immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Cleantech

  • New technologies for sustainable building tested in practice

    New technologies for sustainable building tested in practice

    Swiss Prime Site (SPS) has identified promising start-ups in the fields of cleantech, PropTech, EnterpriseTech and other sectors relevant to the real estate industry together with the Schlieren-based start-up promoter Venturelab. According to a statement from Venturelab, the real estate company headquartered in Zug has completed the 25th edition of its Start-up Accelerator program. In collaboration with Venturelab, SPS’s initiative aims to connect with start-ups developing solutions that can be integrated into the company, focusing on areas such as smart buildings, healthy architecture, smart materials and circular economy, it added.

    Ten start-ups were selected from the 70 applicants to present their solutions in a virtual pitch session at the end of March. From this group, four were invited to take part in the acceleration program to present their business models to the SPS Board of Directors. The “innovative approach to sustainability and alignment with the environmental priorities of SPS” was highlighted for three start-ups. These are ecoLocked, based in Berlin, which focuses on solutions for building with climate-neutral concrete, Vunanexus in Küsnacht ZH, which specializes in water purification, and Quanthome in Lausanne, which offers data-driven intelligence for investment decisions. They will hold further talks with SPS for upcoming projects and tests of the solution, the press release states.

    “It’s rare to find a pitch competition where the organizers go out of their way to make it easy and advise you throughout the process,” Ruth Beniermann from ecoLocked is quoted as saying about the selection process.

  • Swiss cleantech start-ups conquer the South African market

    Swiss cleantech start-ups conquer the South African market

    As part of the Academia-Industry Training Cleantech program (AIT), four Swiss cleantech start-ups were able to present their innovative solutions in South Africa. Subasol, Neology Hydrogen, Gaia Turbine and Soft Power presented their pioneering technologies and were given the opportunity to make valuable contacts and secure access to an emerging market.

    Subasol impresses with photovoltaic storage solutions
    Subasol, which develops innovative PV storage systems for the African market, won the pitch competition and prevailed against strong competition. The locally installed storage systems are intended to secure the energy supply in rural and off-grid areas of Africa and thus make a significant contribution to the continent’s sustainable development.

    Low-cost hydrogen for the future
    Neology Hydrogen scored highly with a technology that converts ammonia into hydrogen, providing low-cost and easily accessible hydrogen solutions for the global market. This innovation will accelerate the transition to a hydrogen-based economy.

    Practical solutions for clean energy
    Gaia Turbine and Soft Power completed the field of participants with compact water turbines and sustainable cooking solutions for developing countries. Both start-ups offer practical solutions to promote the use of renewable energy worldwide and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

    Forward-looking exchange
    The next step is an exchange program in which five South African entrepreneurs will visit Switzerland to further develop their business models and explore opportunities for cooperation. This program is an important step towards promoting international cleantech partnerships and opening up new markets.

    Cleantech made in Switzerland conquers South Africa
    The success of the Swiss start-ups shows the potential of innovative cleantech solutions on the African market. Participation in the SA Innovation Summit has laid the foundation for future collaborations and offers promising prospects for international expansion.

  • Perovskia Solar receives investment of 2.4 million dollars

    Perovskia Solar receives investment of 2.4 million dollars

    Perovskia Solar AG has received fresh capital in the amount of 2.4 million dollars. The spin-off of the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology(Empa), which was founded in 2021, announced that it is now welcoming Basel-based Kickfund, London-based venture capitalist D&FG Elements and a global coalition of business angels led by Nils Hagander and Beda Rohner as investors in addition to existing investors Empa, Venture Kick and Johannes Suter from Zurich. Hagander joins Perovskia’s Board of Directors.

    Perovskia offers digitally printed and flexibly customizable solar cells to OEMs. “Our energy harvesting technology has been developed at Empa for over six years and enables us to bring Perovskia Solar to the market with a finished product that powers next-generation devices for industrial and consumer use,” founder and CTO Tobias Meyer is quoted as saying. The cleantech start-up, founded in 2021, has already acquired “more than ten leading companies from the Internet of Things (IoT) industry” as customers.

    Perovskia’s vision is that the ultra-thin solar cells can be integrated into any device, for example in networked intelligent systems known as Smart City, Smart Grid, Smart Building and Industrial IoT. “We make it possible for solar cells to be designed around products and not products around solar cells,” reads a self-promotion by the award-winning start-up.

    This funding will allow Perovskia to “expand, innovate and grow”, according to another press release. “With a new website, modernized machines and talented new team members, we are more committed than ever to our mission: a solar cell on every device.”

  • HIAG wins cleantech company Grensol as tenant

    HIAG wins cleantech company Grensol as tenant

    The property company HIAG has been able to secure another cleantech company as a tenant for its Papieri site in Biberist. According to a press release, Grensol AG recycles valuable low-emission resources such as hydrogen, carbon black, metals and glass from end-of-life vehicles. By recycling in the circular economy, the company also avoids waste incineration and landfill, which emit pollutants. On 19 June, Grensol was awarded the W.A. de Vigier Award, one of the most coveted sponsorship prizes in Switzerland, for its commitment. Grensol will build its first pilot plant in Switzerland on an area of 860 square metres on the Papieri site.

    “We are delighted that Grensol AG is the second clean-tech company to decide to build its innovative plant on our Papieri site,” said Raphael Schibli, the responsible asset manager at HIAG, in the press release. “This shows that the Papieri site offers ideal conditions for companies from various industries to develop.”

    The start-up Librec AG had already established itself on the site. The company specialises in the recycling of electric batteries.

  • Cowa receives 1 million francs from investors

    Cowa receives 1 million francs from investors

    In a first round of financing, Cowa Thermal Solutions AG has received over CHF 1 million from private investors and its own founders Remo Waser and Simon Maranda. According to an article on the startupticker.ch portal, the young company based in Lucerne’s Technopark wants to use the fresh capital to market its heating storage system for heat pumps on a larger scale.

    The cleantech start-up is developing a heating storage system with capsules that contain environmentally friendly salts as a phase change material. A tank filled with the capsules can absorb three times more energy than a conventional water tank for heat pumps. According to the information, this makes a heating system less dependent on mains electricity. In addition, unlike batteries or rechargeable batteries, it does not use lithium.

    The storage tank filled with Cowa capsules has been available from the building technology company Meier Tobler since April of this year. According to startupticker.ch, the additional costs for the Cowa product compared to conventional storage systems are quickly balanced out due to the energy density and longevity of 20 years.

    In addition to further scaling on the domestic market, the company would like to expand to Germany soon. Initial talks with potential sales partners have already taken place.