FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQ

• What are the eligibility criteria? => To be early-stage, under approx. $€£2M funding and approx. $€£2M 2M sales. (sometimes there are exceptions, if you’re still early-stage and can benefit from the program, we might be able to accept you. Contact us at switzerland@masschallenge.org)
  

• I don't match with any of the 3 Tracks, how can this program help? => This program has been designed for all sectors, then there is additional content designed for the 3 Tracks. Winners from previous editions were not necessarily part of the 3 Tracks.
  
  
• Is the LDC Climate Resilience Prize another program? => No, this Prize is one of the benefits included in the Accelerator. Only one application is needed; startups with solutions matching the Prize criteria will automatically be selected to participate.
  
  
• Do I need to incorporate in Switzerland? => No. Your company doesn’t even have to be incorporated. We can help you enter the Swiss and European markets, but only if it’s part of your objectives.
  
  
• Will I have to come to Switzerland to follow the acceleration program? => Yes, between 2 and 4 weeks for our Bootcamp and Half-Time events, to meet corporate partners, mentors, investors, etc. We’ve gathered as many in-person events as possible so you don’t have to travel back and forth.
  
  
• Is the program free? => Yes. there are no application fees, and we don't take equity from your company. The payment page ate the end of the application form is set to $0.
  
  
• How much time to give per week? => from 2 to 10 hours depending on the lectures and workshops' topics, according to your objectives.
  
  
• Can anyone from my Team attend the in-person events? => Yes.
  
  
• How many characters per answer? => A maximum of 1024 characters are accepted. Unfortunately, the Application Wizard process we're using (a simplified process to guide you) doesn't show the limit until you submit your application. Your "Business Proposition" tab will show you the characters limit and is synchronized with your application form. After filling in, you only need to submit the form.
  
  
• Do I need to submit a video pitch for the application? => No this is optional. Most startups do not submit a video pitch.

MassChallenge Alumni

MassChallenge Alumni and Experts Weigh in: Key Insights & Advice for Early-Stage Founders in 2024.

READ HERE.

Explore our Swiss Finalists Catalog 2023 for a diverse array of industries and innovations!

GET MORE NEWS

DEADLINE EXTENSION

Friday, March 1st, 23:59 CET.

INFO SESSION

Here are the previous session recording and slides. In this session, many of your questions are answered by Matt, our Managing Director. Check out the Q&A session at the end.

PROGRAM INFO

All the info you need is on our Swiss home page: https://masschallenge.org/programs-switzerland/

CONTACT

If you have further questions, drop us a line at switzerland@maschallenge.org

2023 WINNERS from SWITZERLAND

Diamond Prize – CHF 120,000 

Impossible Materials – They provide businesses with plant-based formulation ingredients to enable them more safe and sustainable product formulations and working towards a circular economy; their first product is a cellulose white pigment. 

Platinum Prize – CHF 100,000 

LiveGrow Bio – LiveGrow Bio is a microbial fermentation & formulation company capable of manufacturing microbes into agricultural biopesticides & biostimulants at COGS on par with chemical products & shelf life of 2+ years at room temperature. 

Gold Prize Winners – CHF 30,000 

Kestrix – Kestrix uses mass thermal image capture and AI to rapidly construct 3D heat loss models of buildings, which inform planning, pricing, and verification of retrofits. 

Perovskia Solar – A Swiss cleantech startup that provides digitally printed customizable solar cells to OEMs. 

REVOZONA – Their ozone gas technology cuts CO2 emissions and water usage by up to 90% during cellulose textile pretreatment. 

SeaStock – SeaStock creates global marine science solutions to produce and extract compounds derived from seaweed and algae. 

Silver Prize Winners – CHF 10,000 

Allcup – They invented the first delicious edible coffee cup with a patented heat- and water-resistant coating like plastic, but edible. 

BioMixing – BioMixing is focused on bioreactors’ efficiency, which are the essential equipment for food manufacturing. 

Brown Reed Agri Waste Innovations (Sunbird Straws) – They make drinking straws from dried fallen coconut leaves which helps prevent the burning of leaves, reduces the use of single-use plastic straws, and provides employment to women in rural areas. 

Clean Valley CIC – They are bringing the ocean back to aquaculture, giving clients a green premium on their product and increasing profitability and value of their fish. 

Climatenza Solar – Climatenza’s Solar thermal technology is like a converging glass that generates clean heat for Industries to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels. 

imPASTA! Foods – They set out to solve the growing demand for healthier, diet-inclusive, and convenient, pasta/noodle options like ready-to-eat spaghetti squash. 

Discover All our 2023 Finalists here.

SOME SUCCESS STORIES

More examples, on our Case Studies page.

MOA foodtech and Bühler

NoPalm and Bühler

The partnership between NoPalm Ingredients and Bühler is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation to drive positive change.

Floré and dsm-firmenich

Floré by Sun Genomics, accelerated their collaboration process with DSM following the Sustainable Food Solutions Challenge. After the initial collaboration process, they met in California in September 2021 and received funding from DSM Venturing within the following months. They are now about to close a second round with DSM, and bring great value to the global biotech company through their next generation sequencing and data set.