Desafía Switzerland 2024: Launch of the new support program for high-impact Spanish scale-up program in Switzerland

18.11.2024 11:30, Rita Longobardi

Desafía Switzerland, a new programme supported by the Spanish government, will bring nine high-potential Spanish sustainability startups to Switzerland to accelerate their global reach and scaling. The companies will participate in a two-week immersive business program across Zurich, Bern, St Gallen, and Lausanne from December 2 to December 13 to establish sustainable growth pathways in Switzerland's innovative ecosystem.

Supported by ICEX and Red.es in collaboration with Venturelab and the Economic and Trade Office of the Spanish Embassy in Bern, Desafía Switzerland offers Spanish entrepreneurs a tailored opportunity to establish their presence in Switzerland, one of the world’s leading innovation hubs. This initiative aims to provide participants with the necessary resources to adapt and grow within the Swiss market and enhance their competitiveness on a global scale.

The program kicked off in Madrid with a two-day session on November 14 and 15 to prepare for the two-week roadshow in Switzerland, taking place from December 2nd to 13th. The nine startups will benefit from business development workshops, company visits, and pitching at networking events to introduce their solutions to Swiss investors, industry partners, and key figures in the innovation ecosystem. By networking with peer founders and leading ecosystem players, the startups will have access to opportunities to support their growth within Switzerland and internationally.


Madrid kick-off on November 14 and 15

“We’re excited to see these sustainability-focused startups bridge the innovation ecosystems of Switzerland and Spain," highlighted Jordi Montserrat, Managing Partner at Venturelab. “Helping to boost the potential of startups bringing solutions for a more sustainable future is at the heart of our mission at Venturelab, and having Spanish origins, it is even more rejoicing at the personal level.”

From a Spanish perspective, this first Desafía programme in Switzerland will help these nine amazing startups improve their scalability in one of the most advanced and dynamic innovation ecosystems in the world," added Juan Díez Gibson, Spanish Chief Economic and Trade Counsellor for Switzerland and Liechtenstein. "From a Swiss perspective, this immersion will allow Swiss counterparts to get acquainted in just one go with the variety and quality of the Spanish ecosystem, with this selection of nine Spanish startups covering very different stages and dimensions of sustainability."

"The Desafia Switzerland program marks the conclusion of a remarkable 2024, during which we supported over 100 Spanish startups in scaling internationally across 11 top global innovation ecosystems," mentioned José María Blasco Ruiz, Executive Director for Growth and Competitiveness at ICEX.


"With this tailored program we are supporting Spanish Startups in scaling their operations and successful integration into the Swiss market. In addition to this, we are also going to provide valuable insights and connections within the Swiss innovation ecosystem," concluded Luis Baratas González, Head of the Desafía Program.


“The Desafía program has proven to be a vital initiative for helping Spanish startups establish themselves in the world’s most innovative tech ecosystems, with editions in locations such as San Francisco, Berlin, and New York. Now, Desafía Switzerland, focused on sustainability, offers a unique opportunity for the 9 participating companies to scale their business models," stated Jesus Herrero, director at Red.es. "The program provides guidance, support, and connections for these startups, linking them with key stakeholders through experts in the targeted ecosystem."


MEET THE STARTUPS
The Swiss ecosystem partners, research institutions, and investors will have the opportunity to meet with the startups by joining the pitchfest and can register for the sessions in Zürich on December 4th at Startup Space or in Lausanne on December 11th at Unlimitrust Campus, where the nine companies will be presenting their solutions.

Devengo | devengo.com 
Devengo helps you integrate your company's money flows into your operational processes, whether it's massive real-time payouts or receiving pay-ins to make the reconciliation easy.

FinBoot | finboot.com 
Finboot offers an innovative traceability solution to automate ESG and sustainability credit record-keeping, create Digital Product Passports, and manage sustainability declarations and certifications.

Go Planner | go-planner.com
Explore how Big Data-driven transformation is creating a new future for transportation and logistics, optimizing every process and decision with extraordinary speed and efficiency.

Impressora | impressora.org
Impressoera produces advanced materials for additive manufacturing through 3D printing. The startup leverages local natural resources to create high-performance sustainable mortars.

Insttantt | insttantt.com
With Insttantt, you register your personal information once, keep it safe in one place, and use our Safe-Share technology to share it instantly with other people and companies.

Lumio | lumio.solar
Lumio is the only Sustainable Energy Platform where you can install, consume, and share renewable energy. With Lumio, you can make a turnkey solar installation in your home, company, or community of neighbours, and manage your surplus through our platform so you can share your energy with whomever you want.

Macco Robotics | maccorobotics.es
Macco brings the FoodTech concept, humanoid robotics, and artificial intelligence to hospitality so that the HORECA channel can optimize its resources while increasing the quality of its services.

Scoobic | scoobic.com
Scoobic creates last-mile electric vehicles that are profitable for companies and sustainable for the planet.

Wealth Reader | wealthreader.com
Wealth Reader transforms banking management with its Bank Aggregation API: complete, accurate and one-click data.

Follow the entrepreneurs on social media using the hashtag #Desafia.