Participated · Seed · Mar 2024

Rrreefs designs a modular reef system made of 3D-printed clay modules that facilitate natural settlement of corals, fish and other marine organisms and offers an end-to-end reef regeneration service including analysis, regeneration, scientific monitoring, community integration and biodiversity reporting. The technology, based on research from ETH Zurich, aims to catalyze natural ocean regeneration without permanent human intervention. Founded in 2021 as an ETH Zurich spinout and based in Zurich, Rrreefs commercially launched in 2023. In field trials across five countries the company reported rapid colonization and substantial increases in fish abundance within months. Since commercialization it has acquired more than 20 paying customers on four continents and recorded CHF 1.3 million in revenue, with a current project pipeline of about CHF 2.4 million. Rrreefs works with corporate partners such as Melitta and Accor and has observed growing governmental interest in markets including Panama and the Philippines.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2024

Cotierra (formerly Terra Preta) builds biochar reactor technology and a robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system tailored to coffee farms in the Global South. Its core product converts coffee tree residues into biochar and reapplies it to plantations to sequester carbon for centuries, restore soil health, and boost productivity. The company emphasizes decentralized deployment to demonstrate tangible on-the-ground benefits, including reduced supply-chain emissions and the creation of traceable, permanent carbon-removal credits. Cotierra intends to accelerate product development and field demonstrations in Colombia. It will use the recent funding to speed up development of both hardware (biochar reactors) and its MRV capabilities. The solution is positioned specifically for the unique conditions of the Global South and targets regenerative agriculture transformation in coffee.

Participated · Seed · Dec 2022

MAIA (formerly Prodlan) provides an AI-powered platform that ingests and indexes companies' technical documents and know-how to make them easily findable and usable via subscription licenses. Founded at the end of 2021, the company pivoted from a broader digital toolbox to focus on an AI assistant for industrial and technical enterprises. MAIA serves several dozen enterprise customers across Germany, Austria and Switzerland in sectors such as machinery and plant engineering, shipbuilding suppliers, rail infrastructure, plastics, medical and security technology, and reports more than 3,000 users. The startup sells its software via paid subscriptions and reports annual revenue in the mid-six-figure range. The team has grown to about 15 employees and intends to expand technology, sales and marketing headcount in Berlin, Zürich and neighboring countries while keeping the core team in Leipzig. MAIA emphasizes that customer data is hosted on German and European servers.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2022

Adaptyv Biosystems operates an automated, cloud-accessible laboratory that closes the critical “design-test-learn” loop for AI-driven protein engineering. Its platform performs high-throughput experimental assays to verify the function of proteins proposed by computational models, addressing the cost and accessibility barriers that typically slow validation. In beta, the system has already tested more than 10,000 proteins in partnership with about 30 pharmaceutical and biotech teams, and in one international competition it boosted hit rates from 2.5 % to 13 % within two months. By automating wet-lab steps and streaming data back to model builders, the company aims to accelerate the creation of therapeutic and industrial proteins. With fresh capital, Adaptyv plans to broaden the menu of assays, deepen robotic automation, and launch an API that pipes experimental results directly into AI models. The company is headquartered in the Lausanne area (Épalinges) and positions itself as an infrastructure provider for the growing protein-design ecosystem.