Are you passionate about transforming Basel into a more sustainable city?

The Circular Economy (CE) Incubator enables individuals and startups to prototype and develop innovative solutions contributing to accelerate the transition towards Circular Economy in Switzerland.

During the program, the selected entrepreneurs work on implementing their solutions and validating their business models, with the support from high-level mentors, experts and our network of impact investors.

The CE Incubator is part of a pioneer initiative that currently takes place in 4 Swiss cities – Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich (more information below). Basel startups are also welcome to join the incubator. You are free to apply by one of 4 cities.

The CE Incubator is for people that

Are driven by circularity: Whether you have an idea to be nurtured, a prototype to validate or a business model to fine-tune if your solution will contribute to accelerate the transition to a Circular Economy, this program is for you!

Want to start locally: Think big, start locally. We welcome individuals and teams with an ambitious vision who are looking to first validate and implement their solutions in Switzerland to have an impact on the local ecosystem.

Also think at scale: Systemic impact is driven by radical collaboration. This program focus on solutions that can be scalable to new markets and regions without loosing in terms of business model feasibility and efficiency.

Selected Entrepreneurs will benefit from

Personal mentor: Mentors are at the core of the CE Incubator. We think of mentoring as building a trustworthy relationship with an experienced entrepreneur who inspires and challenges you along your journey while helping you to navigate the Swiss market.

Expert support: We will guide you through the process of testing your business model and defining your go-to-market strategy.  For that you will have access to workshops and 1:1 sessions with a wide network of industry, business and technology experts.

Swiss-wide visibility: Benefit from local and Swiss-wide exposure throughout the program. This will happen both offline and online through networking and community building events, pitching days as well as mentions on the press, newsletters and social media.

More than an office: During the CE Incubator you will have free access to Impact Hub inspiring space where you can work from and most importantly connect and exchange with a community of entrepreneurs, creatives and techies that are eager to collaborate.

Investor connections: We will support you in setting-up your revenue model and financing strategy. As part of that the program facilitates connections with impact investors and sustainable finance institutions, matchmaking you with the appropriate investors once you are ready.

The entire support provided by the CE Incubator accounts for CHF 15.000 per team. The CE Incubator has a zero equity and fees policy and therefore takes no equity and charges no fees to all the program participants.

Timeline

About the CE Incubator

The CE Incubator is part of a pioneer initiative aiming to accelerate the transition of Switzerland to a Circular Economy.

In close collaboration with all Impact Hubs throughout Switzerland, sanu durabilitas and with the support of MAVA foundation, this initiative will contribute to drive the new paradigm for the future of business, policy making and society through 4 main pillars:

• Monthly events for the general public
• An incubator for projects and startups
• A business lab for corporates and SMEs
• Research based policy recommendations

Application

Applications for the CE Incubator are open until November 18, 2018. Choose the city you want to apply: Bern, Geneva, Lausanne or Zurich, find the application form on the relevant web-page and don’t hesitate to contact the local coordinator directly in case you have any questions about the program.