Description

Boost My Startup Challenge is a competition open to Swiss startups active in the areas of construction, environment, energy, water, logistics, mobility or real estate. It is organized by the UBS Growth Advisory, a competence center for fast-growing companies, as well as WSP, a leading engineering consultancy with numerous projects and customers in Switzerland and internationally.

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You are…

  • A startup based in Switzerland
  • Providing an innovative product or service in the one
    of the following sectors : construction, environment,
    energy, water, logistics, mobility or real-estate
  • Operating a data-driven business model
  • Past proof-of-concept and have achieved
    proof-ofmarket (through first revenues)
  • A startup with high-growth potential

We offer…

  • An access to WSP’s teams for an
    objective-driven project or product co-development
  • An access to WSP’s unique customer network, with
    more than 2000 projects in parallel, offering a firstclass
    springboard for startups
  • A support from UBS Growth Advisory, which has supported over 40 Swiss growth companies, by finding
    the right investors for them or granting them credit
    financing
  • Access to funding, either from the UBS Growth
    Advisory services or from WSP, upon proper matching
    and long-term collaboration perspectives
  • Media visibility, print or digital

About us

Boost My Startup Challenge is a Swiss startup challenge, born in 2021 from a common vision between UBS and WSP, to put innovation at the heart of our economy and provide solutions to environmental and societal issues impacting engineering, construction, real estate, energy, logistics and mobility sectors.

Convinced that no single player will be able to meet today’s challenges alone, we have chosen to rely on collective intelligence and the creation of partnerships between organizations with different backgrounds and experience. With the Boost My Startup Challenge, we are creating an environment conducive to the development of new products and services in the engineering sector. WSP and UBS bring their technical and financial expertise, as well as their customer and investor networks, to one or more startups, which in turn bring their ability to grasp digital services.  It takes a good ecosystem to anchor innovative products in commercial reality. We are convinced that collaboration between established companies and startups will enable the sustainable development of approaches that meet the societal and environmental challenges of the coming decades!

WSP in Switzerland is engaged in the mobility, infrastructure, environment, water, building and energy sectors. The company employs over 500 staff members in Switzerland with its headquarters in Lausanne, and more than 60’000 worldwide. WSP benefits from a wide client base, 60% of which is from the public sector and 40% from the private and semi-public sector.

Learn more about WSP in Switzerland

“The startup challenge is one of our open innovation cornerstones. We offer a business development ecosystem to startups. We will support their growth, give access to our network and encourage the development of sustainable products adapted to the needs of our customers.”

Pierre Epars

CEO, WSP in Switzerland

UBS has supported over 40 Swiss growth companies, by finding the right investors for them or granting them credit financing. They have raised more than CHF 125 million of equity capital from investors and granted more than CHF 170 million in credit financing.                                                              

Learn more about UBS Growth Advisory

“Networking is a critical skill for young entrepreneurs and vital for the success of their startup. It is a powerful tool in connecting with prospective customers and possible investors. Professional and active networking is so an important part of their business strategy.”

Philippe Schlegel

Corporate Finance Growth Advisory, UBS

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Contact

2024 winner is…

Neustark!

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C implies reaching net zero CO₂ emissions in 2050 according to the IPCC. Next to substantially reducing emissions, this target will only be possible by globally deploying carbon removal solutions at the scale of billions of tons of CO₂. Neustark is a leading provider in this rapidly growing field, having developed a solution to permanently store CO₂ from the air in recycled mineral waste such as demolished concrete. They are already capturing and storing tons of CO₂ every day!

2023 winner is…

Emmissium!

Emissium, based in Sion (VS), develops solutions in the challenging context of climate change by offering a software that enables the precise detection of the sources of greenhouse gas emissions in companies or energy suppliers, in the goal of reducing them. By working with high-quality data, Emissium enables the identification of indirect emissions controlled (scope 2) or not (scope 3) by the various players and thus the understanding of the environmental impact which is the starting point for setting decarbonization targets and strategies.

2022 winner is…

Uzufly!

Vaud-based startup, Uzufly’s workflow integrates the most recent and innovative photogrammetry, GIS and geospatial data processing solutions on the market. Continuous optimization of the processing chain is achieved through BigData, Cloud Processing and algorithmic tools. These innovative technologies enable the transformation of thousands of images into highly photorealistic Digital Twins, geo-referenced with an inch precision. A promising solution for urban planning and development.

2021 winner is…

Urban Sympheny!

The Dübendorf (ZH)-based startup won the challenge with its software that allows energy planners to easily achieve ambitious sustainability goals for any type of site.
The program can be applied at the scale of a building, a district or even a city. Thanks to high-performance algorithms and the use of digital twins, the software can simulate the local energy production system, storage, import or export and energy consumption.

News & inspirations

Startup Neustark named winner of the 4th Boost my Startup Challenge

Startup Neustark named winner of the 4th Boost my Startup Challenge

On the 10th of October 2024, six startups pitched their solutions in front of a jury of experts, entrepreneurs and investors.
We are pleased to announce that our winner for the 4th edition is neustark! Congratulations to Anna Haas and her team for their solution allowing to recycle concrete and capture CO₂ embedded in the material.

Boost My Startup Challenge – decarbonization takes centre stage in the 3rd edition!

Boost My Startup Challenge – decarbonization takes centre stage in the 3rd edition!

The Boost My Startup Challenge, a collaboration between BG Ingénieurs Conseils – a WSP company – and UBS, once again attracted the interest of innovative start-ups! Five of them were selected to present their products to a jury of entrepreneurs and to investors on October 12 at UBS. This year’s winner was Emissium, a Valais-based start-up active in the field of decarbonation.

Network partners

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