Neuchâtel-based start-up Symactiv has won the Clima Now Spotlight 2026, a climate innovation competition devoted this year to food in Switzerland. The foodtechs Luya, from Bern, and Mokä, from Winterthur, complete the podium. Symactiv receives 50,000 francs and Luya 25,000 francs, according to the press release published by Startupticker.ch on 30 October 2026.
The competition asked a simple question: how do we feed the Switzerland of tomorrow? Seven finalist teams presented their projects to a jury and to the public. According to the call for projects published on the funding portal of the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), the pitch evening took place on 29 October 2026 at the Kraftwerk in Zurich.
Who gets what at the Clima Now Spotlight 2026?
The jury ranked the projects on their climate impact, their capacity to scale, their degree of innovation and their feasibility, according to the press release. Mokä takes both third place and the audience award. The press release does not put a figure on its reward; the call for projects endows third place with 10,000 francs and the audience award with 5,000 francs.
| Rank | Start-up | City | What it does | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Symactiv | Neuchâtel | Granules rich in micro-organisms to regenerate soils | 50,000 francs |
| 2nd | Luya | Bern | Food proteins made from okara, a by-product of tofu | 25,000 francs |
| 3rd and audience award | Mokä | Winterthur | Dry mixes based on crushed lentils | 10,000 and 5,000 francs, according to the call for projects |
Money is not the only prize. The winners also receive support from the competition's partners: Innovate 4 Nature, Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley, the manufacturer Zweifel Chips & Snacks and the tourism organisation Graubünden Ferien. This is support on the substance of the projects, not an announced commercial partnership.
Symactiv: living granules for depleted soils
Symactiv turns mushroom waste into granules that contain billions of micro-organisms, according to the press release. Farmers spread them with an ordinary fertiliser spreader. The goal: to regenerate impoverished soils and make them more resistant to drought.
The project sheet of the Gebert Rüf Stiftung, a Basel foundation that supports young companies, says more about the recipe. The granule combines wood, biochar, fermented residues from the food industry and beneficial micro-organisms. Symactiv adapts it to each soil type rather than selling a single formula.
The concept was validated in the master's thesis of Phillippe Schläpfer, co-founder and chief technology officer, at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). According to the same sheet, the team then spread more than one tonne of granules. It carried out five on-farm trials and two controlled laboratory trials.
The results announced by the company concern yields, soil respiration, nutrient availability and aggregate stability. Symactiv also claims that its customers can store up to 2 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare per year: this is its own claim, not a published measurement. The start-up says it works with 20 farmers, with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and with Agroscope, the Confederation's agricultural research centre. It is preparing 40 new field trials thanks to BRIDGE funding, the joint programme of the Swiss National Science Foundation and Innosuisse.
Luya: the Bern foodtech that ferments okara
Luya turns okara, the soy pulp left over after making tofu, into protein-rich foods. It uses fermentation processes. According to the press release, the company would thereby reduce food waste and cut CO₂ emissions by up to 94%.
Luya Foods AG is not just starting out. According to its profile in the TOP 100 Swiss Startups ranking, the company was incorporated in July 2021 and has been supported by Venture Kick. It operates a pilot plant in Bern. It already sells its products in Swiss retail, in food service and to the food industry. Its solid-state fermentation platform also upcycles other residues, such as oil press cakes.
Mokä: Swiss lentils in dry mixes
Mokä, founded in 2024 in Winterthur, makes mixes based on crushed lentils. The idea: to make Swiss pulses easier to cook, in catering as well as at home. Its dry mixes can be used, for example, to make falafel, burger patties or pancakes, according to the press release. The press release gives neither its sales nor the names of its customers.
Is a 50,000-franc prize a funding round?
No. A prize, like a grant, brings no shareholder into the capital, as our page on the seed funding round points out. It finances a stage without diluting the founders. Startupticker.ch lists around a hundred prizes useful to young companies in Switzerland.
The Clima Now Spotlight amounts are in line with other early-stage support. The comparison is based on the programmes' pages and on 2clics articles.
| Support | Form | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clima Now Spotlight, 1st place | Prize | 50,000 francs (Symactiv, 2026) | Press release via Startupticker.ch |
| Gebert Rüf Stiftung, First Ventures | Project support | 50,000 francs (Symactiv, 2024-2025) | Gebert Rüf Stiftung |
| FIT Foundation, Tech Seed | Loan | 100,000 francs per start-up | FIT Foundation, via 2clics |
| Venture Kick | Philanthropic support in three stages | Up to 150,000 francs | Venture Kick, via 2clics |
Symactiv thus combines two forms of support worth 50,000 francs each: that of the Gebert Rüf Stiftung, approved on 28 May 2024, and now this prize. On the soil side, the Foundation for Innovation and Technology (FIT) granted at the end of October 2026 a Tech Seed loan to Swiss Soil, which targets vineyard management. On the food side, another Swiss start-up has opted for distribution rather than fundraising: FoodFor Labs is entering stores in Germany, at Budni and EDEKA.
What we don't know yet
- The exact content of the support offered by the four partners: the press release does not detail it.
- How the prize money will be used: neither Symactiv, Luya nor Mokä has announced what the money will be spent on.
- The names of the four other finalists: the press release does not mention them.
