Tokyo (SCCJI) – Edwatec has won the Grand Prix at the Venture 2026 Awards in Lausanne. The ceremony for the award, worth 150,000 francs, was held at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Start-ups from across Switzerland competed for the prize.
Data center technology
Edwatec, a Vaud-based company and a spin-off of EPFL, miniaturizes optical amplification, a key component of the high-performance optical transceivers that data centers need to keep pace with the exponential growth in data driven by AI. Its innovation integrates Erbium Doped Waveguide Amplifier technology onto a photonic chip to enable high-speed, low-energy optical data communication.
Edwatec topped a field of six category winners, each of whom was awarded 50,000 francs. TruLux, winner in Consumer Solutions, uses a visual AI tool to help consumers verify the authenticity of premium physical goods on the spot — using nothing more than a mobile phone. RegCheck, winner in Business & Finance, uses AI to simulate regulatory audits, helping regulated firms spot compliance gaps before submission and enabling more consistent reviews.
Actival SA, the Medtech & Healthcare winner and a spin-off from the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, has patented active dental devices for the slow, controlled release of beneficial fluids to improve oral health. The proprietary platform of Baxiva AG, winner in Pharma & Biotech, builds next-generation vaccines to prevent severe infections. Botana AI, which topped the Social & Environmental Impact field, is a farmer-first platform that helps growers manage their land like a financial portfolio, optimizing crop choices for profit and climate resilience.
Innovative use of Apertus
This year also marked the first edition of the Spotlight Award, worth 50,000 francs. The start-up Noemon won this award for the most innovative use of Apertus, Switzerland’s openly developed AI model. The company is developing a continuous-learning approach to make AI training cheaper and deployment easier. The 10,000 francs Audience Award went to Cinder, a therapeutic wearables company addressing pelvic pain.
With four of the six category winners relying heavily on artificial intelligence, the 2026 edition highlighted AI’s growing role across Swiss start-ups. Applicants needed an innovative idea, a minimum of one team member who is a Swiss resident, and must be headquartered in Switzerland or intend to move there or open a branch here. Importantly, the start-up must be in an early stage; if commercially registered, it must have been after January 1, 2024, for this year’s competition.
Launched in 1997, Venture has been fostering winning business ideas for over 25 years. Competition alumni have successfully founded over 1,500 companies and created more than 15,000 jobs in Switzerland. A joint initiative of the Swiss Federal Technology Institute in Zurich (ETHZ), McKinsey & Company, Knecht Holding, Innosuisse, and EPFL, Venture has been led by the Venture Foundation since 2013.
Text: SCCIJ based on press material of Venture
