Support for six startup teams with circular economy ideas

The NTN Innovation Booster consortium focusing on the circular economy has announced six winners for its fourth campaign. They will be supported in the coming months in developing their circular and therefore sustainable product ideas.

Six teams are participating in the fourth edition of the NTN Innovation Booster , entitled Applied Circular Sustainability. It is sponsored by the Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion, Innosuisse. The funding program is organized by the Center for Product and Process Development at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Winterthur. According to a media release, these initiatives were selected from 21 applications: Capt’n Greenfin, Cirkla, Eightinks, Essento, Kuori and NaturLoop. They will be accompanied over the next five months and supported in advancing their recyclable products.

• Capt’n Greenfin, based in Murten FR, aims to replace the plastic in conventional fish bait with its 100 percent degradable material and distribute such bait worldwide.
• Cirkla, an association based in Basel, Switzerland, is developing a toolbox that provides building managers with knowledge on how to integrate recycled building elements and materials into their planning and implementation.
• Eightinks from Rüschlikon ZH produces lithium-ion batteries for e-mobility in such a way that their components are directly recyclable.
• Zurich-based insect snack provider Essento (with Winterthur roots!) wants to explore the potential of an edible oil made from mealworms.
• Kuori, based in Basel with a laboratory at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, is developing a compostable shoe sole whose abrasion contains no microplastics.
• NaturLoop from Biel BE transforms agricultural by-products such as coconut fibers into biocomposites for MDF boards to avoid fossil fuels for their production from wood.

Technopark Winterthur congratulates the committed young entrepreneurs. After completion of the 5-month coaching, it offers them a follow-up solution in the building at Technoparkstrasse 2.