Nicole Kleger from "Sallea" is "Female Innovator of the Year"
On Thursday, the Female Innovation Forum (FIF) took place for the 7th time at the BMW Group Brand Experience Center in Dübendorf. The event, organized by the "Ladies Drive" business community, was once again the stage for the "Female Innovator of the Year" award, which was presented this year to Nicole Kleger from ETH spin-off Sallea.
The Female Innovation Forum is aimed at female founders and young entrepreneurs and connects the startup world in Switzerland and abroad. According to the EY Startup Barometer (2023), only 5 percent of startups founded by women received venture capital. The forum has set itself the goal of continuously increasing this proportion and promoting and networking young female entrepreneurs in order to ultimately strengthen Switzerland as a business location in the long term.
For the seventh time, the Female Innovation Forum presented awards in various categories to innovative women. With the "Female Innovator of the Year" and the "Recognition Award", two jury awards were presented again this year. In addition, four other female founders were honored together with various Collab partners in the areas of "Social Innovation", "Digital Innovation", "Diversity & Inclusion Innovation" and "Design Innovation". Founder and jury president Sandra-Stella Triebl emphasizes: "The economy also has a female face. We show and celebrate that."
Daily program with keynotes and workshops
Once again this year, the Female Innovation Forum offered various networking opportunities. In guided workshops with five female founders from different sectors, the 260 participants were able to exchange experiences and ideas and make valuable contacts.
Marion Fogli from the digital private bank Alpian spoke about financial knowledge as a driver for innovation, and social entrepreneurship expert Katherin Milligan showed the path to becoming a social change leader. BMW Vice President Brand Portfolio, Dr. Larissa Huisgen, explained how transformation is made possible through innovation, while Siemens Sustainability Lead Pina Schlombs presented innovation as a turbo for sustainable industries. And Sarah Harbarth from start-up Kuori presented solutions for the circular economy with innovative upcycling technology.
The day was crowned by the Award Night in the form of a gala dinner, which was accompanied by another keynote speech by Larisa B. Miller, CEO Phoenix Global Group Holdings.
"Female Innovator of the Year" award for Nicole Kleger
The main award of the Female Innovation Forum 2024, which is presented in cooperation with BMW Switzerland, went to the ETH spin-off "Sallea" and honored co-founder Nicole Kleger. The start-up has developed a novel process for the production of biomaterials to create three-dimensional structures on which flesh tissue can grow. Their 3D printing can be used, for example, as a basis for cultivating meat in the laboratory.
"Recognition Award" for Margaux Peltier
The spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne EPFL has developed an innovative solution for the use of heat and cold from existing underground infrastructure. To this end, "Enerdrape" has constructed geothermal panels that can be installed in tunnels, parking garages or subway stations. Several layers of pipes run through them, through which water circulates and which thus become heat exchangers. In this way, the energy from existing buildings is used directly underground.
The engineer Margaux Peltier is CEO and co-founder of "Enerdrape" and is responsible for the development of the corporate strategy and its implementation. She received the "Recognition Award" for this, which was presented to her by the digital private bank Alpian.
Four awards for exceptional women
In addition to BMW and the digital private bank Alpian, the Female Innovation Forum is also supported by DQSolutions, Siemens, USM and the Canton of Zurich. They each presented an award.
The Social Innovation Award in cooperation with the Office of Labor of the Canton of Zurich was presented to Sarah Taubman for her app and empowerment with "Tara & Pipps": Children's stories as preparation for medical interventions.
This year, the Digital Innovation Award from DQ Solutions went to Olga Miler, who "Smart Purse" for more financial knowledge as the basis for prosperity.
Siemens presented its Diversity & Inclusion Award to Lisa Stähli, founder of "hello world 50:50" for their commitment and a "better together".
And the Design Award from USM Modular Furniture went to Ramona Schwarz from "Rayne Care" for their menstruation Disc.
