The state of CleanTech in Switzerland – and beyond

The purpose of clean technology solutions is to positively impact anthropogenic climate change. It is also important for these solutions to be economically viable to attract investment and further development. As the environmental circumstances are changing, technologies and business models that have been previously considered unprofitable are becoming profitable – a chance for investors?

To answer this question, we analysed eight different clusters: Clean Energy, Energy Storage, Efficiency, Transportation, Air & Environment, Clean Industry, Water, and Agriculture & Food.
We identified the following pain points:

• Costs
  Clean technologies are often more expensive to develop and implement than traditional technologies, which can make them difficult for businesses and individuals to afford.
• Infrastructure
  New solutions require new infrastructure, such as charging stations for electric vehicles or wind farms for wind energy, which can be expensive and time-consuming to build.
• Public perception
  Some people may be hesitant to adopt clean technologies because of concerns about their reliability or effectiveness.
• Government policies
  The success of clean technologies highly depends on supportive government policies, such as tax credits or regulations that encourage their use. However, these policies can be difficult to implement and may face opposition from those who benefit from traditional technologies.
• Technological limitations
  Clean technologies are still in their infancy and may face technical challenges that limit their effectiveness or efficiency. For example, solar and wind energy are weather-dependent, which can make them less reliable than fossil fuels.

Still the development of the market is promising. In the last year (Q4 2021 – Q3 2022), the CleanTech venture capital ecosystem has proven a solid traction in Switzerland with EUR 677m invested capital. This figure represents 15% of the total invested capital in Swiss startups.
We believe that the potential of the market for the years to come is huge.  

BV4 expects solutions for more sustainable transportation, buildings, industry and agriculture to continue to capture investment flows. Government and institutions must keep committing funds to the development of new technologies, and with the emergence of specialized CleanTech funds as well as ESG growth funds, startups will benefit from increased support throughout their lifecycle.

To get the full report send an e-mail to info@bv4.ch