Ten high-potential Swiss startups developing solutions for clean energy, sustainable materials, industrial decarbonization, and climate resilience have been selected to join the Swiss National Startup Team 2026. Chosen by a jury of leading investors and industry experts, these entrepreneurs will represent Swiss innovation during the Venture Leaders Cleantech roadshow in Munich from November 9-13, 2026. Organized by Venturelab and supported by Axpo, EPFL, ETH Zurich, Helbling Technik, Rentsch Partner, the Canton of Vaud, and VISCHER, the Venture Leaders Cleantech program is designed to accelerate international growth through high-level investor meetings, strategic networking opportunities, and expert-led workshops.
The selected startups are tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges: from affordable renewable energy and next-generation energy storage to methane abatement, circular materials, industrial efficiency, and sustainable mobility. Together, they showcase the breadth and ambition of Switzerland’s rapidly growing cleantech ecosystem.
Since 2006, Venturelab has selected and supported the Swiss National Startup Team through the Venture Leaders program. The initiative gives entrepreneurs direct access to investors, industry leaders, and potential customers in major innovation hubs including Barcelona, Boston, London, Munich, Silicon Valley and Asia.
Following a competitive selection process with more than 70 applications, ten startups were chosen to join the 2026 delegation. Their innovations range from graphene-enabled energy technologies and AI-driven energy management to recyclable gas storage systems, sustainable packaging materials, industrial electrification, methane destruction technologies, waste heat valorization, and wireless electric vehicle charging solutions.
“The strength of this year’s team reflects again the remarkable depth of Switzerland’s cleantech sector,” said Jordi Montserrat, Managing Partner at Venturelab. “We are proud to bring another outstanding group of entrepreneurs to Munich. Their technologies address global climate and energy challenges while creating significant business opportunities.”
“The Munich trip was a real gem: powerful meetings with the right VCs, valuable feedback from the Venturelab team, and, above all, the rare opportunity to connect with fellow entrepreneurs facing the same challenges,” said Estelle Clerc, CEO and Co-Founder of CellX Biosolutions and Venture Leaders Cleantech Team Captain 2025.
Join the team’s introduction and virtual pitch session on September 22nd, 2026, and follow the Venture Leaders Cleantech roadshow on social media using the hashtag #VLeadersCleantech or on www.venturelab.swiss/venture-leaders-cleantech from November 9th to November 13th, 2026.
Meet the Venture Leaders Cleantech 2026
- Divea: Engineering tunable pores in an atom-thin layer of graphene to enable the next era of molecular refining, at a fraction of the cost. Read more.
- GraphEnergyTech: Developing graphene-based electrode materials that replace costly, carbon-intensive metals in solar, energy storage and printed electronics. Its platform enables lower-cost, more sustainable and scalable devices across multiple industries. Read more.
- kuafu: Copilot of the energy system, connecting grid and building operators to manage building energy resources in support of grid operation. It is the only vertically integrated AI-powered platform from building automation to energy markets, preventing blackouts, accelerating decarbonization, and making electricity more affordable. Read more.
- New Generation Tanks: Developing highly innovative, ultra-lightweight, and recyclable high-pressure tanks for industrial gas storage. These tanks address demanding applications including drones, satellites, and decarbonized mobility solutions, delivering performance where weight and high storage efficiency are critical. Read more.
- PeelPack: Swiss deep-tech company developing Materra®, a bio-based, compostable thermoplastic made from potato side streams. It runs on existing plastic production lines and is already validated in thermoforming and injection moulding. Read more.
- ProSeed Ingredients: Developing industrial microwave systems that make drying and thermal processing faster, more energy efficient and more precise. Its fully electric, scalable technology reduces processing time, energy use and equipment footprint across the pharmaceutical, mineral and food industries. Read more.
- Sixteen44: Destroying the potent greenhouse gas methane at hotspots with the highest emissions including dairy farms, landfills and coal mines. The technology works at the non-flammable, non-capturable methane concentrations which make up more than two thirds of all methane emissions worldwide. Read more.
- Thermal Transformer: De-electrifying cooling by converting low-grade waste heat into useful cooling energy. Our novel heat-driven adsorption chiller operates on waste heat from as low as 45°C, reducing electricity consumption for cooling by up to 98% compared to conventional electric chillers. Read more.
- Winduction: An ETH Zurich spin-off that enables electric buses to charge wirelessly through their wheels during routine stops, without cables, driver action, or visible infrastructure. Charging begins instantly, turning idle time at stops into charging time. Read more.
- Windworks: Helping farms, factories and commercial sites slash electricity costs and Scope 2 emissions with affordable behind-the-meter wind power. Its vertical-axis turbines use adaptive blade-pitch control to harvest energy from variable, low-altitude winds, complementing solar PV. Read more.
Source : Press Release