Desafía Switzerland 2024 roadshow connects Spanish startups with Swiss innovation

16.12.2024 09:30, Rita Longobardi

Following its launch in November 2024, the Desafia program held its first roadshow in Switzerland from December 2 to December 13, 2024, connecting Spanish scaleups with the Swiss startup ecosystem. The event allowed Spanish startups to meet Swiss investors, mentors, and corporates, exploring growth opportunities in Switzerland and beyond.

From December 2 to 13, nine Spanish startups began a two-week immersion program in Switzerland aimed at deepening their understanding of the Swiss market. The roadshow included workshops, pitch sessions, corporate visits, and networking opportunities in Zürich, Lausanne, and Bern, offering participants valuable insights into Switzerland's business and innovation ecosystem.

The first week began in Zürich with workshops at ETH Zürich on industrialization opportunities, followed by legal insights from Kellerhals Carrardand an MNI session with Walder Wyss. The entrepreneurs also participated in a presentation by Dr. Matthias Inauen from the Canton of Zürich and a workshop on going public by SIX Swiss Exchange. The week's highlight was the first Pitchfest in Zürich, where the entrepreneurs presented their innovative ideas to an audience of industry experts and investors. Other activities included a session on scaling innovations with Helbling Technik, a corporate visit to SAK, and a networking dinner at the Landesmuseum.



The second week took the group to Lausanne, where they attended a session on launching a business in Canton Vaud, followed by a networking lunch at EPFL Innovation Park. Participants also participated in EPFL's Investor Day and visited Enerdrape to explore advanced energy solutions. The second Pitchfest in Lausanne, held on December 11, provided another opportunity for the entrepreneurs to present their ventures. They also participated in a corporate VC session at Romande Energie Ventures, visited Tune Insight, and concluded the roadshow with a reception at the Spanish Embassy in Bern.


Up left: Kai Snellink, Head of Business Intelligence at Innovaud)
Up right: Jordi Montserrat, Managing Partner at Venturelab
Down right: Margaux Peltier, Co-Founder of Enerdrape

The program ended with a mentor meeting and a final feedback session in Zurich, leaving the entrepreneurs with new perspectives and network opportunities to support their future endeavors.


Up left: Cristina Muñoz, Director of Corporate Affairs and Legal at Wealth Reader
Up right: Andres Ramirez Sierra, Founder and CEO of Insttantt
Down left: Luis Baratas González (Head of the Desafía Program), Juan Díez Gibson (Spanish Chief Economic and Trade Counsellor for Switzerland and Liechtenstein), Celsa Nuño (Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and João Guerra (Project Manager at Venturelab)
Down right: Fernando Abello-Astolfi, CEO Fof Devengo)

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.

MEET THE NINE STARTUPS

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.