Venture Leaders Cleantech 2023: Captain’s blog by Nicolas Weber, CEO of Voltiris

16.11.2023 09:30, Rita Longobardi

Nicolas Weber, CEO and Co-Founder of Voltiris led ten Cleantech startups during their week-long roadshow in Munich from October 23 to October 26, 2023. He blogs on how Venture Leaders Cleantech helped these ambitious entrepreneurs make the personal, high-level connections with potential partners and investors, to start scaling their startups.

Monday
The journey kicked off with a much-needed coffee gathering in Zurich, setting the tone for an eventful week in Munich. Although our travel had a few hiccups, a fortuitous encounter with Etienne Jeoffroy from FenX, a past program participant, turned delays into opportunities. Upon reaching the hotel, the day unfolded with insightful presentations from SGE and UBS, offering precious advice on driving the German market and available support. The evening saw the Council of Switzerland's event, where we showcased our companies in an elevator pitch format, followed by networking with over 100 attendees. The night concluded with a well-deserved pizza feast.



Tuesday
The day began with a delightful breakfast, creating connections among us all. A subway ride took us to Munich Urban Colab, offering a glimpse into the supportive local ecosystem for hardware startups. Pitching to Benjamin Erhart and Jana Petry from UVC Partners marked the start of VC feedback, followed by a camaraderie-filled pizza lunch. A meeting with Benjamin Hollerith from BonVenture, featuring dynamic presentations during a stroll in the park, added a special twist. The day wrapped up with a networking event at Lupp+ Partner, providing opportunities for informal discussions with investors and lawyers over dinner and drinks.



Wednesday
An action-packed day started with a pitch at the renowned Ignite Accelerator in front of the World Fund. A lunch at Helbling's offices led to workshops on collaboration, presenting Helbling's methodology for problem-solving with startups. The Occident team joined for interactive presentations, followed by a dinner at Der Pschorr in Munich, creating an unforgettable atmosphere enhanced by stunning magic tricks.

Thursday
During the morning we visited Munich Venture Partners (MVP), pioneers in European cleantech investment, and presented our solutions, followed by very profitable discussions. The afternoon saw us in individual meetings or catching up on work. The evening took us to a brewery for dinner with program partners, offering a tour of the brewing process and a night of anecdotes in a bikers' bar, complete with semi-professional baby foot players.

Friday
An early rise led us to Matterwave Ventures, where croissants and fast-paced pitching awaited. A visit to Yttrium provided feedback and recommendations, enhancing our understanding of Munich's VC landscape. The week concluded with a pizza-sharing journey back to Zurich. Amidst catching up on work and a bit of sleep, we had time to reinforce the team spirit.



I would like to thank the event partners for this great opportunity to connect with the Cleantech Leaders. I was also honoured to be the captain of the Venture Leaders Cleantech, an experience I will cherish for a lifetime. Thank you to the sponsors and Venturelab for making it possible. Thank you to Jordi and Joao for all the efforts you made to make everything work, both before and during the trip, you did all of this with a smile and a bucketful of energy.

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ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Venture Leaders Cleantech 2023 were chosen from over 90 applications by an expert jury. The roadshow in Munich will accelerate their ventures’ growth and expand their international presence. Venture Leaders Cleantech is organized by Venturelab and supported by EPFL Lausanne, ETH Zurich, EY, Helbling Technik, Romande Energie, St.Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke (SAK), Swisscom Ventures, Vaud, and Vischer.