Led · Equity · Nov 2020

UniSieve develops modular, high-precision membranes that integrate porous zeolitic materials into polymeric membranes to filter specific molecules and ions without using thermal energy. The company sells containerized separation systems and membrane replacement services that can be integrated into existing industrial processes. It is currently focused on CO2 capture and is piloting hydrocarbon separation applications, claiming up to 90% greater energy efficiency versus distillation or amine scrubbing. UniSieve says its manufacturing is scalable and its membranes can be tuned to separate chemicals that differ by fractions of an angstrom. The Zurich-based startup was founded in 2018 by ETH Zürich classmates Samuel Hess and Elia Schneider and is already generating revenue with more than 24 clients, including chemical and energy companies. The company plans to use pilots and expanded operational capacity to scale deployments across heavy industries. UniSieve, founded in 2018 and based in Zurich, develops a proprietary membrane solution for high-efficiency separation in the chemical and energy industries. Its technology can facilitate saving up to 90% of the energy required to purify the world’s most frequent chemical feedstocks, enabling greenhouse gas reductions, recovery of valuable chemicals, and lower operational costs. The company positions its membranes as an enabling technology to increase the sustainability and economic attractiveness of the renewable chemicals market. UniSieve works with customers to challenge state-of-the-art separation technologies and reduce waste. The recent raise of around €3.9 million will be used to establish pilot production and co-finance industrial testing at customers’ chemical sites. The investment is expected to sustain the startup until the closure of sales agreements for full-scale separation units. UniSieve, an ETH spin-off based in Zürich, has developed a patent‑pending membrane technology that enables scalable production of mechanically stable, flexible MOF (metal‑organic framework) membranes. The membranes are designed for integration into standard membrane modules and for separation of various gases and liquids, targeting significant reductions in energy use for industrial separations. The company positions its technology as a way to optimize trennverfahren (separation processes) that account for more than 10% of global energy consumption. UniSieve says its approach enables cost‑ and energy‑efficient separations across industrial applications. Participation in Venture Kick accelerated the development of UniSieve’s business case, helped the team set productive milestones, and structured company planning. Samuel Hess is a co‑founder and CEO of the company.

Participated · Equity · Oct 2020

Journify is a startup founded in Valencia in 2018 that offers a carpooling marketplace for companies to help employees share rides and optimize commutes. Its platform connects employees across large employers to reduce travel costs and the environmental footprint of daily trips. The company works with clients such as Amazon, Grupo Thales, Grupo Valeo and Unibail‑Rodamco‑Westfield and reports more than 18,000 active users. Journify records roughly 68,000 monthly trips (about 3,400 daily) with average trips around 20 km, and users have saved about 20 tonnes of CO2 year‑to‑date. It expects to close 2020 with €4.5 million in marketplace volume. The team says it will launch new product lines early next year to expand beyond carpooling and become a leading provider of sustainable mobility solutions for companies.

Led · Equity · Sep 2020

AgroSustain is a Swiss AgTech startup focused on sustainable crop protection, primarily a natural coating that can extend the freshness of fruits, vegetables and cut flowers by up to one month. The coating reduces the need for plastic packaging and enables shipments by sea instead of air, lowering environmental impact and shipping costs. The company is also developing novel biological antifungal solutions identified by its team. AgroSustain plans a European launch of its natural coating in Q1 2022. Financially, the company completed the second and final closing of a Series A totaling CHF 4.8 million, which included the EU’s EIC accelerator grant. AgroSustain is a Swiss AgTech company founded in 2018 that develops organic, biological crop protection solutions for the farm-to-fork food chain. Its lead product is an entirely biological edible coating designed to extend shelf-life and freshness of fruits, vegetables, and cut flowers. The company is also developing a pipeline of biological antifungals, biofungicides and biostimulants. Proceeds from the recent financing and grant will be used to prepare the European commercial launch of the coating and to accelerate development of the antifungal pipeline. AgroSustain announced the first closing of a Series A round led by Giovanelli Fruchtimport AG, with a second closing expected in Q2 2021. Separately, it was awarded a EUR 2.4 million grant from the European Union’s EIC Accelerator Horizon 2020 program. The company cites participation in programs such as Venture Kick and Venture Leaders and selection in TOP 100 Swiss Startups as contributors to its recognition and fundraising traction. AgroSustain, a UNIL spinoff based in Lausanne, develops biological solutions for crop protection focused on plant-based coatings for fruits and vegetables and antifungal treatments for field and post-harvest protection. Its products aim to extend freshness and shelf-life of fresh produce while preventing fungal growth during cultivation, storage and distribution. The company was selected among 301 applicants from 25 countries for EIT Climate-KIC’s COVID-19 recovery funding initiative. AgroSustain will use the funding to recover from pandemic impacts and to continue developing and scaling its climate-impacting solutions. The selection process included a ‘Climate impact forecast’ workshop and a five-year climate impact potential assessment based on greenhouse-gas reduction metrics. The funding is intended to help the company bring its innovations to market and contribute to climate-change mitigation.