Nine innovative Spanish startups to join Desafía Switzerland Program in May – Events open for Swiss ecosystem to connect

16.04.2025 10:20, Rita Longobardi

This May, Switzerland will welcome nine of Spain’s most promising sustainability-driven scale-ups as part of Desafía Switzerland, a government-backed initiative designed to accelerate the global growth of high-impact tech ventures. From May 12 to 23, the startups will take part in Switzerland’s well-connected innovation ecosystem through a two-week journey across Zurich, Lausanne, and Bern, connecting with investors, corporate leaders, and academic institutions.

Powered by ICEX and Red.es, in collaboration with Venturelab and the Economic and Trade Office of the Spanish Embassy in Bern, the Desafía Switzerland offers an intensive agenda of tailored workshops, investor meetings, company visits, and public pitch events. This initiative enables Spanish entrepreneurs to better understand one of the world’s most advanced markets for innovation and sustainability.

The program kicks off with a two-day bootcamp in Madrid (April 24–25) before shifting to Switzerland, where the participating ventures will present their innovative solutions and explore partnerships to scale their businesses internationally.

“We’re pleased to welcome the second group of Spanish ventures to Switzerland,” said Jordi Montserrat, Managing Partner at Venturelab. “Building on last year’s experience allows to leverage the acquired experience and networks, and it’s rewarding to see this program continue and to support these promising companies as they explore opportunities for growth and collaboration.”

The Desafía Switzerland events are an ideal opportunity for Swiss investors, corporates, and innovation leaders to explore standout Spanish solutions across sustainability, AI, biotech, and geospatial tech. Attendees can connect directly with fast-growing ventures actively seeking Swiss partnerships and investment and gain early insight into international startups with strong potential to shape global markets.

“It was crucial to have participated in Desafía Switzerland,” commented Cristina Muñoz, Co-Founder of Wealth Reader and last year’s Desafía program member. “As a Fintech startup, we actively learned from the ecosystem and the market and engaged with local corporate partners representing our future.”

Meet the startups
Swiss ecosystem players, investors, and research institutions are invited to meet the startups at the Startup Days in Bern on May 14th, and during the public pitch event in Lausanne on May 21st at Unlimitrust Campus.

Meet the 9 Spanish startups in the Desafía Switzerland 2025 cohort:

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 | Retail / AI
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 | Nanotechnology
Develops anti-counterfeiting inks based on nanotechnology to secure luxury products, documents, and packaging through unique, tamper-proof authentication.

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

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

Revivack | revivack.com | Circularity
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 | Aerospace
Applies generative AI to explore drug-like molecules, enabling interactive design and faster early-stage drug discovery workflows.

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

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

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