Two early-stage startups receive First Ventures support

With an annual budget of two million Swiss Francs, the 18-month First Ventures program awards bachelor's and master’s students of universities of applied sciences with financial and non-financial support to accelerate the development of their products during their studies. At the end of 2023, the Gebert Rüf Stiftung awarded two early-stage startups, each CHF 150,000, as part of the First Ventures program. They are:

Zelsius | Adina Hochuli, Hochschule Luzern

The European and Swiss climate strategy increase the regulatory pressure on companies. They are directly mandated or indirectly urged by business partners and customers to operate more sustainably and to be transparent about it. A reliable and comprehensive inventory of carbon emissions forms the basis for the development of a successful climate strategy, ultimately driving increased sustainability within a company. Current research in sustainability reporting of Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) shows that the challenges originate in the accessibility of the data, limited personnel resources and the lack of intragroup expertise, while the pressure from B2B customers and investors is increasing.

The Zelsius project aims to significantly facilitate the process of carbon emissions reporting for Swiss SMEs, by developing a carbon management platform that connects all relevant stakeholders in the ecosystem. For SMEs, the platform enables the easy and fast quantification of their carbon emissions, resulting in the final output in the shape of a standardized report according to the relevant guidelines. The SMEs can then publish their data and reports on their platform profile in order to showcase their sustainability efforts. Larger companies that are required by law to report on their carbon emissions can search through the platform for a suitable supplier with low carbon emissions, and investors receive decision guidance for their sustainable investments. Overall, the Zelsius project pursues the goal of making Swiss SMEs and the Swiss economy more sustainable through user‐friendly and pragmatic carbon management.

TextUp | Sylvain Baudin & Boris Heritier | HES-SO Valais-Wallis

Textile is one of the least recycled products, with the majority tossed in landfills. During their bachelor’s program, the co-founding duo developed TexUp aiming at transforming old clothes into acoustic panels to solve two major problems: textile waste and noise nuisance in professional spaces. Textile waste is a growing problem, while noise is increasingly affecting the health and well-being of employees. TexUp improves the working environment of companies (SME and large companies that have offices or open spaces) by offering a sustainable acoustic solution with a unique design to reduce noise or elevate their interior space. The visual aspect provided by the recycled textile material undoubtedly stands out from all competitors and was found to be very popular with customers.

Zelsius and TextUp have not been affected by the latest changes in the First Ventures program. the next deadlines expire on 1 February and 1 May 2024.

(RAN)