a sustainable entrepreneurial profound change in which it is finally possible ventures. His particular for sustainable projects to be implemented niche: transforming ideas and produce an economic return over time. into sustainable businesses.

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 33 3 QUESTIONS FOR THE SFOE Cleantech start-ups and companies are becoming more and more important as pillars of our economy

How important do you think start- What specific support do you offer ups are in the energy sector? to start-ups?

Start-ups are important in all sectors, and The SFOE provides support for innovative energy is no exception. With their innovative projects from the research to market launch products, start-ups accelerate Switzerland’s stages. process of adapting to the changed realities It is involved with individual support of global markets. Start-ups are also driving programmes for start-ups – for example, forces in digitalisation, which is still in its early a scheme for the very early phase of a stages in the energy sector. The challenges company’s life, and an exchange programme facing young companies are greater when for new companies that want to export to the it comes to energy infrastructures, since USA. The SFOE is also directly involved in a these involve long investment cycles. There technology fund that grants loans to start-ups. are some very promising start-ups here too, Most of the SFOE support programmes are however, making the networks more intelligent available to all companies with innovative and increasingly processing large quantities energy projects. Often, small and large of data for new business models. Ultimately, companies, together with universities, will start-ups and other companies in the global form consortia to carry out joint research, pilot growth market of cleantech are becoming and demonstration projects with the support ever more important as future pillars of our of the SFOE. economy.

What role do you think start- ups have in the overall energy strategy?

It is very likely that start-ups will play an important role in rebalancing the energy market as it tends increasingly towards decentralisa- tion and a new consumption and production dynamic. I think, for example, that it won’t be long before systems are in place for the direct exchange of kWh between private individuals. Since the success of the energy transition will depend on the combination and integration of existing infrastructures with new solutions, it is not only start-ups that are important, but also Benoît Revaz graduated SMEs and large corporations – the latter will with a Master’s degree in be key to the marketing and implementation law from the University of of innovative solutions in a market that is in Fribourg. the throes of change. After working in various capacities in the private sector, on 1 October 2016 he became head of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), in charge of a staff of around 250 people. Re- porting directly to Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, he is responsible for pro- posing and implementing solutions to ensure that the energy transition remains as consistent as possible with market forces.

34 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS World-class STARTUPS. Swiss made.

venturelab strives to accelerate fully committed startup talents in their entrepreneurial and business development.

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Industry Partners: BUSINESS PROFILES

38 Ensy 47 ecoRobotix Electricity from the drinking The robot working in the field water network

48 esave 39 aquama® Street lights on demand Harnessing hydrolysis to protect the environment 49 Gjosa The shower of the future 40 bNovate Technologies Real-time measurement of the bacteria present in water 50 Smartvolt On the roof in no time

41 HOOC Secure control of technical 51 Green Motion facilities in buildings Providing charging points for Switzerland's electric vehicles 42 Citizenbees Urban farming 2.0 52 eSMART A platform for connected 43 AquAero homes Water from the air

53 Buyeco 44 Designergy A marketplace for renewable When a solar roof becomes energy an income generator

54 GreenWins 45 Climeworks Encouraging recycling

CO2 in the air

55 Imperix 46 dhp technology Networks that are more Electricity from a sunshade intelligent and more reliable

36 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS BUSINESS PROFILES

56 Joulia Reusing the shower’s heat

57 Aventor 64 Softcar The racing car of the future Reinventing the electric is Swiss car

58 SEAS 65 DEPsys Generating drinking water Improving electricity from ambient air grid stability in the era of renewable energy

59 Reech A test bench for PV 66 Smixin innovations Combining hygiene, 71 Swiss Hydrogen sustainability and business Shaping the future of the “green” car 60 Swiss Eco Line Only 10% of the water wi- 67 Stignergy thout compromising on Using artificial intelligence 72 Plus MAT cleanliness to achieve energy efficiency Making new solar cells out of silicon waste

61 Eturnity 68 Insolight Giving the best advice When space technology 73 Proxipel for decentralised energy comes back down to earth Pellets produced close to supplies their source

69 WaterDiam 62 MoSan Diamond-pure water 74 Bcomp Toilets for all From skis to the skies

70 Enairys Powertech 63 INDEOtec A Lausanne-based start-up 75 TVP Solar The latest in photovoltaic at the heart of the energy Solar panels that are more technology transition than just a lot of hot air

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 37 Ensy Electricity from the drinking water network

Power plants in the Alps convert the high pressure of water at dams into electricity. A family company in the Hinterrhein A NICHE PRODUCT WITH POTENTIAL valley, in the canton of Graubünden, reproduce the major FOR EXPORT power plants’ operations in miniature – the Ensy AG mini- The water network turbine is an hydroelectric plants using the water pressure in the drinking invention by Rolf Gloor. A graduate engineer from ETH Zurich, he water networks. perfected his invention together with two students almost ten years ago, when he was lecturer of a course on Wherever water falls from a height, it MORE OR LESS PERMANENT electric motors. “The biggest challenge generates energy that can be used. OPERATION was to construct a financially viable, This, the principle behind the good compact installation,” Rolf Gloor says. old-fashioned water wheel, is also what “There are around 400 mountain Nine water network turbines are now drives modern hydroelectric power communities in Switzerland where our in operation in Graubünden. Where it plants. Simon Gloor and his father Rolf, water network turbine could contribute is possible to feed the electricity into from the little mountain village of Sufers to a sustainable electricity supply,” the grid and obtain feed-in tariffs, the in the Hinterrhein valley, are exploring a says Simon Gloor. To ensure that the investment cost of around CHF 100,000 new way of harnessing the force of wa- households’ drinking water supply is ful- can be recouped in seven years. Water ter. The Gloors, proprietors of Ensy AG, ly maintained, the turbine only operates network turbines are have constructed a turbine that uses a niche product, only the natural pressure in a drinking water suitable for use in regions network. It is customary in mountain where the topography villages to collect spring water in reser- is appropriate, so to voirs, which in turn feed the drinking date the marketing water network. As these reservoirs are efforts of Ensy AG have located at high altitudes, there is a been concentrated on natural pressure in the water network. Switzerland. In future, This pressure is used by Simon and however, the family firm Rolf Gloor to drive their water network would like to attract turbine, which is connected to an 18 customers in Austria and kW generator producing around 50,000 Italy. “I’m learning Italian kWh per annum, sufficient to supply 17 at the moment,” Simon Gloor says with modern four-person households with when the reservoir is well filled. This a smile. electricity. is almost always the case, however, apart from peak consumption times in the mornings and evenings. The water network turbines can therefore generate electricity most of the time. The reservoir water levels are transmitted “OUR MINI- to a control centre at regular intervals to ensure optimum operation of the HYDROELECTRIC PLANT turbine. Water network turbines are Ensy MAKES A MODEST BUT used exclusively in the drinking water EFFECTIVE CONTRIBUTION network, which means that the mini-hy- 2010 2 TO THE SUSTAINABLE droelectric plants have no impact on the Oberdorfstrasse 4, 7434 Sufers watercourse ecosystem and therefore PRODUCTION OF do not need permits. [email protected] ELECTRICITY.” www.ensy.ch

Simon Gloor, Director

38 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS aquama® Harnessing hydrolysis to protect the environment Aubonne-based start-up aquama® has developed a solution luxury hotels, before specialising in that enables people to produce environmentally-friendly de- hotel industry recruitment at Manpower. Several hotels and restaurants now use tergents and disinfectants that contain only salt and water. his technology, as do several transport, health and education companies. What about the next steps in the com- An enthusiast for new technologies that INTERNATIONAL OUTLETS pany's development? “Putting new tech- combine economy and ecology, Willy nologies on the market and obtaining Lionel Pomathios discovered the value “Geneva airport has been a key actor a patent is likely to require a funding of hydrolysis about fifteen years ago. in our success," emphasises Poma- Since then, he has carried out research thios. "From the beginning, this client AQUAMA® CLEANING in order to develop a totally biodegra- was clearly interested in our solutions, dable solution that can replace up to testing them in-house and using them in SOLUTIONS ARE TOTALLY 80% of the detergents and disinfectants different sectors. The technical deve- BIODEGRADABLE AND that are used, and therefore conside- lopment requirements of the airport CAN REPLACE UP TO 80% rably reduce our impact on the environ- enabled us to create up to three new OF THE DETERGENTS AND ment. He formed the company aquama® machines.” in 2013 and is developing a concept aquama®'s other major clients and DISINFECTANTS USED. that is commercially viable and can partners include Copenhagen Airport, be used by everyone - public bodies, the Renens and Ecublens municipal campaign for around CHF 2 million companies and individuals. authorities, Tesla Motors, SSP The Food this year,” says Pomathios. “We're also aquama® sells or leases machines Travel Experts, QoQa, as well planning further major expansion outside Switzerland.”

that enable people to produce biode- as many other private companies and gradable detergents, disinfectants individuals. The company has also just and combined-action solutions, using established a presence in France and is just water, salt and electricity. Not only in discussion with new domestic and in- do clients reduce their environmen- ternational actors. It has begun to make tal footprint, they also minimise the contacts among major US distributors. aquama® logistics associated with the use of multiple cleaning products. In addition, 2013 11 they can resell the solutions that they FUNDING CAMPAIGN IN 2017 Rue l’Ouriette 141, 1170 Aubonne make, through a smartphone app that connects the machines. Before launching his company, Poma- [email protected] thios trained and pursued a profes- www.aquama.ch sional career in the hotel and catering industry. He worked in various Swiss Willy Lionel Pomathios, CEO

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 39 bNovate Technologies Real-time measurement of the bacteria present in water

Vaud-based start-up bNovate has developed a technique sound financial plan. that allows the microbiological quality of drinking water to be In its offices at the EPFL Innovation Park, the bNovate team is already monitored continuously. thinking about a new-generation machine, which will be able to identify pa- thogenic water-borne bacteria, such as Most of the analysis techniques used It sold ten machines in 2016, and hopes E. coli. “We're still looking for investors to identify the bacterial strains involved to sell another fifty by the end of 2017. to help us achieve this objective,” says in the pollution of drinking water take The manufacturing operation will soon Simon Kuenzi. “Another three million several days – in other francs and we're there.” words, sufficient time for a large number of people to be affected. The principle underlying the solution offered by bNovate Tech- nologies is to make the cells in the water instantly visible by staining them with a DNA marker to make them fluorescent, and then to detect them with a laser beam. “This method, known as flow cytometry, was already be outsourced to another Swiss com- used in laboratories,” says Simon pany, Sigrist-Photometer, which already Kuenzi, “but we've automated it and handles the distribution. This company made it sufficiently robust to be usable will initially focus on Switzerland, and industrially.” will then market the machine in Ger- With Fabrice Merenda, Sigi Straessler many, Austria and France during 2017, and Peter Ryser, he formed a start-up in before looking further afield from 2018 2011 at EPFL's Innovation Park cam- onwards. pus. Their first prototype was produced at the end of 2013. The company is THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPED BY targeting all water producers, from BNOVATE TECHNOLOGIES ANALYSES small municipal filtration plants to large companies that bottle mineral water. THE CONCENTRATION OF BACTERIA IN WATER IN JUST FIFTEEN MINUTES, AUTOMATIC ANALYSES IN SITU WHICH MAKES IT A REVOLUTIONARY

The BactoSense technology automa- PRODUCT FOR ITS MARKET. tically analyses the concentration of bacteria in water in situ, in just fifteen SEVERAL SOURCES OF SUPPORT minutes, which makes it a revolutionary bNovate Technologies product for its market. It is also very During its development, bNovate has simple to use: as soon as a bacterium received support from several sources, 2011 10 is detected, an alarm is triggered. The including the Commission for Techno- Chemin de la Dent d’Oche 1A, machine is made entirely at the EPFL logy and Innovation (CTI), the Vaud 1024 Ecublens campus and is watertight and self- Canton economic development de- [email protected] contained, thanks to its cartridge, which partment, and the Basel-based Gebert contains all the chemicals it needs to Rüf Foundation. It was also assisted by www.bnovate.com operate. It also collects waste material. Innovaud and Platinn, who provided a Simon Kuenzi, founder The start-up has already made its mark. coach to help the company draw up a

40 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS HOOC Secure control of technical facilities in buildings The remote control and monitoring of technical facilities installations in buildings is a hot topic. A cloud solution offered by HOOC AG (Visp) enables control systems and networks to port from its parent company, as well as be accessed remotely and securely via the Internet, promo- assistance from The Ark, the foundation for innovation in Valais. The Ark funded ting energy efficiency and preparing the ground for innovative a project carried out together with the business models based on smart networks. HES-SO Valais to develop an application for access to HVAC installations via smartphone – a facility management The technical facilities in today’s INTELLIGENT NETWORKING app. The creation of the young com- buildings have complex control sys- OF ENERGY SYSTEMS pany was a technical challenge, but it tems that guarantee the comfort of the was a no less demanding task to launch occupants while encouraging them to “We consider the use of our system the marketing campaign, finding the conserve energy and optimise costs. for controlling technical facilities or right potential clients and appealing to machinery to be an initial stage,” says them in the right way. Berchtold says, Daniel Berchtold, co-founder and sales “This was a real achievement for a team executive of HOOC AG. “We are cur- with a primarily technical background.” rently developing higher-end services At the beginning of 2017, HOOC AG that will eventually be a building block made its first foray abroad, establishing for smart cities.” By this, he means that a joint marketing company in Berlin the energy system data collected in the together with a German partner. cloud is intelligently interlinked. By way of example, an energy supplier who has secure remote access to a number of heat pumps using the HOOC solution will be in a position to bring them into operation whenever a surplus of solar electricity is produced. Alternatively, the same supplier could control the electrical installations so as to produce

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning and “OUR TECHNOLOGY WILL other technical facilities in buildings are EVENTUALLY BE A BUILDING now increasingly controlled and ope- BLOCK FOR SMART CITIES.” rated remotely, with growing demand for web-based solutions. This is where HOOC AG comes in – the company, the “balancing energy” that is essen- based in Visp, has developed a tial for the stabilisation of the energy cloud-based software solution for the supply network. “Our solution enables a secure remote operation and control number of installations to be networked of technical facilities in buildings and intelligently, creating a framework for of industrial machinery. Just over two new business models,” says Berchtold. years since its foundation, the start-up HOOC has 70 clients using the cloud solution A FACILITY MANAGEMENT APP 2014 5 for 600 installations, typically to control the technical facilities in commercial HOOC AG is a spin-off of an establi- Torweg 8, 3930 Visp shed HVAC company, where the basic properties such as shopping centres. [email protected] A particular attraction of the HOOC principles of the HOOC technology solution is that in-depth IT skills are not were developed prior to its inception. www.hooc.ch The new company enjoyed strong sup- needed to use it. Daniel Berchtold, co-founder

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 41 Citizenbees Urban farming 2.0

Keeping bees on the roof of company premises, with real-time monitoring of their activity: this is the offer from the Neuchâ- IN WESTERN SWITZERLAND AND BEYOND tel-based company Citizenbees.

Citizenbees is now based at Néode, Citizenbees has developed an inno- before his career brought him to Swit- the Neuchâtel Canton's science and vative system that enables beekee- zerland in 2011. Seeing his small com- technology park. The company ope- pers to monitor their bee colonies via pany grow, he decided to leave his job rates throughout western Switzerland their smartphones. Problems such as and in some German-speaking parts of food shortage, swarming, disease, or the country, including Bern and Gstaad. EMBEDDED TECHNOLOGIES situations requiring urgent interven- It works with various large companies, tion, such as a sudden nectar flow, ENABLE HIVES TO BE such as Johnson & Johnson, Migros can be detected remotely. "This saves MONITORED AND THE and Vaudoise Assurances, and also a beekeepers a lot of time, and also a lot LIFE OF BEES FOLLOWED number of luxury hotels and vineyards. of fuel, because they don't travel unless Its funding comes essentially from IN REAL TIME, IN ORDER there's a problem," says the company's equity capital and "love money" (fa- founder, Audric de Campeau. The TO HELP THE SCIENTISTS, mily and friends), and a bank loan for other aim is to ensure that the work BEEKEEPERS AND research and development, guaranteed of Swiss beekeepers continues in the COMPANIES WHO HOST by Cautionnement Romand. The long term. "Nowadays, maybe 50% of company also won the 2015 Prix eco. THESE COLONIES. the honey consumed in Switzerland swisscanto, worth CHF 15,000. is imported, particularly from eastern Europe, and also from China, where, at LVMH to launch a second start-up. Its in some regions, people have never special feature is the use of embedded even seen bees." Citizenbees is also technology, which means that the hive pursuing another aim, of educating and can be monitored via several sensors raising awareness. For this reason, the and cameras, and the life of the bees company offers to provide bee colonies can be followed in real time, in order directly for companies or government to help the scientists, beekeepers and organisations to host, with the support companies who host these colonies. of a beekeeper who manages these "The idea is not just to produce honey, colonies. but to implement a living project with employees and their children, or with clients who want to learn about beekeeping," he explains. In the medium term, he also wants to help the scientific world gain a greater understanding of the disappearance of bees. Thanks to an array of hives that are being monitored in Switzerland, Citizenbees scientists will be able to start compiling some statistical data, 2013 3 LEARNING MORE ABOUT and they hope to identify some signifi- Rue de la Maladière 71C, 2002 Neuchâtel THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BEES cant factors. [email protected]

Originally from Paris, Audric de Cam- www.citizenbees.com peau had already created his first urban Audric de Campeau, founder beekeeping venture, Miel de Paris,

42 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS AquAero Water from the air

Many of the world’s regions suffer from water shortages. In such places, this vital resource could be obtained from the air the Environment and the research fund of the canton of Aargau. “We hope to in future. Researchers at the University of Applied Sciences optimise our system further in 2017, and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) have carried then establish a pilot installation during out successful laboratory tests on an innovative process for the following year, for example in a desert region,” says Christoph Müller. “We obtaining water. would also consider launching straight into the construction of a prototype together with an industrial partner.” Water is a precious resource – those pellets are saturated. They are then who live in arid regions, without the heated to 100 °C in a special process to benefit of easy access to sufficient release the water. According to esti- quantities, are only too well aware of it. mates by the FHNW scientists based on Where water is in short supply, solutions the data obtained, a system based on a may come in the form of wells, supply 12 m standard container could produce pipes and desalination plants. Resear- a daily yield of 5,000 to 10,000 litres of chers at the FHNW in Windisch have water. This takes an input of 0.2 to 0.3 “OUR SYSTEM IS CAPABLE gone down the unconventional route kWh energy in the form of electricity and of investigating the air as a source of heat per litre of water. OF RECOVERING HALF OF water. A cubic metre of THE WATER HELD IN THE air contains between 2 AIR, WITH A REASONABLE and 30 grams of water, EXPENDITURE OF depending on the location. “Our system is capable of ENERGY.” recovering almost half of the water held in the air, with a reasonable expenditure of energy,” Christoph Müller explains. A mechanical engineer, he joined forces with two other FHNW scientists and an electrotechnician from the Paul Scherrer Institute to form AquAero A FUNCTIONAL MODEL GmbH, a company whose objective UNDERGOING FURTHER is to bring to the market their joint “air OPTIMISATION well” invention. The FHNW researchers envisage a SILICA GEL TO BIND range of applications for their water WATER MOLECULES extraction system: industrial companies prospecting for ore deposits in remote, The water contained in the air may be arid areas could use it to generate separated out by condensation – that water for their drilling operations. Aid is, by cooling humid air. However, organisations could use it for humanita- AquAero this process requires a high energy rian aid in drought situations. Other pos- consumption, so the young entrepre- sible markets include air conditioning 2014 4 neurs at AquAero have chosen to do it and medium-scale industrial drying. c/o Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, differently, passing the humid air over Three years of research have resulted Klosterzelgstrasse 3, 5210 Windisch a bed of small silica gel beads. Silica in a functional model that successfully [email protected] gel is similar to glass, but has specific produces water in the FHNW laboratory properties that enable it to absorb large in Windisch (canton of Aargau). The www.aquaero-water.com quantities of water. After three hours development works have been sup- Christoph Müller, founder of contact with humid air, the silica gel ported by the Swiss Federal Office for

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 43 Designergy When a solar roof becomes an income generator

Graubünden-based start-up Designergy combines the standard functions of a roof with photovoltaic cells, all in one tunities that exist in the field of energy efficiency, and intends to continue to product. expand, in Switzerland and in other countries. The electricity production of TCR roofs At San Vittore, in the canton of tiles.” He observed that installers of is equivalent to that of standard photo- Graubünden, Daniel Lepori's roofs solar panels come up against seve- voltaic systems. As for the cost of these combine thermal insulation, impermea- ral problems concerning integration. high-tech roofs, that depends on the bility to water, and the production of To provide a practical answer to this, installation, but it is becoming ever-clo- electricity by photovoltaic cells. These Lepori then founded Designergy. In ser to that of an ordinary roof. functions are all integrated into a single 2012, he collabo- prefabricated unit. A roof of this kind rated with Sunage, is rapidly installed, durable, and offers one of Switzerland's high performance as well as economic last manufacturers of benefits for the owners of the house. photovoltaic panels, Called TCR, for Triactive Core Roof, on a CTI-funded the system developed by Designergy project to produce an consists of a layer of metal combined initial prototype of his with a thermal insulation slab beneath integrated roof. it. Photovoltaic panels are fixed to the upper plate in such a way as to Production of the first provide ventilation. Impermeability to pilot roofs began two water is guaranteed on two levels via years after the first a membrane and some steel plates. In prototype was made. “Very quickly, the this way, homeowners can fit a new, prizes rewarding my innovation started high-performance roof that provides coming, as did the investors. It then better protection for the environment became possible to start manufacturing while reducing their costs. and marketing my roofs,” recalls Lepori. Since then, Designergy has found investors willing to put up several million DESIGNERGY WON THE francs. Its turnover remains confiden- WATT D’OR, A PRIZE tial but Lepori admits that it is “in the AWARDED ANNUALLY millions of francs”. The start-up, which is based in Graubünden, employs a BY THE SWISS FEDERAL staff of nine, and operates mainly in OFFICE OF ENERGY TO Switzerland. “Because it's important to REWARD OUTSTANDING us that our technology is present and ENERGY PROJECTS. recognised in our own country, even though we also look elsewhere for partnerships.”

Designergy A FRUITFUL COLLABORATION INNOVATION REWARDED 2011 9 It was in 2011 that Daniel Lepori had his In January 2016, Designergy won the Via Pra Proed 1, 6534 San Vittore lightbulb moment. “I was already wor- Watt d’Or, a prize awarded annually by king in the sector. One day, I wondered the Swiss Federal Office of Energy to [email protected] why it was more expensive to replace reward outstanding energy projects. www.designergy.ch ordinary tiles with photovoltaic tiles than This was a welcome distinction for De- to fit solar panels above the signergy, which is aware of the oppor- Daniel Lepori, CEO

44 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Climeworks

CO2 in the air

If sufficient quantities of CO2 could be removed from the atmosphere, the scale of the current climate problems could be alleviated. With its DAC technology, Climeworks is taking a step in this direction, while producing CO2 for the food and fuel industries.

Studies carried out worldwide leave no electricity and heat. At Hinwil, the heat room for doubt: the CO2 output over is obtained from the refuse incineration the last 150 years is causing serious plant operated by the inter-municipality climate problems for humankind. If we organisation Kehrich- are to put a stop to global warming and tverwertung Zürcher its dramatic consequences, the pollu- Oberland. The CO2 tion of the atmosphere with greenhouse recovered at Hinwil gases must be drastically reduced. One is used as a raw ma- possible way of alleviating the problem terial, to promote the would be to capture atmospheric CO2 growth of the plants and hold it in a secure storage facility. in the greenhouses Climeworks could make a valuable of the nearby market contribution to this with its DAC (Direct garden, which was Air Capture) technology. “If our techno- previously supplied logy were to be used on a large scale, with “technical CO2” we could reduce the CO2 content of from the chemical industry. “IN A NUMBER OF FOOD AND FUEL PRODUCTION REGIONS WE ARE

ALREADY COMPETITIVE CO2 from the air is suitable for a wide WITH OUR CO ” range of uses. “In the longer term, car- 2 bon capture can contribute to an alle- viation of the world’s climate problems. the atmosphere and thus curb glo- In the more immediate future, however, bal warming,” says Jan Wurzbacher, we want to use the carbon dioxide for co-founder and CEO of this spin-off of the food industry and for carbon-neu- ETH Zurich. tral fuel production,” Jan Wurzbacher says. Possible customers include, for CARBON CAPTURE BY example, the producers of carbonated CELLULOSE FILTERS drinks. Direct Air Capture technology

enables CO2 to be made available in From early summer 2017, a pilot plant regions where there is currently no in Hinwil (canton of Zurich) will demons- source of CO2. “In these regions we are trate how carbon dioxide can be remo- already competitive with our CO2,” Jan ved from the air. Eighteen Climeworks Wurzbacher observes. Climeworks envi-

CO2 collectors will remove 900 tonnes sages a second potential market in the annually, the equivalent of the emis- manufacture of synthetic, climate-neu- Climeworks sions from 330 medium-sized cars tra- tral fuels. To produce these, hydrogen 2009 40 velling 15,000 km per annum. Within the obtained from renewable electricity is Birchstrasse 155, 8050 Zurich modules, the air passes through a filter combined with CO2 to produce natural made of cellulose fibres that chemically gas (methane). Such fuels open up the [email protected] binds the CO . Once the filter is satu- possibility of sustainable motor and air 2 www.climeworks.com rated, a special process is used to draw traffic that does not pollute the atmos- off the CO2. Capturing the gas requires phere with additional CO2. Jan Wurzbacher, CEO

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 45 dhp technology Electricity from a sunshade

Photovoltaic electricity may also be generated in places where there is insufficient space for a fixed installation. DHP Tech- it only needs support at the ends and in the middle. According to Hügli, the nology, a Graubünden start-up, has developed a folding solar biggest challenge lay in the indus- roof that can be opened up like a sunshade whenever the sun trialisation of the concept. During the is shining. development phase it attracted support from the canton of Graubünden’s foundation for innovation, as well as from the Photovoltaic systems are usually operational circumstances require it, Basel general utility company, IWB. As installed on roofs. However, there are or in conditions of wind, hail or snow, well as the Chur installation, three other some situations where there may be the solar roof is retracted and stored projects are currently operational in large surfaces sui- Switzerland, at a WWTP, over a car park table for the produc- and at a company’s premises. The solar tion of solar electricity, energy pioneers are already looking but these cannot be outwards from their base in Graubün- permanently covered. den beyond the borders of Switzerland. This includes, for “South Korea is a densely populated example, car parks country with plenty of opportunities for and the logistics the dual use of sites and a declared will facilities of commer- to make greater use of the potential of cial and industrial solar energy,” says Gian Andri Diem, enterprises, where co-founder and director of DHP Techno- covering the surface logy AG. The first test installation should would limit use exces- become operational in 2017, with the sively. “These are the support of the export promotion orga- kinds of situations for nisation, Switzerland Global Enterprise which we have developed our folding beneath a shelter. Since this means it (S-GE). solar roof,” says mechanical engineer is never blanketed by snow, it can be Andreas Hügli, who is the co-founder used to benefit from the winter sun in and director of DHP Technology AG of areas of heavy snowfall. The installation Grüsch in the Prättigau region. “Whe- at the Chur WWTP is an opportunity for never needed to allow the passage of the new support structure to be tested vehicles or cranes, or for other uses, on an ongoing basis. The plant’s opera- our roofing system can be folded up tors also hope that the roof will provide mechanically. It also uses half the mate- an additional benefit as the shade it rials of a fixed roof system,” Hügli adds. provides contributes to reducing algal growth in the clearing tanks. ELECTRICITY FROM A WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANT DOUBLING UP LAND USE IN AREAS OF HIGH POPULATION DENSITY A DHP Technology photovoltaic roof was recently installed and can be seen The base module of the folding roof in action at the waste water treatment system measures 17 x 50 metres. plant (WWTP) in Chur. In December The 50 metre long roof is designed so 2016, the company IBC, supplier of water and energy for the town of Chur, dhp technology “WHENEVER NEEDED FOR installed a 50 x 150 m folding roof with 2015 6 a maximum capacity of 660 kW, which THE USE OF THE SITE, Trumpf Strasse 8, 7214 Grüsch corresponds to the annual consumption OUR ROOFING SYSTEM of 250 four-person households. When CAN BE FOLDED UP [email protected] the sun is shining, the photovoltaic www.dhp-technology.ch modules are spread out over a 5 m high MECHANICALLY.” support structure of steel cables. When Andreas Hügli, Director

46 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS ecoRobotix The robot working in the field ecoRobotix is developing a solar-powered robot weeder. (FIT) and the Canton of Vaud. Its main aim is to become established in the Steve Tanner grew up on a farm in the Swiss market, but Aurélien Demaurex TARGETED TREATMENT Orbe valley, and as a child, he used to and Steve Tanner plan to extend their help his parents weed fields of sugar Unlike competitor products, the beet. This is a particularly demanding ecoRobotix model is very light, task and the young man still clearly weighing barely 130kg. This remembers the crouched position and first version of the robot does the repetitive, tiring actions required to not use articulated arms to pull pull out the roots. After studying at EPFL out weeds, but instead sprays and obtaining a PhD in microtechno- a small quantity of weedkiller on logy, he wondered, “Surely it must be an area that has been delimited possible to devise a solution that uses beforehand. “It uses a twentieth robots instead of human beings and of the quantity of chemicals that weedkillers?” a standard sprayer uses. What's more, it doesn't require an A POSITIVE PARTNERSHIP electrical connection, because it operates using solar energy,” In 2011, Steve Tanner met Aurélien says Aurélien Demaurex, who Demaurex, a graduate of the Faculty presented the robot at the most of Business and Economics of the Uni- recent Paris International Agricul- versity of Lausanne, and talked to him tural Show. Although ecoRobotix about his idea of using a robot without did use weedkiller for the first any weedkillers. Aurélien was soon version of its robot, this was sim- convinced of the merit of such a project. ply because only 10% of Swiss They worked together to develop a farms are organic. “In addition, to concept, at the same time producing a get this project going, it was technically marketing operations to France and the simplest Belgium in 2018, and then eventually to model to Germany. THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION IN AGRICULTURE produce,” Next, the start-up intends to improve the IS HAPPENING THROUGH ROBOTS LIKE THAT adds Aurélien connectivity of its robots by using low- DEVELOPED BY ECOROBOTIX, WHICH CAN WEED Demaurex. flying drones, which would gather infor- TARGETED AREAS OF LAND WITHOUT USING However, the mation about the area to be weeded. start-up has These two young entrepreneurs from CHEMICALS. not forgotten Vaud are determined not to miss out on its initial robot the digital revolution in agriculture. market study, which confirmed to them project and is due to launch another that this was a project with commercial version in 2019, which will destroy potential. weeds without using weedkillers. Their company was formed in 2011, with the name ecoRobotix, and the first prototype was completed shortly af- DRONES TO ASSIST ROBOTS terwards. To date, they have designed five, and their robot weeder is due to go ecoRobotix is looking to the future with ecoRobotix on the market early in 2018. Ten robots confidence. In 2016, it raised CHF 3 2011 10 have already been ordered by Grunder- million in funding to continue its expan- Rue de Galilée 7, co, a Swiss distributor that specialises sion, and it hopes to achieve a turnover 1400 Yverdon-les-Bains in selling agricultural equipment. Each of around CHF 100,000 in 2017. Its [email protected] robot costs approximately CHF 25,000. support comes from various quarters, including the Swiss Confederation, via www.ecorobotix.com research programmes, and also the Aurélien Demaurex, co-founder Foundation for Technological Innovation

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 47 esave Street lights on demand

At the moment, streets are brightly lit even when they are completely empty, which represents a huge potential for savings. It was in response to this potential that Rico Kramer Development and Research. Six years and his company Esave AG in Chur developed a system for on, it now generates an annual turnover of CHF 1.4 million. “The reference intelligent street lighting. project in Chur, which enabled us to implement our system on a large scale, will be of great assistance to us in tap- There are some 1,900 km of national UP TO 90% LESS ELECTRICITY ping new international markets,” says highways in Switzerland, together CONSUMED Rico Kramer cheerfully. with 18,000 km of cantonal roads and 52,000 km of roads at municipal level. This kind of “intelligent” public street The lighting of this extensive and intri- lighting is what Rico Kramer has de- cately branching network uses 1.5% of veloped with his company Esave AG. “WE USE UP TO 90% the country’s electricity consumption. “When there is no traffic on the highway, LESS ELECTRICITY IN For this reason, those municipalities our LED lights automatically reduce the COMPARISON WITH that are concerned about their energy brightness of their lighting, enabling us management currently opt for ener- to use up to 90% less electricity in com- TRADITIONAL PUBLIC gy-efficient LED lighting, enabling them parison with traditional street lighting,” STREET LIGHTING.” to reduce their electricity consumption he says. The brightness of the lighting by around 25% compared with the also adapts to the weather conditions classic high-pressure sodium lamps (cloud cover, rain, snow). Areas where that give off an orange light. Yet this is safety is critical, e.g. zebra crossings, are lit more brightly. Each light is fitted with a movement sensor that immedia- tely detects the presence of a road user in its vicinity. The lights communicate with one another by a remote network to ensure that the roads are optimally lit at all times. If requested by the operator, the control data can be collected by a central server and used to monitor the street lighting network.

A REFERENCE PROJECT IN CHUR

Esave is already responsible for the intelligent lighting of the lakeside streets in Lucerne and the main streets of Bern. The town of Chur is currently replacing 2,500 out of its total of 4,100 street lighting units with Esave intelligent lights. Clients abroad are also showing an interest in this innovative solution from esave Graubünden; one example is a prison in the German state of Brandenburg. 2011 9 not the only savings potential – even Other projects are currently being im- Kupfergasse 15, 7002 Chur more efficient is the concept of street plemented, in the United Arab Emirates [email protected] lights that only shine brightly when and in Singapore among others. The they are needed, in other words when Chur-based company received financial www.esaveag.com pedestrians, cyclists and motorists pass support for its establishment from the Rico Kramer, CEO through the area. Graubünden Foundation for Innovation

48 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Gjosa The shower of the future

Biel-based Gjosa has developed a showering system that achieves unprecedented levels of economy in its consumption tration and test installations in conjunction with partners in the bathroom of water and energy. fittings industry, in particular PC-Tech of Penthalaz (Vaud), or in relevant market “We're convinced that it will be essen- Switzerland currently uses 11 litres of contexts. "We have a key partner in the tial to use water more economically in water per minute, Gjosa's technology cosmetics sector, because our solution the future, but that economies cannot makes it possible to have a shower enables smaller but appropriate quanti- be made unless an equivalent level with about 2 litres per minute. In other ties of body care or hygiene products to of comfort is offered,” points out Luc words, substantially reducing both be incorporated," adds Amgwerd. Amgwerd, joint founder of the com- water and energy consumption, by as The company is targeting various pany Gjosa. The technology offered by much as 80% and 60% respectively. business markets (hotels, transport, this Biel-based start-up is inspired by “We offer a new showering experience kitchens, hairdressing salons, etc.) which could make significant savings in water and energy. In addition, it is taking a close interest in the construction of apartment buildings in regions where it is imperative to reduce water consumption, such as Asia and the Middle East, where it has specific operational objectives. A funding campaign and some initial sales are planned for 2018 onwards.

nature, specifically geysers, from which that achieves unprecedented savings in the company takes its name (Gjosa is both water and energy: a high-speed jet the Icelandic word for “to gush” or “to of small drops that feels pleasant and erupt”). It was developed over a period has excellent wetting ability, resulting of six years by Creaholic and Bosch. in a feeling of abundance,” explains Whereas the average shower taken in Amgwerd. “It involves a new approach to body care and different methods of using water.” WHEREAS THE AVERAGE SHOWER Gjosa TAKEN IN SWITZERLAND CURRENTLY APPEAL FOR ASIA AND USES 11 LITRES OF WATER PER THE MIDDLE EAST 2016 5 MINUTE, GJOSA'S TECHNOLOGY Rue centrale 115, 2500 Bienne The founders of the start- MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A up are all from Switzerland [email protected] SHOWER WITH ABOUT 2 LITRES PER (Creaholic and eqlosion) or www.gjosa.com MINUTE. Dubai. To date, they have produced various demons- Luc Amgwerd, CEO

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 49 Smartvolt On the roof in no time

Installing photovoltaic systems on flat roofs is expensive and time-consuming. Smartvolt AG, a company based at Herzogenbuchsee (canton of Bern), pre-assembles the modules at its industrial premises, saving time and money.

When solar panels are fitted to a pit- advantageous when the weather condi- ched roof, they are inclined and thus tions are bad. Similarly, the mechanical oriented towards the sun. Ten to fifteen and electrical connections can also be per cent of PV modules are fitted to flat carried out in a clean, dry workshop. roofs in Switzerland, a more deman- The SmartSolarBox is marketed in Ger- ding process since metal supports are man- and French-speaking Switzerland used to incline the modules towards the by Fankhauser AG of Selzach (canton sun. It is also necessary to provide the of Solothurn). panels with concrete ballast to make them wind-resistant. The installation MOVING INTO of a PV solar power system on the flat NORWAY roof of an apartment building previously represented two to three days’ work. The company’s foun- Since last year, Smartvolt AG, based der, Stefan Bigler, a in Herzogenbuchsee (canton of Bern), qualified mechanical has been offering an alternative. “We and software engineer, can install PV solar power systems in a got his inspiration for tenth of the time at a 10 to 12% lower the SmartSolarBox, cost,” says Stefan Bigler, CEO of Smar- which can be folded for tvolt AG. Where the cost of installing transportation, from a a system on a flat roof was once more folding tent. At the same expensive than the modules themsel- time as establishing the ves, now the new system has brought company, he was working for an EMBA the installation costs down to less than in Business Creation and Innovation half of the total price. Management. “Our main challenge was to secure funding for the development phase, which lasted for two “WE CAN INSTALL PV SOLAR POWER years, and for the introduc- SYSTEMS IN A TENTH OF THE TIME AT tion to the market, which has been ongoing since 2016,” A 10 TO 12% LOWER COST” he says. Financial assistance came from the Bern Economic Development Agency and from private PRE-INSTALLATION IN investors. Smartvolt sold 1,000 Smart- A WORKSHOP SolarBoxes in 2016, and are looking to sell a further 3,000 in 2017 and 30,000 The young Bern company achieves its to 50,000 per annum in future. This impressive feat by pre-assembling the year, the Bern company will for the first modules at its own premises rather than time try to gain a foothold in a foreign Smartvolt installing them on the roof as individual market with its product, which so far has elements. Two or four PV modules are no competitors. “Norway has recently 2013 4 attached to a support structure with bal- been showing an increased interest in Lagerstrasse 41, 3360 Herzogenbuchsee last and expertly wired to a unit called PV solar,” Stefan Bigler says. “We are [email protected] a SmartSolarBox. The preassembled working there with a distribution partner solar modules are then lifted by a crane so that we can benefit from the opportu- www.smartvolt.ch onto the roof, where they can be rapidly nities of this new market.” Stefan Bigler, CEO installed. This procedure is particularly

50 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Green Motion Providing charging points for Switzerland's electric vehicles

The Lausanne-based SME sells charging points. It aims to finance 1600 public points and sell 1400 private points by 2019. LICENCE GRANTED TO A CHINESE COMPANY

François Randin answers our questions earlier. They had observed the renais- The major boost came from China. In from among piles of cardboard boxes. sance of lithium-battery electric cars May 2016, Green Motion, whose tur- Green Motion, the SME that he co-foun- on the Asian market. “We carried out a nover is not disclosed but is “between ded, has outgrown its base in Lau- market study. The car manufacturers 2 and 5 million francs”, sold a licence sanne and is moving to more spacious weren't interested in it. So we decided for charging systems to the Chinese premises at Le Mont-sur-Lausanne. This to do something ourselves before other multinational Anhui Zhongding, an is a strategic move to deal with the ex- automotive parts manufacturer. The ponential growth in demand for public Chinese government plans to install charging points in Switzerland that has between 5 and 10 million charging happened since Green Motion began points throughout the country. marketing charging points for electric Randin decided to invest almost all cars in 2009. “For the third consecutive this money in developing a network year, there has been a big increase in of charging points for electric cars, the number of electric vehicles regis- called Evpass (www.evpass.ch). tered in Switzerland. Green Motion is To date, the network has 294 set to achieve its objective of providing charging points in 160 towns and power to all the electric cars in Swit- villages. “My aim between now and zerland in 2020. That means 200,000 people did,” recalls Randin. Green Mo- 2019 is to fund the installation of ano- vehicles.” tion has grown from three employees in ther 1600 public charging points across its early days to 21 now, and is recrui- Switzerland, using a 10-year conces- THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT ting five more so that it can continue its sion as our business model. In other expansion. words, we offer the charging points to PLANS TO INSTALL Just eighteen months elapsed between municipal authorities in exchange for BETWEEN 5 AND 10 having the idea and selling the first a percentage based on the amount of MILLION CHARGING charging points. Randin established electricity sold,” says Randin. Given POINTS THROUGHOUT THE scientific collaborations with HEIG-VD these bright prospects, he can be quiet- and EPFL, and the first prototype was ly confident as he packs his boxes. COUNTRY, USING GREEN presented in spring 2010. In June of MOTION'S SOLUTIONS. the same year, Green Motion started production. At the end of the summer, This is why Green Motion is growing it delivered its first charging points to so quickly. Interestingly, Randin did Medtronic, Geneva airport and Touring not begin his career in the cleantech Club Suisse. During this period, the sector. He was previously the head of a company was given some extra help in company involved in banking software, the form of cantonal and federal grants which he sold so that he could set up (including a CHF 200,000 research and Green Motion Green Motion with his business partner, development grant from the Canton Christophe Millet, in 2009. of Vaud), and also a grant from the 2009 21 Swiss Climate Foundation. This public Chemin de Maillefer 59-61, GETTING A STEP AHEAD OF THE support perfectly fulfilled its purpose of 1052 Le Mont-sur-Lausanne CAR MANUFACTURERS pump-priming and conferring credibi- [email protected] lity, enabling the company to raise a The idea of opening cleantech versions total of CHF 20 million through funding www.greenmotion.ch of petrol stations had occurred to the campaigns. François Randin, CEO company's co-founders a few months

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 51 eSMART A platform for connected homes

eSMART is a start-up based at Ecublens in Vaud, which works with property management organisations and private owners Eikenott eco-district in Gland (Vaud), the largest eco-district in western to make our homes both connected and sustainable. Switzerland. eSMART has received several distinc- tions and prestigious awards, including Founded in 2011 by Fabrizio Lo Conte HOMES CAN BE ACCESSED the 2011 Prix Entreprendre Région and Laurent Fabre, the company has REMOTELY Lausanne (PERL), the 2014 Swisscom developed modules that can manage Innovation Award, and the 2015 Prix the electricity consumption of apart- Simply being able to observe and Strategis, awarded by the organisation ments, houses, or an entire apartment control a household's energy consump- HEC Espace Entreprise. At the end of block. The system can control not only tion has a direct effect on its electricity 2016, the start-up finalised its first round the heating but also all the electrical bill. Savings of 10% can be achieved. of financing, with the aim of boosting its installations in a home, lowering blinds “But electricity represents only a third of development in the German-speaking automatically, for example. Instructions the energy used,” explains Fabrizio Lo areas of Switzerland. Its turnover is now can be given from a smartphone, a Conte. “Our system provides residents close to CHF 2 million. tablet or a touch screen, which also with information and takes action on includes a videophone. their behalf.” Domestic energy consumption can also “eSMART now offers a real platform be monitored in real time. The system for sustainable, does not require any special wiring and connected buil- is easily integrated into existing homes. dings. We use a ESMART HAS DEVELOPED MODULES THAT videophone to CAN REMOTELY MANAGE A HOUSEHOLD'S manage not just ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION, AND CONTROL access, but also communications, NOT ONLY THE HEATING BUT ALSO ALL THE hot water, and ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS. regulation of the heating,” continues Lo Conte. In addition, the touch screen enables property management organisations to communicate with their tenants, “more efficiently than by simply using a notice stuck to the stairwell”. eSMART also offers these organisations remote diagnostic tools. To date, the company's equipment has been fitted in 650 homes.

AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF INNOVATION

Lo Conte and Fabre were both doc- eSMART toral students at EPFL, and originally intended to work in the field of home au- 2011 15 The modules are connected behind the tomation and intelligent power sockets. Chemin de Prévenoge 2, 1024 Ecublens electrical switches already in place and Their company's client list now includes [email protected] enable each item of equipment to be SUVA, UBS, and Credit Suisse as well controlled from a screen. as a large number of property mana- www.myesmart.com gement organisations. It is involved in projects such as the development of the Fabrizio Lo Conte, co-founder

52 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Buyeco A marketplace for renewable energy

The Valais-based start-up aims to enable consumers to choose exactly which solar panel or hydraulic dam will provide electricity, we intend to create a new experience that will increase demand. them with electricity. Interest on the part of consumers is a key factor in the energy transition, but the complexity of the system doesn't At a fruit and vegetable market, the lity, photos of it, the annual production make it easy. That might change!” origin of the produce is stated. Where figures, opportunities to visit it, and so electricity is concerned, it is harder for on. This helps to create a real energy end customers to choose what they experience.” use, because its origin is only rarely This platform is currently being specified. Are their washing machines tested by large consumers, running on German wind power or solar including Raiffeisen Bank. electricity from panels in the Fribourg Initially, it will be available only canton? Buyeco, a start-up based at to SMEs, before being opened Sion in the canton of Valais, was foun- up gradually to domestic users. ded jointly by Julia Beyer, Antoine Marti- As Switzerland's energy market nelli, Richard Pfister and Luc Jodet, and has not yet been liberalised for small consumers, this service will be offered in conjunction “BY MAKING IT EASIER FOR with the electricity distribution CONSUMERS TO CHOOSE companies that supply clients THE SOURCE OF THEIR using less than 100,000 kWh ELECTRICITY, WE INTEND TO annually. CREATE A NEW EXPERIENCE FOCUSING ON THE SWISS MARKET THAT WILL INCREASE THE DEMAND FOR ENERGY FROM In parallel, Buyeco has already set up a website for buying and selling RENEWABLE SOURCES.” renewable energy, intended solely for businesses. With over 80 million ki- was launched in autumn 2014 with the lowatt-hours traded on this platform, this specific aim of improving the traceabi- part of the project is already showing lity of energy. a profit, enabling the start-up to fund future developments itself, despite its GREATER TRANSPARENCY youth. Buyeco has been assisted in CONCERNING THE ORIGIN its growth by a large number of Swiss OF ELECTRICITY actors, including The Ark Foundation, in Sion, and SuisseEnergie. The company Buyeco is developing a platform that has also won several awards, including enables end customers to choose from one from the Swiss Climate Foundation, several electricity production facilities which enabled it to fund the equivalent connected to their electricity grid, which of three full-time jobs. Buyeco may include, for example, a farmer For the time being, Buyeco is focusing with solar panels, or an SME with its on the Swiss market. It does not rule out 2014 4 own small hydroelectric power plant. the idea of expanding into France or Rue de l’industrie 17, 1950 Sion “There is a lack of transparency in the Germany in the future. Luc Jodet hopes [email protected] renewable energy market,” explains Luc this will happen: “By emphasising the Jodet. “Our project gives consumers human aspect of renewable sources www.buyeco.ch access to more information, such as of energy and by making it easier for Luc Jodet, co-founder the exact location of the production faci- people to choose the source of their

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 53 GreenWins Encouraging recycling

Bernese company GreenWins has developed interactive terminals that offer rewards to people who recycle their waste. GreenWins is now looking for further finance so that it can step up a gear, and a crowdfunding campaign is planned. The company, based at Reconvilier, TERMINALS THAT ADAPT TO develops interactive recycling terminals. THEIR ENVIRONMENT A touch screen is used to combine the collection of waste with a marketing The GreenWins terminals can be adap- concept that rewards users, provides ted to all recyclable products: used information, and offers gifts or loyalty batteries, coffee capsules, paper, alu- “PEOPLE WANT TO points. Launched in 2008 under the minium cans and even medication. “A RECYCLE THEIR WASTE, name Recyclean, the project was reac- touch screen makes it possible to show tivated in 2017 by Pascal Reichen and advertisements and make contact with WE SHOULD HELP THEM is now called GreenWins. “It took five the person using the terminal, giving BY GIVING THEM AN years' work to develop these terminals,” them the chance to win a prize or obtain ADDITIONAL MOTIVATION.” explains Reichen, a trained engineer. a discount,” explains Reichen. As the designer of these interactive terminals, he can see endless possibilities: “In each situation, or for each type of product to be recycled, we can adapt our offer to the requirements of the host organisation and the advertisers who want to get a message across, although the number of actors involved in each installation sometimes makes implementation of the project complicated.” Initially, he envisages that they will be rolled out in train stations and supermarkets.

CALL TO INVESTORS

“People want to recycle their waste, we should help them by giving them an additional motivation.” In Swit- zerland, only about 53% of waste is recycled and 47% is incinerated. "We've After several pilot terminals, the first carried out a survey of 1000 people, GreenWins full-scale tests started, at locations that which showed that 40% of them actually included a McDonald’s restaurant in recycle their waste. With our terminals, 2008 1 Biel. “The reactions from users are very we can almost double that proportion. Rue du Moulin 40, 2732 Reconvilier encouraging,” Reichen says. So it would be possible to recycle 75% [email protected] of waste, without changing anything in the packaging. We can do it!", enthuses www.recyclean.ch Reichen, whose concept has received Pascal Reichen, founder support from the canton of Bern.

54 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Imperix Networks that are more intelligent and more reliable

A Swiss company working in the field of power electronics has created a minor revolution by devising a technology that can be possible to make the control of very control and coordinate complex systems. large installations, such as wind or solar farms, more flexible, more reliable, and less expensive. In recent years, the massive advance clients time during development, and made by renewable forms of energy means that new actors who don't have has greatly increased the need for and the full range of expertise or technical interest in power electronics systems, resources can nevertheless develop known as converters or inverters. These the converters of the future,” says CEO systems are particularly necessary to Simon Delalay. “OUR APPROACH MEANS integrate these new forms of energy into the grid, or to transmit large amounts of REDUCING DEVELOPMENT COSTS THAT NEW ACTORS WHO electrical energy over long distances. AND TIME-TO-MARKET DON'T HAVE THE FULL Converters are complex devices, at RANGE OF EXPERTISE OR the boundary between IT and electrical The company works closely with EPFL TECHNICAL RESOURCES engineering, requiring manufacturers to and Swiss engineering faculties, and its incur substantial research and develop- developments include the BoomBox, CAN NEVERTHELESS ment costs before such products reach a prototyping platform for converters. DEVELOP THE the market. Similarly, because conver- In practical terms, this is an industrial CONVERTERS OF THE ters are essential to the electricity grids computer that is designed to make it FUTURE.” of the future, they generate particular easier for clients to develop control sof- interest among academics, especially tware for power electronics systems. It when the study of these devices is com- also makes it easier for actors involved bined with the subject of smart grids. in smart grids to test and validate the Imperix supplies laboratory equipment control strategies of the future on realis- to engineers involved in designing tic converters. prototype converters, in both industrial This is a minor revolution in power electronics, with potential for a host of further developments in future. Imperix is already making this technology widely available by allowing manufacturers to integrate it into their products directly, thus reducing their development costs and the time-to-market. In the short term, this could involve all devices that Imperix transform electrical and academic settings. Until recently, energy, such as those involved in the 2013 4 the development of each converter was production of renewable energy, its Rue de l'Industrie 17, 1950 Sion very specific, with few reusable compo- storage, or electric traction. In the lon- [email protected] nents, but Imperix now offers universal ger term, Imperix's objective is to make building blocks (power modules, control its technology increasingly scalable. www.imperix.ch unit, sensors) that can be assembled Thanks to increased modularity and by Simon Delalay, CEO and used quickly. “Our approach saves building in redundancy systems, it will

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 55 Joulia Reusing the shower’s heat

A hot shower is a real pleasure. When the water disappears down the plughole, however, it still contains valuable energy. solar heating installations to offer pac- kage solutions: “It will benefit us as a Joulia SA, based in Biel, has developed a system that enables newcomer to enter the market together the heat from waste water to be used a second time. with well-known manufacturers.”

A leisurely shower consumes the same exchanger. A second product, Jou- amount of energy as that used by a lia-Inline, appeared in 2015. This time, man to climb the Eiffel tower on foot the design of the heat exchanger was “WITH THE JOULIA SYSTEM 55 times. This comparison is used by so compact that it could be fitted into Joulia SA to illustrate how worthwhile it the narrow pipe of a shower outflow. YOU CAN SAVE 30 TO 40% is to be economical with hot water from Reto Schmid, architect and industrial OF THE ENERGY USED FOR the shower. But being economical need designer, is especially proud of the SHOWERING.” not mean going without. Joulia SA, a compact size, the simplicity of instal- start-up from Biel, has developed a heat lation and the ease of cleaning. “With exchanger that is integrated into the Joulia-Inline, we are offering a simple, shower outflow, where it recovers the economical system that has been really thermal energy from the waste water. well-received in the bathroom plumbing This heat is used to preheat the cold sector, and one which other bathroom water before it reaches the mixer tap; suite manufacturers can integrate into their own showers.”

COOPERATION WITH ESTABLISHED BRANDS

Building up a new company in the sanitation industry requires patience; major projects usually have development periods of two to three years. The Biel Foundation for Technological Innovation it is then combined with the hot water (STI), the economic promotion depart- and recirculated to the shower. “Depen- ment of the Canton of Bern and the ding on the size of your shower head, Swiss Climate Foundation all provided you will save between 30 and 40% of support for the creation of the start- the energy used; the cost savings mean up. There are now several versions of that our system pays for itself by the Joulia’s heat recovery system, suitable end of three years,” says Reto Schmid, for both new buildings and renovations. co-founder and CEO of Joulia SA. Unlike other heat exchangers used in waste water, the Joulia system can SUCCESS THE SECOND TIME be extended, and it is equipped with AROUND an integrated leak detection system. The company has a firm foothold in The first foundation stone of the Biel German-speaking Switzerland, and is Joulia company was laid nine years ago, when currently building up its sales in the 2010 7 mechanical engineer Christoph Rusch – French-speaking cantons. Joulia SA is now technical director of Joulia SA – de- also active in the UK and the Nether- Zentralstrasse 115, 2500 Biel 7 veloped the basic heat recovery system lands. According to Reto Schmid, Joulia [email protected] at the Biel innovation centre Creaholic SA will in future concentrate on working www.joulia.com SA, with an initial design that involved together with the manufacturers of fitting the whole shower tray with a heat shower taps, instant water heaters and Reto Schmid, CEO

56 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Aventor The racing car of the future is Swiss

Based at La Neuveville (Bern), Aventor SA develops electric racing cars that are used as a test bed for the commercial officials cannot safely approach a car development of a mass-market electric car designed by its that has had an accident. This obstacle has to a large extent been removed with Fribourg-based sister company, Softcar SA. the Aventor: its polymer chassis is much safer than a traditional carbon chassis. “Our aim is to prove that even a racing Even the famous Ferrari 488 GTB, and car can have a small environmental the supercars from Ferrari, Bugatti, A NICHE TECHNOLOGY footprint,” explains Jean-Luc Thuliez, di- Koenigsegg and Pagani, with their rector of Aventor and of Softcar. “We've turbocharged engines that produce The Aventor remains a niche technolo- designed these single-seaters to be crazy levels of power output – in excess gical product that is perfect for Switzer- completely recyclable.” of 1000bhp – have been caught up by land. Sprint races are due to be allowed One of the main challenges that the production models of electrically-pro- in the country once again, provided that constructor of the Aventor vehicle faced pelled vehicles. Combustion-engine the vehicles are electrically propelled, was the need to make the chassis from vehicles with the swiftest acceleration offering new prospects for Aventor. are finding their position under threat. The three-wheeler model, which is in the “Some electric vehicles are already same vehicle category as motorcycles, “SINCE LAST YEAR, breaking this record, with 1000bhp mo- is designed for the Californian trike THE ACCELERATION tors that are minuscule in size relative to market and is therefore in high demand PERFORMANCE OF their power,” says the CEO of Aventor. in the United States. The fact that these motors are silent also ELECTRIC VEHICLES HAS makes it possible to SURPASSED THAT OF envisage races being INTERNAL COMBUSTION held, which opens up VEHICLES. ELECTRIC some great possibilities for this gem of MOTORS ARE BECOMING Swiss technology. BETTER THAN PETROL ENGINES.”

a material other than carbon, which is ultra-light but very expensive, involves a toxic manufacturing process, and cannot be recycled. As with the Softcar, the electric car developed in Fribourg by Aventor's sister company, advanced SUCCESS IN A HILL-CLIMB EVENT composite materials (recyclable polymers) were therefore given priority. In August 2016, the Aventor took part for the first time in the Saint-Ur- ELECTRIC PROPULSION IS sanne–Les Rangiers hill climb, one of POWERING AHEAD the classic competitions of this kind in Switzerland. With former Swiss cham- Internal combustion or electric: the two pion rally driver Nicolas Althaus at the Aventor methods of propulsion are now in equal wheel, the electric car proved itself competition. However, in 2016 electric easily at that event. Buoyed by this 2014 12 propulsion gained a small lead. “Since success, Jean-Luc Thuliez is no longer Chemin de Saint-Joux 16B, last year, the acceleration performance in any doubt that electric vehicles will 2520 La Neuveville of electric vehicles has surpassed that take the lead on motor-racing circuits [email protected] of internal combustion vehicles. Electric in the near future. However, there is still motors are becoming better than petrol one difficulty left: the presence of very www.aventor.ch engines,” enthuses Jean-Luc Thuliez. high-voltage batteries means that race Jean-Luc Thuliez, CEO

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 57 SEAS Generating drinking water from ambient air Innovative modular solutions developed by Ticino-based developed in association with its main SEAS enable water to be extracted from air. partner, Watershed, a Cambodia-based NGO. SEAS is currently participating in “Our mission is to produce clean, now employs 16 people, and also has different projects in the United Arab high-quality drinking water from ambient a presence in the United States. Its Emirates, in particular Dubai and Abu air, using as little energy as possible capital is provided by its joint founders Dhabi, which involve the development and without polluting the environment,” and by external investors. “Even now, of greenhouses and decentralised the same investors continue to support says Rinaldo Bravo, CEO of the Tici- water production systems. “We're also our company so we can develop new no-based company SEAS. working with hospitals in Mexico and markets and new products,” Rinaldo the Caribbean, and with schools and Bravo points out. hospitals in Namibia,” adds Bravo. SEAS MACHINES USE A A complex system that filters and COMPLEX SYSTEM FOR condenses ambient air, then sterilises FILTERING, CONDENSING, and mineralises the water thus produced, enables SEAS machines to ge- STERILISING AND nerate between 2500 and 10,000 litres MINERALISING TO per day. The treatment of the water GENERATE BETWEEN 2500 can be configured to adapt to diffe- AND 10,000 LITRES OF rent applications and qualities (pure water, irrigation water for greenhouses WATER PER DAY. or farms, etc.). For example, different types of mineralisation and treatment SEAS (for Société de l’Eau Aérienne can be used to enhance the quality of Suisse) wants to solve the problem of drinking water. water shortage via its Air-to-Water technology, which enables air to be turned into water, quickly and wherever necessary. For this reason, the company has offices in countries that suffer from a shortage of water, such as the United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Peru, although its base is in Riva San Vitale, near Mendrisio.

CUSTOMISED WATER INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT TREATMENT PROJECTS SEAS The company was founded in 2013 by The machines developed by SEAS can four entrepreneurs: Flavio and Gra- be powered by gas generators, and 2013 16 ziano Giacomini, Italian brothers who also by solar or wind power or other VIa Industria 13/a, 6826 Riva San Vitale were working in the valve industry in forms of renewable energy. In addition, [email protected] Switzerland and Italy; Marco Honeg- the company offers an integrated bott- ger, a Swiss economist and marke- ling system. The company presented www.seas-sa.com ting expert; and Lawrence Graev, an its latest product, the Awa Modula 25, Rinaldo Bravo, CEO American lawyer and fund manager. It in March 2017, in Monaco. This was

58 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Reech A test bench for PV innovations

Innovation is an ongoing process in the PV industry. The Reech GmbH private testing and development centre in from the Graubünden Foundation for Innovation, Development and Research. Oberurnen (canton of Glarus) makes an original contribution to Tamás Szacsvay, who studied phy- the development of top-class products. sics at the ETH Zurich, specialising in photovoltaics, joined the company as a second managing partner in 2016. The Linth valley between Ziegelbrücke indispensable link in the value crea- Before moving to Zizers, near Land- and Glarus is in a mountainous setting. tion chain of the solar industry. The quart, at the beginning of 2017, the It seems as though the sun rises late test centre is run by Reech GmbH, start-up spent five years at the INNO- and sets early, but appearances can be which has its headquarters in the Rhine ZET innovation centre in Grüsch, in the deceptive – solar energy can achieve valley in Graubünden. The enginee- Prättigau valley. INNOZET is a place good yields even here in the where established companies and canton of Glarus. The town of young enterprises operate side by side, Oberurnen near Ziegelbrücke exchanging experience and ideas. “We is home to a unique establish- are proud to have been part of an ini- ment: Switzerland’s only private tiative whose aim is to create innovative test and development centre for jobs in the region’s technology sector,” photovoltaics (PV). This centre says Andreas Hügli. has all the necessary expertise, test equipment and procedures for activities ranging from the measurement of the output of PV modules through to the detection of ring company plans and builds solar internal and external defects and tests installations, and also offers a full range for wind and snow loads. Users of the of services connected with PV solar en- facility include PV module and system ergy, including maintenance and repair providers, installers, building owners, of PV systems, repowering and yield energy suppliers and insurance compa- optimisation. nies. Here in Oberurnen they can all test their modules and installation systems or put samples through quality control “WE ARE PROUD TO HAVE procedures. BEEN PART OF AN INITIATIVE WHOSE AIM IS TO CREATE A CONTRIBUTION TO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT INNOVATIVE JOBS IN THE REGION’S TECHNOLOGY While the test centre is not an accre- SECTOR.” dited test institute, the evaluations and preliminary tests carried out here make an important contribution to innovation in the solar energy sector. Its users also START-UPS AND ESTABLISHED include industrial clients, for example COMPANIES LEARN FROM ONE Reech those who have developed a new ANOTHER installation system and want to know if 2012 2 it satisfies the official requirements, or Andreas Hügli studied mechanical Weststr. 7, 7205 Zizers manufacturers who want to optimise engineering and held various positions [email protected] the cost of new components. The test in PV, semiconductor and microsystems and development centre thus serves as companies before founding Reech www.reech.ch an “extended test bench” for industrial GmbH in 2012. His company received Andreas Hügli, managing partner clients, and in this capacity it forms an financial support for its establishment

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 59 Swiss Eco Line Only 10% of the water without compromising on cleanliness

The Swiss Eco Line AG start-up has reinvented the tap – with its innovative spray technology, the Swiss Eco Tap only uses a be used entirely with cold water, thus tenth of the water consumed by a classic tap, and requires no making further savings as heating costs are eliminated. Despite these advan- hot water at all. tages, the start-up from Chur faces a long haul to establish itself on the market, as it could take several years for the Contact with foreign cultures is an enri- company to receive an order to supply ching experience, as Rolf Senti discove- THE SEARCH FOR INVESTORS a substantial building development pro- red for himself. When he was travelling ject. Entrepreneur Rolf Senti will have in Dubai, the owner of bathroom fittings One of the places where this innova- the chance to put into practice the skills supplier Bagno Sasso observed how tive product was introduced was right he has gained as a former professio- the Muslims washed before their five where Rolf Senti had been inspired a nal cyclist – as a top-level sportsman daily prayer sessions. However, water few years previously – the prototype of he has learned how to pace himself to is not always available in sufficient his water-saving tap was installed in a cover long distances. mosque in Dubai. The Swiss Eco Tap is also used in Switzerland, in particular in high-altitude skiing areas where drinking water is scarce and expensive “THESE LARGE ORDERS to supply. Rolf Senti also hopes ARE OF CRUCIAL to establish the Swiss Eco Line taps in the attractive markets SIGNIFICANCE FOR US, of the United States, Canada, ENABLING US TO GAIN and the Middle East where they A FOOTHOLD IN THE are currently being evaluated MARKETPLACE.” for sports stadiums. This is a promising outlet, since the major stadiums will need at least 1,000 taps. “These large orders are of crucial significance for us, enabling us to gain a foothold in the marketplace – without orders of this magnitude, investors are generally reluctant to invest in a product such as ours,” says Rolf Senti. quantities in the desert zones of the Gulf States. This experience gave Rolf NO NEED FOR HOT WATER Senti the idea of developing a tap that distributes the water economically but The Swiss Eco Tap has been especially nevertheless ensures that the hands are designed for the sanitary facilities in pu- Swiss Eco Line thoroughly washed. He was supported blic buildings and offices, where a lot of in this project by Werner Egli, owner of people wash their hands. Not only does 2016 3 former Swiss tap manufacturer Arwa its innovative spray technology, based Felsenaustrasse 29, 7004 Chur AG (Wallisellen). The Swiss Eco Tap on the use of kinetic energy, offer a [email protected] was ready to be marketed by the end substantial reduction in water consump- of 2015. tion, but its extremely fine spray also www.swissecoline.com reduces the sensation of cold on the Rolf Senti, CEO skin. This enables the Swiss Eco Tap to

60 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Eturnity Giving the best advice for decentralised energy supplies

The deployment of photovoltaic installations and other zerland and Germany. The Chur-based decentralised energy supply systems with a wide start-up received financial support for geographical coverage requires efficient consultancy and its establishment from the Graubünden Foundation for Innovation, Development sales processes. Eturnity AG (Chur) has developed the LEA and Research. Finding a source of platform for precisely this purpose. funding was just one of the challenges to be overcome in order to achieve the full potential of the business model. Having graduated as an electrical the Centralschweizerische Kraftwerke “When we founded the company, we engineer from the ETH Zurich, Matthias AG power plant operator. Basic data were motivated by the idea of using our Wiget first worked in the construction such as the roof type and orientation new platform to help the market for solar of hydroelectric plants. Inspired by the are fed into the solar calculator, and in power and renewable energies to move potential of renewable energies, he minutes it provides a rough calculation forward,” says Matthias Wiget. “But first then became involved in marketing and for a possible installation together with we had to learn how to adapt what we installing solar power systems. “That an outline price quote. 18,000 private offer to our customers’ requirements.” was when I realised that the promo- individuals have already used Eturnity The company is currently on the verge tion of renewable energies requires solar calculators like this one to plan of passing its break-even threshold. not only good technology, but also their installations. The third customer efficient advice and sales processes. These are essential to ensure that solar power systems provide adequate value “DECENTRALISED ENERGY SYSTEMS for money and are able to achieve a NEED TO BE EASIER TO SELL IF THEY broad take-up,” Wiget says. The young ARE TO ACHIEVE A BROAD TAKE-UP.” Graubünden entrepreneur took on Peter Novotny, an experienced software developer, as CTO of Eturnity. Together, base for the LEA platform is that of sys- they developed the LEA (Live Energy tem manufacturers, such as suppliers of Analysis) advice and sales platform, a battery storage systems or heat pumps. software solution with the objective of The tool enables them to speed up the accelerating and optimising the efficien- planning and design processes for their cy of the sales processes for photovol- products, making them more attractive taic systems and other decentralised for installers. energy systems such as heat pumps or charging stations for electric cars.

TABLET-ENABLED PLANNING TOOLS

LEA uses satellite images of roof surfaces, which it integrates seamlessly into its own dimensioning and simulation algorithms for energy systems. When a sales representative visits a potential Eturnity customer with the tool, a system can CLOSE TO THE BREAK-EVEN 2012 8 be designed and an offer presented THRESHOLD on the spot. Sales representatives and Reichsgasse 3, 7000 Chur installers are not the only ones who use Eturnity now has some 30 commercial [email protected] the LEA platform – end customers can customers in German-speaking Switzer- www.eturnity.ch also benefit from its solar calculator, land and is currently expanding its ter- such as the one installed by Eturnity for ritory to include French-speaking Swit- Matthias Wiget, CEO

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 61 MoSan Toilets for all

It may sound banal, but to millions of people a first step out of poverty would be to have their own toilet. Industrial designer will pay for the toilets and the work in- Mona Mijthab refused to ignore this worldwide problem, and volved in distributing them, setting them up and operating them.” In future, there set about redesigning the toilet. will be an association that supports the projects with information and education campaigns on hygiene. “The long-term At the age of 21, while studying indus- FOCUS ON CENTRAL AMERICA aim is that the MoSan toilets will beco- trial design at the Magdeburg-Stendal me a status symbol and offer a sustai- University of Applied Sciences, Mona The dry toilets have been tested over nable contribution to improving the lives Mijthab undertook a period of work the last few years in the slums of Kenya of the people concerned,” Mijthab says. experience with the German develop- and in a refugee camp, and the design ment agency GIZ, which took her to has been refined on the basis Bangladesh. “I was shocked to see of suggestions by the local how people lived in the slums, without people. They consist of five “WE ARE NOT SIMPLY OFFERING clean water or sanitary facilities. Their plastic elements that can be A DRY TOILET SYSTEM, BUT A situation was extremely difficult, espe- assembled in a few seconds. COMPLETE SANITARY SOLUTION.” cially for the women,” says the young Urine and faeces are collected entrepreneur, now 29. After gaining her separately and can thus be Master’s degree at the Zurich University treated or disposed of separately. The of the Arts, Mijthab developed a system MoSan system enables solid waste to of ecological toilets that operate on a be composted to produce fertiliser or closed-circuit system, which she called to generate biogas. In 2017, the toilets MoSan (mobile sanitation). The central are to be introduced to urban areas element is a simple yet visually appea- of Jamaica affected by poverty, under the auspices of a Mexican NGO, and it is hoped that the treatment and composting cycle will be further improved. “A strategic analysis has shown that Central America is a key target area for our product,” says Mijthab.

ACTING AS A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR

MoSan GmbH is based in Willisau (canton of Lucerne), at the International Centre for Water Management Services (CEWAS), a training and coaching association for start-ups in the water sector. As a social entrepreneur, the start-up faces specific challenges when it comes to funding; MoSan funds its research and development activities mainly from prizes and awards MoSan (Climate-KIC, Bestform Award 2013, Hans-Sauer Social Design Award 2015, 2016 4 ling toilet that functions without water Award for Social Entrepreneurship Müligasse 7, 6130 Willisau or chemicals and is easy to transport in SEIF). “Now that our sanitary system [email protected] crisis zones. Since the summer of 2016, is ready for the market, we will live off Mona Mijthab has been selling the the orders we receive from multilateral www.mosan.ch MoSan system through a start-up of the organisations, NGOs and government Mona Mijthab, CEO same name. departments,” Mijthab explains. “They

62 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS INDEOtec The latest in photovoltaic technology

As a designer of machines that make solar panels, this Neuchâtel-based company is involved in a rapidly-expanding logy enables a 50% reduction in costs to be achieved across all our clients' field. production lines.”

Formed in 2007, INDEOtec began difficult. We had to tighten our belts to life as a spin-off from the photovoltaic ensure that our gamble paid off.” The laboratory at the Institute of Microtech- first sales of the second generation of nology, belonging to the Swiss Center Octopus machines to the CSEM and to for Electronics and Microtechnology research institutes in France and the (CSEM) in Neuchâtel. It has successful- United States breathed new life into the ly completed the difficult transition from company from 2015 onwards. In Janua- start-up to SME, and is now expanding ry of that year, the company was able to rapidly, having developed a revolutio- start using a new 600m2 clean room in nary technique for manufacturing solar Neuchâtel. panels and flat screens. Its Octopus machines deposit ultra-thin layers of silicon on both faces of a substrate in a single operation, something that competitor technologies cannot achieve.

“INDEOTEC HAS DEVELOPED A REVOLUTIONARY TECHNIQUE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SOLAR PANELS: ITS MACHINES DEPOSIT ULTRA-THIN LAYERS OF SILICON ON BOTH SIDES OF A SUPPORT IN A SINGLE PASS.” FROM LABORATORY TO PRODUCTION LINE A PROMISING TECHNOLOGY By the end of 2016, INDEOtec's turno- “We started with traditional methods ver had risen to CHF 2 million, and the first of all, before developing this new company had won some new clients in approach,” explains the CEO and main Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. With shareholder, Omid Shojaei. “We deve- the imminent launch of the third gene- loped this technology ourselves and all ration of Octopus machines, INDEOtec the patents belong to us.” A physics will reach a new stage that will move its graduate from EPFL, Omid Shojaei technology out of the research laborato- INDEOtec knows the sector particularly well, ha- ries and into the world of manufacturing, 2008 12 ving started his career at Oerlikon, part to produce highly efficient photovoltaic Rue du Puits-Godet 12a, 2000 Neuchâtel of the photovoltaics division of a British cells. company, the Edwards Group. Its sales are set to more than double [email protected] “We launched without raising any mo- in 2017, to reach CHF 5 million “The www.indeotec.com ney,” says Omid Shojaei. “We managed potential market is enormous,” says a to keep going, but it has been very delighted Omid Shojaei. “Our techno- Omid Shojaei, CEO

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 63 Softcar Reinventing the electric car

The Fribourg-based company intends to take advantage of the imminent disruption of the car market to promote an innovative recovery of the vehicles. “This is a much more modern business model that concept in the manufacture of electric vehicles. enables us to provide solutions far more quickly than the model used in manu- A quarter of a century after the idea Jean-Luc Thuliez believes that his elec- facturing traditional cars,” Thuliez adds. for the Swatchmobile came to Nicolas tric vehicle provides a lighter and more “We’re going against the whole of the Hayek, a lightweight and economical accessible alternative to the electric automotive industry, which increasingly electric car may at last see the light of cars currently available on the market. tends to produce complex, expensive day in Switzerland. The implementation “Current models are designed in the electronics.” of this incredible project is in the hands same way as petrol vehicles. They're of Softcar, a Fribourg-based company heavy and they cost too much. On top headed by Jean-Luc Thuliez, himself of that, the available battery technolo- a former member of the Swatchmobile gies don't give them a sufficiently at- team, and Marc Frehner, who is res- tractive range.” Even the electric Smart ponsible for the design. weighs almost a tonne. A long way from Nicolas Hayek's visionary dream!

A NEW INDUSTRIAL MODEL SOFTCAR OFFERS A CAR THAT IS THE ANTITHESIS Marketing of the Softcar is due to begin in Switzerland and Austria in 2018. But OF THE TYPICAL the real horizon for the project is much ELECTRIC VEHICLE, AND further away: the key market for the A MANUFACTURING electric car is China, with its 80 mega- CONCEPT BASED ON THE cities, each with more than 10 million DECENTRALISED “CLOUD FACTORY” MODEL.

AN ECONOMICAL AND ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY VEHICLE

A traditional car has almost 40,000 components and weighs 1.3 tonnes. The Softcar, on the other hand, has only 1800 parts and weighs 480 kilos. The car body can be changed in 30 minutes and, unlike present-day cars, whose inhabitants. The Softcar company will worn-out parts have to be destroyed or not make the cars itself, but will develop burned, all the mechanical parts can be the technologies needed to produce reused. The Softcar's batteries give it a these vehicles and will sell manufactu- Softcar range of between 240 and 400 kilo- ring licences to third parties. metres, depending on the model. Ac- “We're selling a recipe and the ingre- 2011 12 cording to Jean-Luc Thuliez, replacing dients needed to build clean cars,” Passage du Cardinal 1, 1700 Fribourg 100,000 petrol vehicles with electric explains Jean-Luc Thuliez. This decen- [email protected] models would reduce CO2 emissions by tralised model, known as the “cloud fac- 300,000 tonnes annually. tory”, will use assembly plants close to www.softcar.ch However, the issue for Softcar is not the megacities. These same plants will François Vuille, Chairman merely one of replacing petrol cars. also be responsible for the end-of-life

64 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS DEPsys Improving electricity grid stability in the era of renewable energy

The Vaud-based start-up has developed a scalable real- time control platform for managing a low-voltage electricity outside Switzerland, DEPsys raised CHF 3 million in June 2016 from three distribution network. This modular solution uses smart sensors major risk-capital investors, one of and actuators spread across the network. whom, Statkraft, is Europe's biggest supplier of renewable energy. Since last autumn, this Vaud-based start-up has This is the story of three friends who crease in the supply of solar renewable had a presence throughout the whole of dreamed of becoming major entrepre- energy from decentralised sources western Europe. neurs. Joël Jaton, Guillaume Besson and the advent of electric vehicles, the and Michael De Vivo, who are now in electrical stability of networks is no lon- their thirties, have been friends since ger guaranteed. In addition to this, the they were students at the School of networks were designed for centralised Engineering and Management Vaud production and vertical distribution to (HEIG-VD) in Yverdon-les-Bains. All users. DEPsys provides a solution to this with its platform. The year 2014 marked a “THERE IS HUGE POTENTIAL FOR turning-point in the start- SMART GRID SOLUTIONS, BOTH WITHIN up’s development, with AND OUTSIDE SWITZERLAND. IN THE the grant of a loan of CHF COMING YEARS, ALL OPERATORS 100,000 by the Foundation for Technological Innova- ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH “There is huge potential for smart grid tion (FIT) for the develop- solutions, both within and outside Swit- THE PROBLEMS THAT RENEWABLE ment of its prototypes. zerland,” emphasises Marc Schreiber, SOURCES OF ENERGY CAUSE FOR THE However, it was a major DEPsys' marketing director. “In the DISTRIBUTION NETWORK.” strategic commission coming years, all operators are going from Romande Energie, to have to deal with the problems that a major network operator, renewable sources of energy cause for three specialised in smart grids. In that enabled DEPsys to integrate its the distribution network.” The advan- 2012, they formed DEPsys, a start-up second-generation GridEye solutions tage of the DEPsys solution is that it that initially operated from the Swiss into the day-to-day management of is easily fitted to existing equipment. Technopole at Yverdon-les-Bains, a low-voltage electricity distribution “Our platform helps operators to control but which recently moved to Puidoux network. Romande Energie tested these changing environments and (Vaud). GridEye for two years before incorpo- improve the utilisation of the low-voltage rating it into its strategic roadmap, and network, while keeping costs under NETWORKS UNDER CONTROL is now planning to roll out the solution control,” summarises Marc Schreiber. across its entire network. To meet the needs of distribution network operators, the three electri- A PROMISING MARKET cal systems engineers developed a scalable real-time control platform for Since then, DEPsys has conducted managing a low-voltage electricity around ten pilot projects throughout distribution network, which was named Switzerland. The fourth generation of DEPsys GridEye. This modular solution incor- GridEye is now entering its industrial 2012 13 porates smart sensors and actuators, production phase. DEPsys now has which are spread across the electricity an opportunity to move beyond the Route du Verney 20B, 1070 Puidoux network. It can perform measurements confines of Switzerland and become [email protected] and calculations, and communicate the established in the western European information (alerts, faults, damage, sta- market. In order to prepare for the cer- www.depsys.ch tistics) collected in the field. With the in- tification and marketing of its solutions Marc Schreiber, marketing director

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 65 Smixin Combining hygiene, sustainability and business This Biel-based start-up has developed a cutting-edge quarter of 2017 is likely to be equally handwashing system that is environmentally-friendly and encouraging. From the beginning, Smixin has been able to rely on some economical with water, dispensing just 100ml per use. active shareholders, as well as on support from the Biel municipal authority It's something we do several times a with an integrated paper dispenser, and the canton of Bern. “We launched day, without thinking about it. Our fore- which has to be connected to the main a funding campaign a few months bears washed their hands too, probably water system in order to work. ago, and to date, we've achieved over in the same way, with lots of soap and Each time someone washes their 70% of our target,” says Jean-Michel water, and the method hasn't changed hands, it dispenses just 100ml of water. Deckers. “But we're still looking for new very much since. It's true that liquid The most complete version of this instal- investors.” soaps and automated dispensers intro- lation costs CHF 2500 (retail price), ex- At this rate, the start-up looks set to duced something new into the practice, cluding the cost of consumables such reach its break-even point in 2018, in public toilets at least. But otherwise, while at the same time the ritual is very much the same. continuing to improve its Start-up company Smixin recently IT'S A “TAP FOR THE 21ST CENTURY”. offer: its most recent crea- entered the market with a new product IT DISPENSES JUST 100ML OF WATER, tion consists of connecting that reduces the amount of water used AND THE 1.5 LITRE SOAP POUCH CAN its products to internet applications, so that the for handwashing, while cleaning them BE USED FOR APPROXIMATELY 3000 equally effectively. At a time when entire soap management governments are emphasising the HANDWASH CYCLES. process can be optimised. importance of handwashing as a matter of public health, this invention is bound as the 1.5 litre soap pouch, which can to be appealing. be used for approximately 3000 handwash cycles i.e. for up to a month, depending on use. “Smixin has designed a tap for the 21st century,” is the summary given by Jean-Michel Deckers, who became CEO of this specialist company in March 2016. Smixin is targeting its products at Switzerland and Germany, but above all Asia, given that the continent has to rationa- lise its water consumption. Deckers now spends half his time in NO MORE THAN 100ML OF WATER Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. Back in Biel, the team of around fifteen Smixin was formed in Biel at the end staff is preparing for the imminent of 2009. The technology was originally launch of a new compact version, developed for Nestlé by Creaholic, the intended to appeal to both commercial Smixin innovation incubator founded by Elmar and non-commercial organisations. 2009 15 Mock. Nestlé retained the agrifood application and authorised Creaholic to LOOKING FOR NEW INVESTORS Rue Centrale 115, 2500 Bienne reproduce the concept in another area [email protected] of application, which resulted in the The results are already promising: in launch of Smixin. 2016, the company's turnover was CHF www.smixin.com In practical terms, it is a sensor device 250,000 and the profit figure for the first Jean-Michel Deckers, CEO

66 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Stignergy Using artificial intelligence to achieve energy efficiency

The Yverdon-based start-up offers an energy management system based on an artificial intelligence technology inspired already been successfully installed by the natural world. at industrial sites and in hotels, and Stignergy is also fitting them in schools, universities and hospitals. How can organisations reduce their buting energy requirements dynamically electricity costs and also the load that throughout the day, without disrupting a site places on the grid? Stignergy has the output of the devices concerned. developed a system for managing elec- This limits peaks in electricity consump- tricity consumption, known as SEMS (for tion, which adversely affect the grid. Smart Energy Management System). At the end of the test period at UMV, This technology controls consumption "the reduction in energy costs attribu- THE SEMS MODULES and distributes electricity dynamically table to installation of the system was CAN OPTIMISE OVERALL within a single entity, such as a factory, 15%," points out Sami Najjar, the foun- DEMAND BY DISTRIBUTING to avoid peaks in the load and eliminate der and CEO of Stignergy. What's more, ENERGY REQUIREMENTS unnecessary consumption, thus redu- electricity distributor Romande Energie cing electricity costs. now includes the SEMS modules in its DYNAMICALLY offer to major consumers. THROUGHOUT THE DAY, OPTIMISING ENERGY DEMAND WITHOUT DISRUPTING THE EMBEDDED INTELLIGENCE OUTPUT OF THE DEVICES The solution, which has received support from the Swiss Federal Office Sami Najjar sees in these successes CONCERNED. of Energy, relies on a collective intelli- the practical implementation of an idea gence technology inspired by the natu- that he had in 2009. At the time, this ral world. It proved its worth at the end entrepreneur was an R&D engineer in of 2015, at the Usines Métallurgiques machine-to-machine systems at the de Vallorbe (UMV) site, as part of a School of Engineering and Management partnership that also included Romande Vaud (HEIG-VD). In 2012, he formed Energie. This full-scale test went on for Stignergy SA, which was involved in six months. the industrial production of the SEMS system. “Smart meters didn't have any embedded intelligence,” he recalls. “They measured energy consumption, but they weren't sufficiently intelligent to take decisions aimed at reducing it.” So Stignergy developed terminals that can communicate with other terminals. The SEMS project obtained CHF 1.8 million in development funding from research funds and from the Commis- Practically, this meant that each en- sion for Technology and Innovation, Stignergy ergy-consuming device in the factory as part of the support given to a CTI was fitted with a SEMS module, known project. Stignergy also received support 2012 4 as a “SEMS terminal”, which analysed from the Foundation for Technological Avenue des Sciences 13, the energy consumption of the device Innovation (FIT), in the form of a loan of 1400 Yverdon-les-Bains in real time, and shared the information CHF 100,000. The start-up now has a [email protected] with all the modules installed at the recorded turnover of CHF 400,000 and same site. Working out all the require- is making preparations for its first fun- www.stignergy.ch ments in this way, the SEMS modules ding campaign in summer 2017 (CHF Sami Najjar, CEO can optimise overall demand by distri- 1.5 million). The SEMS modules have

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 67 Insolight When space technology comes back down to earth

Vaud-based start-up Insolight has developed a concentrated solar panel that is twice as efficient as a standard panel. over the next few months. The three founders are aiming for marketing to begin at the end of 2018. The company The space industry has been using rent manufacturing problems, and avoid is making preparations for a first fun- high-efficiency solar cells for decades, certain mistakes.” The trio returned ding campaign to raise CHF 2 million, to in order to boost the energy supply to to the EPFL campus and were awar- add to the CHF 600,000 already raised satellites. Now, thanks to the impetus ded the highest level of funding (CHF through awards and competitions. provided by Insolight, this technology 100,000) in EPFL's Innogrant scheme, The company's turnover for 2016 was is coming back down to earth. This to incubate their project. Insolight was CHF 50,000 and its current objective is Vaud-based start-up, formed in 2015 at formed in September 2015. to work on the certification procedures the EPFL Innovation Park, has designed The essence of the challenge was to and increase its patent portfolio. “Our a flat photovoltaic panel equipped with make this technology accessible. “For strategy is to focus mainly on retail cells used in the space industry. It and industrial premises,” offers an efficiency level of around 36%, explains Coulot. “Our other twice as high as that of the solar panels aim is to sell a licence to currently on the market. manufacture and distribute However, ultra-efficient solar cells cost our solutions. They are par- 200 times as much as standard cells. ticularly attractive in sunny areas where labour costs are high and installation “WE DECIDED TO FOCUS space is limited.” Several ON THE EFFICIENCY OF installers throughout the THE INSTALLATIONS TO world have already ex- pressed an interest. MAKE OUR SOLUTIONS AFFORDABLE.” residential or small-scale installations, producing solar electricity in Switzer- To overcome this commercial obstacle, land is still too expensive,” says Coulot. Insolight uses a concentrator, which “So we decided to focus on efficiency to means that the cells occupy only 0.5% make our solutions affordable. Because of the surface area. The infrastructure the greater the efficiency, the more is accompanied by a solar tracking quickly the installation costs are paid system, which ensures that the light off.” The simulations that have been car- is permanently focused on the cells. ried out indicate that each kilowatt-hour The panel therefore follows the path of produced could cost a third less with the sun, and does so without having to Insolight's system. pivot. TARGETING RETAIL AND MAKING THE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIAL SITES ACCESSIBLE Insolight has received support from Insolight The brains behind Insolight are three the canton of Vaud and the European 2015 6 microtechnology graduates who are Space Agency, and now employs six only just in their thirties. “After our stu- people, two of whom are trainees. In Chemin de la Raye 13, 1024 Ecublens dies at EPFL, we all decided to go into summer 2017, the start-up is going to [email protected] industry,” explains Laurent Coulot, the launch a first pilot project with 10m2 of www.insolight.ch company's CEO. “This 'real-life' expe- panels on the roof of EPFL, and it may rience enabled us to investigate diffe- extend this area, with other partners, Laurent Coulot, CEO

68 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS WaterDiam Diamond-pure water

WaterDiam has developed an innovative chemical-free water treatment system, whose many different applications range loped and patented a variant of his from private swimming pools to agriculture. system that is suitable for cleaning fruit after it has been picked, which once again reduces the use of chemicals. WaterDiam is an appropriate name for coming, the first investors threw in the The company has also entered into an the company founded by Laurent Pupu- towel and the company eventually went agreement with a partner in France, nat, which uses the purity of diamonds bankrupt. Laurent Pupunat, who had who uses the WaterDiam technology to treat water without adding chemicals. been involved in the venture from the to purify the water given to cattle. “This Based in Delémont, it designs and beginning, recovered the assets of a has some very valuable effects on produces environmentally-friendly water part of this technology, with which he animal health, reducing infections and treatment systems, largely based on was completely familiar. In 2012, he the use of antibiotics,” says Pupunat. boron-doped diamond electrodes. relaunched the project under the name WaterDiam has installed about fifteen WaterDiam, relying this time on being systems of this kind in France and is self-financing, when income began co- planning further installations in Jura. THE TECHNOLOGY ming in from the company's first sales. The company intends to increase its DEVELOPED BY WATERDIAM capital in future by approximately 1.5 million ALLOWS THE CREATION francs. OF RADICAL HYDROXYLS, WHICH ARE SUPER- POWERFUL CLEANERS THAT CAN DISSOLVE SUBSTANCES PRESENT IN THE WATER AND ELIMINATE ITS IMPURITIES.

The technology at the heart of the project was originally developed by the Swiss Center for Electronics and In the swimming pool treatment sector, Microtechnology (CSEM) in Neuchâtel. the leading selling point of WaterDiam is In 2001, the laboratory was trying to the absence of chemicals, and particu- produce artificial diamonds on a silicon larly the unpleasant aspects of chlorine. surface. Collaborative work with EPFL “Our solution is more expensive than a had shown that this substance allowed chemical treatment,” explains Pupunat. the creation of hydroxyl radicals – su- “We're targeting a client group that per-powerful cleaners that can dissolve is susceptible to the adverse effects substances present in the water and caused by chlorine.” Thanks to this eliminate its impurities. system, it is no longer necessary to soothe the skin by taking a shower AVOIDING THE UNPLEASANT after emerging from the pool or jacuzzi. ASPECTS OF CHLORINE What's more, the use of diamonds gives ON THE SKIN the water qualities that help to regene- rate the epidermis. WaterDiam Adamant Technologies was the first company to be founded on the basis of FOR FRUIT AND CATTLE TOO 2012 1 this idea. The objective was to provide Route de Moutier 65, 2800 Delémont purification systems for private swim- But WaterDiam doesn’t intend to stop [email protected] ming pools and waste water treatment there. Its purification technology covers plants. Developing this nascent tech- a broad range of applications, parti- www.waterdiam.com nology required a great deal of work, cularly within industry and agriculture. Laurent Pupunat, founder and when the contracts were slow in Laurent Pupunat has therefore deve-

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 69 Enairys Powertech A Lausanne-based start-up at the heart of the energy transition

Lausanne-based start-up Enairys Powertech is developing a system that uses compressed air to store electricity. to develop the first pilot system. A further CHF 1.5 million came from private funding. “We're hoping to raise 5 million How can energy from renewable use solar or wind energy to compress francs by the end of the year so that we sources be stored efficiently so that, air in a cylinder. When the air stored can go ahead with industrial production amongst other benefits, isolated popu- in this way is released, it operates a and start marketing our first products.” lations in developing countries can be generator when there is no longer any Sylvain Lemofouet is targeting the given easier access to electricity? This sun or wind. “This idea is more than a market for storage of renewable energy is the question that was asked by Syl- century old, but there hasn't been any from intermittent sources (solar PV, vain Lemofouet, a 47-year-old engineer machinery capable of turning it into a wind, etc.), for which the worldwide from Cameroon who founded Enairys reality,” says Lemofouet. potential is estimated to be 19 billion Powertech jointly with Alfred Rufer. dollars in 2017. “This market is mainly Based at the EPFL Innovation Park, this TRANSFORMING ELECTRICITY INTO outside Switzerland," he says. "Several start-up has been working since 2008 COMPRESSED AIR developing countries indicated their on a method of storing electricity that interest.” Enairys Powertech hopes to uses compressed air. Sylvain Lemofouet prepared the ground complete its first pilot installation before for his concept in 2006, while working the end of 2017 and to start industrial on his thesis at EPFL, and the start-up production in 2018. It is aiming to sell was formed a couple of years later. The 2000 units over the next five years. solution designed by Enairys Powertech uses a system for energy management and hydropneumatic storage of energy to transform electricity into compressed air and vice THE WORLDWIDE POTENTIAL versa, with an electricity cycle efficiency of at least OF THE MARKET FOR STORAGE 60%. The installation consists OF RENEWABLE ENERGY FROM of a storage unit, a power INTERMITTENT SOURCES (SOLAR PV, conversion and management WIND, ETC.) IS ESTIMATED TO BE 19 unit, and a water conditioning unit. “This technique requires BILLION DOLLARS IN 2017. the development of new machinery,” emphasises Lemofouet, who is working with the Laboratory for Applied Mechanical Design at EPFL and the Laboratory of Thermal Processes at RENEWABLE ENERGY ON DEMAND HEIG VD.

Energy storage technologies, whether A MARKET WITH TREMENDOUS mechanical, electrochemical or thermal, POTENTIAL are at the heart of the energy transition, Enairys Powertech because their common objective is to Enairys Powertech joined forces with the provide renewable energy on demand. Bernese energy company BKW to set 2008 2 This is also the objective of Enairys up a pilot project that was due to start Parc scientifique EPFL - PSE D, Powertech, which wants to provide a in 2012. “But we had underestimated 1015 Lausanne means of storing energy, based on the technical and financial difficulties,” [email protected] compressed air, that is environmental- Lemofouet admits. The company bene- ly-friendly, economical and durable. The fited from a support programme offered www.enairys.com company's ambitious project aims to by the canton of Vaud (CHF 1.8 million) Sylvain Lemofouet, CEO

70 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Swiss Hydrogen Shaping the future of the “green” car

The Fribourg-based start-up is developing hydrogen fuel cells, a technology that is revolutionary in the motor vehicle industry. Switzerland and Europe. Its turnover for 2016 amounted to CHF 1.2 million. The company is targeting new markets, in For three years, Alexandre Closset has intended for use in vehicles, although it particular a contract with a major motor been driving a Fiat 500 that is unlike can also be used to generate electricity vehicle manufacturer. Closset is also any other. It is a hybrid car with a 200kg for the home. PEM cells are supplied thinking of developing dual-purpose battery and a fuel cell. This system with hydrogen and operate at approxi- batteries that could be used in the car converts hydrogen and oxygen into mately 80°C. or the home. electricity, which recharges the battery. Closset, a 45-year-old engineer, is very proud of this little car, because it show- “THE BATTERIES ARE IDEAL FOR cases the knowhow of Swiss Hydrogen THE FIRST 100 KILOMETRES AND SA. The company develops hydrogen THE FUEL CELL IS PERFECT FOR fuel cells and was formed by Closset, RECHARGING THE BATTERIES OVER its CEO, in 2015. It is based in what used to be the administration building LONGER DISTANCES.” at the former Cardinal Brewery site in Fribourg, now renamed BlueFactory. FROM CAR TO HOME A 400-KILOMETRE RANGE The Swiss Hydrogen venture goes back Alexandre Closset's Fiat 500 has a to 2007 and has its roots in the Swatch range of 400 kilometres. Half of this is Group. At the time, its CEO, Nicolas provided by the fuel cell, which is no G. Hayek, was becoming involved in bigger than a couple of shoeboxes and environmentally-friendly energy, with is housed in the engine compartment. the idea of installing solar panels on The hydrogen tank occupies part of the private homes and using the surplus trunk. “The batteries are ideal for the electricity to produce hydrogen and fuel first 100 kilometres and the fuel cell is clean cars. He created Belenos Clean perfect for recharging the batteries over Power and recruited Alexandre Closset, longer distances,” he explains. who became its director in 2010. But in The fuel cell developed by the company July 2015, Swatch Group changed its is of a type known as “PEM”, for “Proton strategy. It sold Belenos' fuel cell deve- Exchange Membrane” or “Polymer Elec- lopment business to Swiss Hydrogen, trolyte Membrane”, which uses polymer whose share capital is held by private (plastic) components and is mainly investor Marco Simeoni (56%), former Belenos shareholder Groupe E (40%) and Banque Cantonale de Fribourg (4%). Closset now heads Swiss Hydrogen, a Swiss Hydrogen start-up that em- 2008 15 ploys around fifteen people and which Passage du Cardinal 1, 1700 Fribourg relies largely on [email protected] its capital endow- ment and research www.swisshydrogen.ch contracts made in Alexandre Closset, CEO

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 71 Plus MAT Making new solar cells out of silicon waste

Silicon plays a key role in manufacturing solar cells. In order to make efficient use of this precious resource, the physicist a European PV module manufacturer. The aim is to build a pilot system for Yun Luo and her company Plus MAT AG have commercialised recycling the silicon waste generated a method for recycling silicon waste that was originally by wafer production. Plus MAT has developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in received funding from STI Biel (Foun- dation for technological innovation), the Lausanne (EPFL). Commission for Technology and Inno- vation (Bern) and the Bern Economic Nowadays, most solar cells are made of in Shanghai and École Polytechnique in Development Agency. The company is silicon. Silicon blocks are sawn into ex- Paris, and then completed a PhD at the now looking for customers for its silicon tremely thin slices known as wafers. The Max Planck Institute of Microstructure recycling equipment. “At the same time, sawing process generates waste in the Physics in Halle, Germany. From 2005 we are also talking to investors so we form of silicon dust, which mixes with to 2008, she worked as a scientist at can expand our business,” reports Yun liquid to produce a mud-like sludge. EPFL, where Prof. Patrik Hoffmann had Luo. “Around half the silicon is lost during developed a method allowing silicon sawing. That is the biggest loss in the waste from wafer production to be recy- whole production process,” according cled at room tempera- to Yun Luo, CEO of Plus MAT AG. “Our ture, normal pressure method allows us to reclaim 80 to 90% and relatively low cost. “OUR METHOD ALLOWS US TO of the silicon waste so that it can be Previously, an expen- RECLAIM 80 TO 90% OF THE sive and SILICON WASTE.” energy-intensive melting process had been used to purify the metallic waste. In 2011, Yun Luo launched the start-up Plus MAT AG to commercialise Pa- trik Hoffmann’s method. She had formerly worked in technology management at Meyer Burger (Thun, Switzerland), a company that manu- reused for wafer production.” The re- factures sawing machines for wafer cycling also makes financial sense: the production. reclaimed silicon costs significantly less than extracting new silicon from sand. BUILDING A PILOT SYSTEM Using the recycled material reduces production costs for PV modules by Plus MAT AG is based in Schüpfen “several percentage points” according (situated between Bern and Biel), the Plus MAT to Yun Luo. town where Yun Luo lives. The labora- 2011 6 tory facilities are located in Thun, near Höheweg 55, 3054 Schüpfen A NEW PROCESS DEVELOPED Meyer Burger and Empa (Swiss Federal IN THE EPFL LABORATORY Laboratories for Materials Science and [email protected] Technology), which are both partners www.plusmat.ch Yun Luo comes from Shanghai in China. of the fledgling company. Since 2015, She studied physics at Fudan University Plus MAT has been collaborating with Yun Luo, CEO

72 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS Proxipel Pellets produced close to their source

The Vaud-based Proxipel has designed a mobile pellet production unit that processes biomass in the place where it is waste disposal, composting and biogas production. “We've conducted a survey produced. of the use of biomass in Europe, and the prospects for the future are tremen- Branches, vine shoots, straw, hay, economic development department of dous,” says Pfister, before going on grape pomace and even manure – the canton of Vaud, Services Industriels to emphasise a significant advantage: Proxipel swallows everything. The de Genève, the Swiss Climate Founda- “We've got very little competition, at machine developed by Richard Pfister tion, Alternative Bank Switzerland, Inno- least for the moment.” and his team can produce pellets from vARC, the Foundation for Technological almost any type of fibrous biomass. The Innovation, and also several private major advantage of this 30-tonne unit is that it is mobile and can be towed to a site and used there. Transporting the biomass, which is an expensive and not very "green" operation, becomes unnecessary. Proxipel is the only machine of its kind. Its distinctive features are its ability to grind up large pieces of waste material – up to 40cm in diameter – and to dry moist biomass. These enable it to turn

THIS MACHINE IS THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND, BECAUSE IT CAN GRIND UP LARGE PIECES OF WASTE MATERIAL ON-SITE AND DRY MOIST BIOMASS. many different types of material into pellets. Using the unit avoids the sta- tutory and financial constraints related to facilities for new pellet-production buildings, and means that material can investors. A third round of funding was be recycled in situ. finalised in November 2016 and, after four years of development, the first IN THE FIELD IN MAY 2017 Proxipel mobile units went on sale in May 2017. “Our project has generated a The idea for the Proxipel mobile unit lot of interest,” says a delighted Richard took root in the mind of André Corthay, Pfister. “We have eight clients who are former manager of the non-profit orga- just waiting to take delivery of the first Proxipel nisation Energie-bois Suisse. He then machines.” suggested to Richard Pfister, co-foun- 2013 2 der of renewable energy consultancy A MARKET TO CONQUER Rue Verte 5, 1261 Le Vaud firm Praxis Energia SA, that he join him in developing it. Potential clients include farmers, SMEs [email protected] After the project was launched in 2013, or multinationals involved in waste ma- www.proxipel.com it received support from the Federal nagement, and logging companies, as Office for the Environment (FOEN), the well as public bodies, and centres for Richard Pfister, CEO

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 73 Bcomp From skis to the skies

Created by four skiing enthusiasts, this Fribourg-based start- up specialises in developing composite materials based on natural fibres. Its products are already used in sports equipment and motor vehicles, and this young company now THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY, has its eye on the aviation industry. AVIATION, AND SOON THE SPACE INDUSTRY Lightness at any price. This could easily will revolutionise the ski industry, by ma- be the motto of Bcomp, which creates king it possible to manufacture skis that “The central advantage of our techno- natural fibre-based materials that are are lighter than the traditional models. logy is lightness,” emphasises Christian used in applications ranging from motor This is achieved by using technologies Fischer. “It has already proven itself, not vehicles to sports equipment. Formed in developed and patented by Bcomp only in skis, but also in the automotive 2011, the company has made its home industry.” In the latter case, there is a in the BlueFactory technology district weight saving of 40% of Fribourg. Bcomp's use of natural “THE CENTRAL ADVANTAGE OF OUR in comparison with materials was attractive to the sports TECHNOLOGY IS LIGHTNESS," EMPHASISES standard automotive parts. “We are now ai- industry from the very beginning. Now, CHRISTIAN FISCHER. "IT HAS ALREADY the aviation and automotive industries ming to enter a number PROVEN ITSELF, NOT ONLY IN SKIS, BUT are also showing a keen interest in of transport markets.” these technologies. ALSO IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY.” These include aviation – Bcomp has just ente- BASED ON FLAX red into a partnership that incorporate flax grown in northern with Lufthansa Technik – and even Christian Fischer, 39, is one of the four France and Belgium. The result: a ski the space industry, which is already joint founders of Bcomp. This Fran- whose structure is improved in terms of showing clear signs of interest. co-Swiss engineer grew up in the Ger- weight, rigidity, and damping/absorp- man-speaking part of Switzerland. After tion of shocks. studying materials science at EPFL and writing a thesis on composite materials, MAJOR BRANDS ATTRACTED he began his career in industry, working for the Canadian aluminium manufac- The first product was a balsa-flax turer Alcan. He put this experience to composite. This material soon attracted the interest of major Swiss and international ski brands (K2, Nordica, Stöckli). In the first year, Bcomp was funded by a loan from Seed Capital Fribourg, the funding body of the Fribourg De- velopment Agency. After winning a few awards for its innovation, Bcomp raised a first round of funding in March 2012. Bcomp It broke even in 2015. 2011 10 good use later on when he and three The company does not give details of associates formed Bcomp. its finances but is currently preparing Passage du Cardinal 1, 1700 Fribourg The year is 2011, the place is a garage to raise a second round of funding to [email protected] in Fribourg. Julien Rion, Cyrille Boinay, attack new markets. www.bcomp.ch Christian Fischer and Andreas Brülhart are beginning to produce a material that Christian Fischer, CEO

74 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS TVP Solar Solar panels that are more than just a lot of hot air

The Geneva-based company has developed a unique technology for vacuum flat plate solar thermal collectors, which generate high temperatures. The solution is creating as much interest in the Gulf States as in Scandinavian countries.

The solar panels designed by TVP Solar, a company founded in Geneva in THE GROWING MARKET FOR 2008, are suitable for cooling processes DISTRICT HEATING as well as heating. “Our technology helps to replace the use of fuels with “We started the marketing phase in sunlight,” explains Jonathan Koifman, 2015,” says Koifman. The plant at the company's technical pre-sales Avellino, in southern Italy, can produce consultant. The applications range from industrial process heat to desalination, and even include air conditioning. TVP has also developed a specialist knowledge of the petroleum industry.

“IN EUROPE, THE MAIN APPLICATION IS IN DISTRICT HEATING SYSTEMS, WHERE SOLAR THERMAL PANELS PROVIDE HEAT FOR HEATING AIR OR 2 DOMESTIC HOT WATER.” 122,000m of solar panels per year and TVP Solar now employs 38 people. “We will be carrying out our first commercial installation this year, the client is TEN PATENT APPLICATIONS FILED a Kuwaiti logistics company.” Indeed, the Gulf countries are a very attractive Between 2008 and 2010, TVP Solar market for TVP Solar, especially for its was in a phase in which it refined its air-conditioning systems for shopping technology, says Koifman. This pro- centres. “In Europe, the main appli- cess resulted in ten patent applications cation is in district heating systems, being filed. The implementation and test where solar thermal panels provide heat phases followed, from 2010 to 2014, for heating air or domestic hot water,” which included testing by utility com- continues Koifman, giving an example: pany Services Industriels de Genève. “In Denmark, where district heating is TVP Solar Initial production began at the end of very common, the plants use a lot of 2015, with a slight delay. “The highly biofuels, such as wood. However, Den- 2008 38 specialised nature of the machines mark is actually preparing to increase Place du Bourg-de-Four 36, 1204 Genève used to manufacture the panels meant its use of solar power.” [email protected] that an adjustment period was re- Since TVP Solar was formed, it has quired,” he explains. The company says raised more than CHF 22 million from www.tvpsolar.com that it made use of this experience to private investors, via three successive Jonathan Koifman, Marketing Manager improve its processes. funding campaigns.

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 75 UN TISSU DE COMPÉTENCES UNE PLATEFORME DE RÉSEAUTAGE LA CVCI S’ENGAGE POUR LES ENTREPRISES

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www.energypolis.ch Sion Valais A list of 207 innovative or technological cleantech start-ups with high growth potential created since 2006.

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 77 3IDS ANERDGY BATTRION BNOVATE Home automation solutions WindRail, an energy Technology that modifies TECHNOLOGIES for monitoring energy and generation system installed on the microstructure of a lithium- Online automated solution for environmental data in buildings. buildings, combining solar and ion battery to achieve faster continuous detection of bacteria www.3ids.ch wind power. charging and more efficient use. in drinking water (results www.anerdgy.com www.battrion.com available in 20 minutes). ABCD TECHNOLOGY www.bnovate.com Production of equipment AQUAERO BCOMP LTD. for deposition of 3D-patterned Equipment that produces Supplier of robust, high- BOXTANGO multifunctional thin films using drinking water from air. performance materials for the System facilitating the transfer of the CBE (Chemical Beam www.aquaero-water.com sport and leisure industry, containers from road to rail. Epitaxy) process. developing lightweight solutions boxtango.com www.abcd-technology.com AQUAMA based on renewable materials. Innovative water-based www.bcomp.ch BRIGHT SENSORS ACTLIGHT products for cleaning and Sensors that enable the Production of low-energy disinfecting all surfaces, for the BEELONG quality of natural gas to be photodetectors for mobile B2B and B2C markets. Sustainability indicator that measured. applications. www.aquama.ch assesses the environmental www.bright-sensors.com www.act-light.com impact of foodstuffs used in the AQUANETTO GROUP catering industry. BRULHART&CIE ADAPTRICITY Modular solution for water and www.beelong.ch Composite body parts for Simulation and optimisation air treatment based on UV vehicles, which improve their software for adapting electricity disinfection technology. BEN ENERGY performance characteristics grids to renewable energy. www.aquanetto.ch Solution providing smart (prestige, motor racing, etc.). www.adaptricity.com monitoring and prediction of brulhart-compagnie.com AREA TWIN energy consumption. AGILE WIND POWER Intelligent self-contained natural www.ben-energy.com BUYECO Design of vertical-axis ventilation system (with remote Renewable energy wind turbines that reduce window opening control). BESTMILE marketplace that helps maintenance costs and increase www.areatwin.com Cloud technology that electricity consumers, large and profitability and efficiency. fully exploits the potential of small, choose the origin of their www.agilewindpower.com ARVIEM driverless vehicles to address energy. Real-time monitoring of the transport issues worldwide. www.buyeco.ch AGRICIRCLE location and transport conditions www.bestmile.com Common trading platform for of shipping containers. CARBON ACTIVE producers and distributors of www.arviem.com BIOCOM ENERGY Active carbon filters for air agricultural raw materials. Biofuels made from walnut treatment. www.agricircle.com AURORA'S GRID shells and vine wood. www.carbonactive.ch Energy management software www.biocomenergy.com AIRLIGHT ENERGY for battery storage systems that CARBON DELTA HOLDING maximises the ROI and takes BIOTECHNOLOGY Software that identifies and Supply of solar technology for into account battery ageing. CONCEPT INNOVATION analyses the climate change large-scale concentrated solar themes-pixeden.com/aurora-kit (BCI) ENVIRONNEMENT resilience of publicly-listed power (CSP) generation and Aerobic bioreactors to companies. energy storage. AVALGO accelerate the recycling of food www.carbon-delta.com www.airlightenergy.com Pléco, a robot suction device waste through composting, with for selective elimination of algae a 90% reduction in volume in 24 CARBOFORCE ALEVO GROUP from lakes, and valorisation of hours. Pyrolysis furnace GridBank, an energy storage the biomass collected. development for the purpose technology combined with a www.avalgo.com BLUETECTOR of producing biochar with heat system for analysing smart grid Bluebox, a low-cost system recovery. data. AVENTOR for treating pig slurry and www.carboforce.ch www.alevo.com Ultra-light electric racing water containing high levels of cars that combine advanced pollutants and nutrients. CATECAR AMPARD composites and biopolymers bluetector.com Hybrid city-car with a solar roof, System for intelligent to achieve greater energy using new plant-based materials management of the production efficiency and total recyclability. BLUEWATT and removes pollution from the and storage of solar energy www.aventor.ch ENGINEERING ambient air. aggregated to a virtual power Modelling software for www.catecar.ch plant for grid balancing. BATTE.RE optimising the operation and www.ampard.com Solar-powered charging energy consumption of waste CELEROTON network for all types of water treatment plants. Compact, lightweight electric AMPHIRO smartphones. www.bluewatt-eng.com drive systems (ultra-high speed Unit that measures the water battere.ch motors, turbocompressors and consumption of a shower. BNL CLEAN ENERGY converters) based on sensorless www.amphiro.com Standardised modular speed control technology. energy generation plants for www.celeroton.com recycling waste (zero emission). bnlce.com

78 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS CITIVIZ CPD-SWISS ECOROBOTIX ESMART TECHNOLOGIES IT solutions and geovisualisation Production of biofuel Independently-powered robots Intelligent building automation systems for use in urban from biomass by catalytic that reduce the negative systems. intelligence and monitoring. depolymerization. environmental impact of modern www.myesmart.com www.citiviz.com eng.cpd-swiss.ch agriculture. www.ecorobotix.com ETURNITY Web solution that facilitates the CITIZENBEES CYCLOCITY Fully-electric, multipurpose process of selling solar panels. Beekeeping on the roofs of ECOSAPIN business premises and real-time cargo tricycle for urban use. Rental of potted Christmas trees www.eturnity.ch monitoring of bee activity, with www.cyclocity.ch for the festive season, after the option of biosurveillance. which the trees are collected EXPLOSION POWER www.citizenbees.com DECENTLAB and taken back to the nursery. Shock pulse generators for Real-time environmental www.ecosapin.ch cleaning heat exchangers. measurement and monitoring www.explosionpower.ch CITY WINDMILLS system. Small wind turbines for urban ELECTRICFEEL use. www.decentlab.com IT solutions for real-time FAIRTRACE www.city-windmills.com operations management in the Solution that provides product DEPSYS transport sector. and ingredient traceability and Solutions for the management, guarantees their origin. CLEANEA www.electricfeel.com Equipment that produces control and optimisation of low- www.fairtrace.ch voltage electricity grids. disinfectant and degreasing ENAIRYS POWERTECH products by the electrolysis of www.depsys.ch Development, manufacture FAITRON saline solutions. and marketing of solutions for Low-energy lunchbox that heats www.cleanea.com DESIGNERGY the management and storage food quickly and cleans itself Manufacture and sale of fully- of clean energy based on automatically. integrated photovoltaic roofing www.heatsbox.com CLEANFIZZ compressed air. Intelligent self-cleaning solutions. www.enairys.com technology for solar panels, www.designergy.ch FIAXELL Components for solid oxide fuel based on the use of electrostatic ENERGYON waves. DESIGNWERK Platform that allows new cells. www.cleanfizz.com Development of components for business models for the energy www.fiaxell.com electric vehicles. sector to be implemented, such design-werk.ch CLIMEWORKS as the control and optimisation FLY & FILM Equipment for carbon capture of virtual power plants. Use of drones for crop treatment. from ambient air. DHP TECHNOLOGY www.energyon.ch Reduction of the environmental www.climeworks.com (HORIZON) impact by optimising the Retractable photovoltaic roof amounts of pesticide used. ENERSIS SUISSE system which transforms car www.fly-and-film.pro CLOUDCITIES Software solutions for the Online platform for developing parks and logistics areas into intelligent management interactive 3D models of cities electricity generating plants. of energy production and FLYABILITY for urban and territorial planning. www.dhp-technology.ch distribution networks. Safe drones for exploring and www.smarterbettercities.ch enersis.ch inspecting confined spaces and DIESOIL ENGINEERING complex environments. Turnkey solutions for converting www.flyability.com COMBAGROUP ENSY Aeroponic culture system for waste into energy and various Turnkey solutions for using soilless production of salad recycled products. turbines in excess drinking water G2E GLASS2ENERGY crops. www.diesoil.eu for hydropower production. Transparent or coloured www.combagroup.com www.ensy.ch solar cells based on Grätzel DIGITALSTROM technology. A system for networking all of the www.g2e.ch COMBIVAP ENVERGATE ENERGY Low-energy lighting solutions devices in a household using the Development, manufacture and based on organic LED existing electricity wiring. operation of vertical-axis wind GAIASENS technology. www.digitalstrom.com turbines. TECHNOLOGIES www.combivap.ch www.envergate.com Environmental modelling, DISTRAN real-time measurement, and Sensors for real-time detection of implementation of operational COMFYLIGHT ENVIROSCOPY Home security system based gas leaks. Design of sensors and software solutions to manage natural on connected LED lamp www.distran.ch (modelling) for environmental hazards. technology. monitoring. www.gaiasens.com www.comfylight.com EATERNITY enviroscopy.com Software for the catering industry GAMAYA that calculates the carbon Solution for analysing crop and CORTEXIA ESAVE A management tool to make footprint of the entire supply Intelligent street lighting soil characteristics through the cities cleaner through the use of chain. management solution that use of hyperspectral imaging smart cameras. www.eaternity.org improves energy efficiency. data. www.esaveag.com www.gamaya.com

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 79 GEOAZIMUT HOOC INSOLIGHT MR. GREEN RECYCLING- Development of data acquisition Plug & Play solution allowing System for concentrating solar SERVICE systems for the geothermal secure remote access energy, enabling both efficiency Waste collection and recycling energy sector. to buildings or facilities and return on investment to be service for private individuals. www.geoazimut.com (management of installations, improved. www.mr-green.ch HVAC, home automation, remote insolight.ch GEOPRAEVENT maintenance, etc.). MYSTROMER Natural hazard warning and www.hooc.ch JOULIA High-end electric bicycles with alarm systems. Heat exchangers for showers digital connection. www.geopraevent.ch HYDROMEA that reduce energy consumption www.stromerbike.com Robots dedicated to monitoring by up to 40%. GJOSA water quality, and detecting and www.joulia.com NANOGRADE Shower technology with low tracing pollution in lakes, etc. Custom development of water and energy consumption. hydromea.com KANDOU BUS specialised nanoparticles www.gjosa.com Ultra-high speed chip-to-chip and inorganic inks for surface HYDROSWISS connection technology, with coatings and thin films. GR3N Decentralised waste water low energy consumption, for nanograde.com Technology for recycling treatment units using flotation electronic systems. polyethylene terephthalate (PET) technology, production of energy www.kandou.com NEUROBAT via a process that combines via a pyrolysis reactor and Control equipment with microwaves and chemical production of fertiliser. L.E.S.S. predictive modelling for reactions. www.hydroswiss.ch High quality low-energy lighting buildings (HVAC sector, with gr3n-recycling.com solutions based on active optimisation of the starting ID-GENE nanostructured fibre technology. temperature for the central GREEN MOTION ECODIAGNOSTICS www.less-optics.com heating hot water, depending on Design, manufacture and Diagnostic systems based climatic conditions). distribution of charging systems on genetic identification for LAVACONCEPT www.neurobat.net for electric vehicles. controlling and monitoring the SWITZERLAND www.greenmotion.ch quality and diversity of aquatic Construction materials NEW VOICE(SWITZERLAND) environments. manufactured from volcanic lava Software solution with generic GREENGT www.id-gene.com residues. plug & play integration of signal Design, development and www.lava-concept.com sensors for managing alarms marketing of clean, durable IMAGINECARGO and flows adapted for the propulsion systems, Transport of goods by bicycle LECLIFE development of smart cities. applied to motor racing and and train and the development Design and development of www.newvoiceinternational.com innovation. of sustainable supply chains. low-energy, intelligent and www.greengt.com en.imaginecargo.com autonomous lighting systems. NEWGREENTEC www.leclife.ch Development and marketing GREENTEG IMPERIX of various products for the Ultra-sensitive heat flux sensors Manufacture of control LENR CARS generation of renewable energy and laser power sensors. equipment and prototyping LENR (low-energy nuclear and for transport. www.greenteg.com equipment for use in power reaction) electricity generator for www.newgreentec.com electronics. powering electric vehicles. GROUND_UP PROJECT imperix.ch www.lenr-cars.com NOVACCESS Analysis of the environmental Novalight, an intelligent solution and financial impact of projects, INDEOTEC LUMARTIX for the management and and of their compatibility with Design and manufacture Close to natural light – optimisation of public lighting investors' criteria. of equipment for thin-film production of plasma based on the Internet of Things. groundupproject.net deposition on a substrate components and lamps and the www.novaccess.ch (PECVD). integration of these into complex GROVE BOATS indeotec.com industrial systems. NVTERRA Solar-powered and hybrid boats www.lumartix.com Units for the purification of for passenger transport services INNOMATERIALS drinking water and treatment and the cleaning of ports and R&D services in the field of MISURIO of waste water based on inland waters. biomaterials and the production Integrated solutions (software, electrochemistry, intended to www.grove-boats.com of biopolymer paving stones. intelligent controllers, etc.) for replace the use of chemical www.innomaterials.ch optimising operational planning products as much as possible. HANGAR 55 in the energy sector. www.nvterra.ch Construction of electrically- INNOVARADIO www.misurio.ch propelled aerobatic aircrafts and Modules for reducing the energy OEKOSOLVE battery management systems for consumption and improving the MOSAN Electrofilters for reducing fine aircraft and critical applications. efficiency of TV and telephone Dry toilet solution with separation particle emissions from wood- www.hangar55.ch transmitters. at source to allow composting of fired heating. www.innovaradio.com solid waste. www.oekosolve.ch www.mosan.ch

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Offer of the Technology Fund: Conditions of the Guarantees: • The Technology Fund provides • The company develops an loan guarantees to innovative innovative product which reduces SME whose products contribute carbon emissions to the mitigation of climate • The product offers a sizeable change market opportunity • Joint guarantees in the amount of CHF 50’000 to CHF 3 million for a • The applicant is creditworthy maximum duration of 10 years • The applicant is domiciled in Switzerland Does your company fulfil the most important criteria for receiving a loan guarantee? Find out with just a few clicks: www.technologyfund.ch/preliminary-check/ OPEN STRATOSPHERE POWER PLANT AND REDELEC SAMRO TECHNIK (SOLAR.AERO) MARINE EMISSION CONTROL Commercialisation of an Equipment for the cleaning and Deployment of very high- Equipment for controlling electrochemical technology for disinfection of installations based altitude platforms (drones) for pollutant emissions from the redox transformations, reducing on the electrolysis of water using tasks relating to environmental diesel engines of marine or costs and the environmental diamond electrodes. surveillance, observation or terrestrial power plants. impact of industrial www.samro.ch telecommunications. http://ppm-ec.com processes (water treatment, https://openstratosphere.com micropollutants, dyes, etc.). SANISWISS POWERBLOX AG (MEDICI www.redelec.ch An ecological alternative to OPTICAL ADDITIVES ENGINEERING) disinfectants and chemical An additive for transparent PowerBlox, equipment for the REECH antibacterial cleaners. polymers, transforming them into decentralised production and Engineering with a test bench for www.saniswiss.com luminescent solar collectors. storage of solar power. testing components and systems http://optical-additives.com www.power-blox.com in the field of renewable energy, SCIYENT focusing on photovoltaics. Wireless charging devices for ORBIWISE POWERGIA www.reech.ch light electric vehicles such as Turnkey solutions for the Service for forecasting electricity e-bikes, e-scooters or electric management of connected consumption profiles and RETHINK RESOURCE wheelchairs. objects (IoT – LPWAN) adapted optimising supply. Intelligent virtual marketplace www.sciyent.com for the development of smart www.powergia.com to facilitate the exchange of cities. waste and by-products between SEAS SOCIÉTÉ DE L'EAU www.orbiwise.com PRANA SUSTAINABLE industrial operators. AÉRIENNE SUISSE WATER www.rethink-resource.com Modular solution (stationary OSERIS Exchange and funding platform or mobile) for the production Floating infrastructure solution to in the water treatment sector. REWINNER ALTMAN of water from ambient air. install solar photovoltaic power http://pranasustainablewater.ch Platform for the resale of Production of 2,500 to 10,000 plants on water bodies. materials and equipment in the litres of water per day. www.oseris.eu PRONOÓ construction industry. www.seas-sa.com EcoBITs, a system for the www.rewinner.ch OSMOBLUE analysis and intelligent SENSORSCOPE Equipment for producing management of energy within a RG GREEN MOBILITY Network of equipment for the electricity based on low- building. Production and distribution of measurement and management temperature heat recovery www.pronoo.ch electric vehicles and charging of online data for environmental that uses the phenomenon of systems. surveillance, agriculture and civil osmosis. PROXIPEL www.rg-green-mobility.ch engineering. www.osmoblue.com Mobile biomass pellet www.sensorscope.ch manufacturing unit. ROMO WIND PARQUERY http://proxipel.com Wind measurement SHARED ELECTRIC An intelligent parking technology for optimising the Software enabling electricity management solution that PUBLIBIKE (FRÜHER configuration and improving the distributors to interact with their detects vacant and full spaces in VELOPASS) efficiency of wind turbines. customers and encourage them real time, as well as the length of Bike sharing scheme. http://romowind.com to optimise their consumption. time spent in a car park by each www.publibike.ch www.sharedelectric.com vehicle. ROUTERANK http://parquery.com PVSYST Platform for researching and SIGMATOOLS Software for designing a optimising journeys to plan the Multi-channel energy and PI LIGHTING photovoltaic panel installation. best possible routes and reduce resource measurement for

A service offering R&D, product www.pvsyst.com CO2 emissions. optimising the efficiency of development and product http://routenplaner.tcs.ch production systems. manufacturing based on LED QUALYSENSE www.sigmatools.ch and OLED technologies. Equipment for the sorting of RQMICRO www.pi-lighting.com seeds by size, shape, length or Technology for the fast detection SIGS (SWISS INNOVATIVE colour with high precision and of the presence of pathogens in GREEN SOLUTIONS) PINGEN minimal waste. water and foodstuffs. Autonomous units for water A service for sending electronic www.qualysense.com https://rqmicro.ch treatment and purification documents by physical post. powered by renewable energy www.pingen.com QUANTYA RSUPPLY SOLUTIONS sources. Production and sale of electric Research, sales, treatment www.swissigs.com PLAIR motorbikes and scooters. and distribution of secondary Real-time detection and www.quantya.com materials ready for recycling. SMARGETECH monitoring of allergens in the air. www.rsupply.com Intelligent solutions for charging www.plair.ch RECYCLEAN (GREENWINS) electric vehicles by means of an Intelligent, fun waste recycling RUBBISH DESIGN intermediate connector linked to PLUS MAT points. Manufacture and sale of bags a server. Processes and equipment for www.recyclean.ch and accessories made from www.smargetech.ch the recycling and reuse of silicon used sails, kitesurfing kites and from photovoltaic panels. paragliding wings. http://plusmat.ch https://rubbish-design.com

82 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS REGISTER FOR FREE s-ge.com/cube

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KEEP CALM, NO MATTER WHAT AVOID COSTLY MISTAKES ABROAD Do the administrative requirements for exporting make If you do not want to have to pretend to be Sherlock you weak at the knees? Do you have questions Holmes to find the information you need about concerning customs tariffs, export documents, country potential partners in your target markets, and you can’t of origin or VAT? Our specialists are here to help find what you need on the Internet, then our export guide you through the maze. consultants here in Switzerland and those abroad who are directly in contact with the market can help you. For answers to all your questions concerning exportations: s-ge.com/exporthelp To book a personal meeting: s-ge.com/countryconsulting

A WORLDWIDE PRESENCE IN ONLY DON’T GET FLUSTERED BY ALL THE ONE CLICK RAZZMATAZZ OF AN EXHIBITION The official Cleantech database of the Swiss Better to have the time to discuss with your visitors Con federation – CUBE – is your route to information than run around worrying about your booth. Let us about cleantech opportunities from markets organise your participation at a Swiss Pavilion: our around the world. experts can manage everything from start to finish, so that you can concentrate on your customers. Sign up and receive information tailored for you: s-ge.com/cube To assure your space at the next exhibition: s-ge.com/swisspavilion SMART HOME SOLNANOTEK SWISS NEWATER GROUP TVP SOLAR TECHNOLOGY Design of interior or exterior Hydroclean, cleaning and Flat solar thermal panels based “Zero standby power” module applications based on the disinfection technology based on high-vacuum tubes, for air for minimising consumption by latest photovoltaics and on a non-toxic biocide obtained conditioning and heating. electrical appliances in standby nanotechnologies. by the electrolysis of water using http://tvpsolar.com mode. www.solnanotek.com diamond electrodes. smart-home-technology.ch www.swiss-newater.com TWINGTEC SORBA-ABSORBER Technology for the conversion SMART POWER POOL The production of SWISS-9 of high-altitude wind energy to Optimisation software tools for superabsorbent material and Transparent, hydrophobic electricity using tethered wings. electricity suppliers and grid peat substitutes from corn straw. and antireflective surface coa- http://twingtec.ch operators. www.sorba-absorber.ch tings that reduce the quantity of www.smartpowerpool.ch reflected light. TYRE RECYCLING STEMYS http://swiss-9.com SOLUTIONS SMART-ME Platform for the real-time Technology for recycling tyres Smart meter solution for the management of connected SWISSINSO with recovery of the rubber and real-time visualisation, analysis objects (equipment, sensors, Surface treatment for the metal. and management of data for machines, etc.). Applications for production of coloured thermal www.trs-ch.com a building via a web-based smart cities. and photovoltaic solar panels. platform. www.stemys.io www.swissinso.com URBANFARMERS www.smart-me.com Installation and management of STIGNERGY SYSTEM-ALPENLUFT rooftop farms on urban buildings SMARTVOLT SEMS, a solution for the control An integrated system with low for the supply of local, organic Design and sale of and optimisation of the power ecological impact for waste produce. preassembled, collapsible consumption of companies’ collection, treatment and https://urbanfarmers.com photovoltaic panels. machines and equipment to recycling by local authorities. www.smartvolt.ch avoid peak periods, based on www.system-alpenluft.ch VARIONIX bio-inspired artificial intelligence Air treatment solutions, odour SMIXIN technology. TALBOT NEW ENERGY neutralisation, pollution Hand-washing systems that use www.stignergy.ch Production of electricity from breakdown and sterilisation by very low quantities of water and low-pressure vapour. ionisation. soap, based on a technologi- SUN-D www.talbotnewenergy.com www.varionix.ch cal platform that provides an Luminous panels that work by optimum mix of water, air and collecting daylight or artificial TECHSEP VATOREX concentrated liquid soap. light and redirecting it in a Equipment for the collection and System for the ecological www.smixin.com controlled manner. treatment of water from road treatment of Varroa (bee www.sun-d.ch drainage. parasite) by hyperthermia. SOFTCAR www.techsep.ch www.vatorex.ch Ultra-light urban electric vehicle SWISS BLUE ENERGY manufactured on the basis of Thermomagnetic motor enabling TENTSO VELA SOLARIS biopolymers and composite electricity to be produced Flexible mobile structures (tents, Simulation software for the materials. from residual heat at low etc.) clad in photovoltaic panels. design of solar thermal, www.softcar.ch temperatures. http://tentso.com photovoltaic, heat pump and www.swiss-blue-energy.ch combined energy systems. SOFTWING TREATECH http://velasolaris.com Design of flexible wings for SWISS ECO LINE Waste water treatment sailing boats with applications in Water diffusion technology technology enabling inorganic VELOHUB marine transport as a means of that uses 90% less water than salts to be separated out and Development and marketing secondary propulsion. is needed by a conventional organic waste to be reused. of bicycle light systems of the http://soft-wing.ch diffuser. www.trea-tech.com future. www.swissecoline.com www.blinkers.io SOLARXPLORERS TREMOLA (SOLARSTRATOS) SWISS FRESH WATER Three-wheeler electric vehicles VIR2SENSE A project involving stratospheric Decentralised water treatment for urban use. System for the continuous flight in a plane powered by system with telemetry-assisted www.tremola.ch monitoring of engine emissions solar energy - see the stars by maintenance. based on virtual sensor daylight... www.swissfreshwater.ch TRICOPIAN technology. www.solarstratos.com A system of exchangeable www.vir2sense.com SWISS HYDROGEN recharging modules for mobile SOLAXESS Personalised turnkey solutions appliances, for use in airports, VIRVE SAGL Provision of a nanotechnology based on hydrogen-related rail stations, city centres, etc. Software solution and human- film for the production of white or technologies. www.fuel-rod.com machine interface for assisting coloured photovoltaic modules http://swisshydrogen.ch drivers and optimising the especially adapted for design or TRUNZ WATER SYSTEMS driving of electric vehicles. BIPV purposes. Self-sufficient systems for water www.virve.ch www.solaxess.ch treatment and purification powered by renewable sources (solar power, wind power). www.trunzwatersystems.com

84 AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS VOLTITUDE Design and production of folding electric bicycles. www.voltitude.com

VSBOAT Electric motors for boats and a multiple-use energy storage solution. www.vsboat.ch

WASTE ALLOCATION SYSTEMS Manual waste compactor for individuals and SMEs. www.was-e.com

WATERDIAM Diamonds in the service of water. Water treatment systems without chemical additives based on boron doped diamond electrodes. www.waterdiam.com

WAYRAY Navion, the transport of tomorrow – a hologram-based augmented reality system to assist and inform the drivers and passengers of vehicles in real time. www.wayray.com

YOUMO Development and marketing of electric bicycles with unrivalled comfort. http://youmo.ch/

YOUNERGY Leasing solution for the installation and management of photovoltaic solar systems. http://younergy.ch

AN OVERVIEW OF CLEANTECH START-UPS 85

PUBLISHING DETAILS

A study conceived and written by Christelle Giraud, Magalie Leclercq, Elsa Fiaux and Yves Loerincik (Eqlosion), Cédric Luisier and Eric Plan (CleantechAlps)

Page layout Valentine Fournier (CleantechAlps)

Photo credits Cover: Fotolia Eric Plan : Linda Photography p.41 (Hooc) : Sedrik Nemeth p.52 (eSMART) : Vanina Moreillon p.53 (BuyEco) : Sedrik Nemeth p.54 (Greenwins) : Nicolas de Neve p.68 (Insolight) : Vanina Moreillon p.69 (WaterDiam) : Nicolas de Neve p.73 (Proxipel) : Vanina Moreillon p.75 (TVPSolar) : Fotolia

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www.cleantech-alps.com ABOUT THE AUTHORS

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With the support of

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