Desafía's Swiss second edition connects Spanish scaleups with growth opportunities

26.05.2025 10:30, Rita Longobardi

Held from May 12 to 23, 2025, the second Swiss edition of the Desafía program brought a cohort of 9 Spanish scaleups to Switzerland for an intensive two-week roadshow. Launched the 1st edition in late 2024, Venturelab welcomed in Spring 2025 a 2nd group of deeptech comopanies. Through tailored meetings with investors, corporates, and ecosystem leaders, the scaleups explored pathways for international expansion and potential collaboration beyond their home market.

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 Zurich with workshops on legal setup led by Kellerhals Carrard, intellectual property strategies by Rentsch, technology scaling with Helbling, and public funding through Innosuisse. Midweek, the delegation traveled to Bern to participate in Startup Days, a major national event featuring pitching sessions and networking opportunities.

Returning to Zurich, startups attended investor pitching sessions with Emerald Technology Ventures and Swisscom Ventures, while gaining insights on alternative financing solutions from Lendity and innovation infrastructure at Technopark Zurich.



The final phase took place in Lausanne, where the startups focused on go-to-market strategies, tax and data protection workshops also led by Kellerhals Carrard, and collaboration opportunities with EPFL. They visited local startups such as Tune Insight and toured SICPA's Unlimitrust Campus to explore long-term landing possibilities.

The program concluded with a public pitch festival at Unlimitrust Campus and a reception hosted by the Spanish Embassy in Bern, including a final pitch session and mentor meetings to define next steps. Throughout the initiative, startups gained comprehensive exposure to the Swiss innovation ecosystem.



MEET THE NINE STARTUPS
Agrolinera | agrolinera.com | Agriculture
Transforms dairy farming by digitizing waste streams such as manure and whey, improving sustainability, resource efficiency, and environmental impact across agricultural operations.

Aitaca | aitaca.io
Offers an AI-based virtual fitting room and size recommender that increases conversion rates and decreases return volumes for online fashion retailers.

Distinkt | distinkt.tech
Develops anti-counterfeiting inks based on nanotechnology to secure luxury products, documents, and packaging through unique, tamper-proof authentication.

Esignus | esignus.com
Designs HASHWallet, a biometric-secured hardware wallet with mobile integration for managing blockchain assets and protecting digital credentials.

Planetai Space | planetai.space
Combines satellite imagery and AI to map and measure natural capital, helping organizations make informed, sustainable resource management decisions.

Revivack | revivack.com
Provides blockchain-enabled infrastructure for brands to implement take-back systems that support recycling, reuse, and traceable sustainability reporting.

Uncharted Therapeutics | arquimea.com/uncharted-therapeutics
Applies generative AI to explore drug-like molecules, enabling interactive design and faster early-stage drug discovery workflows.

Verázial | verazial.com
Develops iris-based biometric technology to improve identification and traceability in pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. 

Woza Labs | wozalabs.com
Delivers AI-driven geospatial platforms that support sustainability monitoring, risk management, and environmental analysis across industries.