Oct 3, 2023
Updated: Dec 1, 2023
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting a delegation from TotalEnergies on the first day of their Learning Expedition (LEX) to the Swiss startup ecosystem.
Katelijne DE MOOR, R&C VP Innovation & Value Mapping at TotalEnergies welcomed the participants coming from various countries. She underlined the importance to innovate in our day and age, and with the increasing pressure of climate change to transition towards renewable energies and to turn those challenges into opportunities.
Cécile CLONTS Country Director Business France Switzerland-Liechtenstein, which team supported the organization of the LEX, shared some key figures on the Swiss innovation ecosystem, as well as some business tips on how to navigate in Switzerland.
Gilles BORDES Head of Economic Affairs at the Embassy of France in Switzerland shared insights on the Swiss energy supply, its roadmap to 2050, and its challenges such as the absence of agreement with the EU and delay in the development of sustainable and alternative energies such as PV, hydrogen or biomass.
From our team, Jürg STUKER and Noémie DELEZE introduced the participants to Kickstart, our open innovation approach - be it in our support to later stage startups or to corporate intrapreneurship teams - and our commitment to sustainability. It was the occasion to showcase the startups from our cohort, with an emphasis on those offering solutions to utility companies Plexigrid, Granular Energy and Hypermeteo.
Lastly, ETH spinoff ANYBotics’ team introduced ANYmal, an autonomous industrial, explosion-proof (!) robot able to conduct inspection activities including image, video, and sound analysis in dangerous settings such as offshore platforms.
We wish the participants an inspiring journey in Switzerland!