During the first virtual SEIF Awards Ceremony on June 17, we saw amazing pitches from all 10 finalists of the SEIF Awards 2020. Selected amongst a record high number of applications from all over Europe, the competition was very strong.

With close to 400 competitive applications from more than 30 different countries spanning across various impact and tech areas, the jury had a very difficult decision to make.

The SEIF Awards celebrate their 10th anniversary this year and for the second time we are carrying out the competition under the focus Tech for Impact. Year after year the number of applications has increased and also this year, we are overwhelmed by the number of high-quality applications.

Thanks to the highly qualified jury and detailed selection process, the SEIF Awards have been established as a quality label in the impact ecosystem over the past 10 years and the 10 finalists can be very proud to have stood their ground in this great impact startup competition.

Prof. Mariana Christen Jakob

With over 430 participants in the audience, the Awards Ceremony 2020 is so far the largest hosted by the SEIF team in 10 years.

The winners of the SEIF Awards 2020 are:

SEIF Award for Social Innovation
supported by UBS

Oxara wants to change the future of the construction industry and has developed a sustainable and affordable alternative to cement. With their solution, Oxara speaks to the needs of an industry, the environment and local communities. Instead of depositing building waste in landfills, construction companies can use Oxara’s technology to locally recycle and produce new building material. Ultimately this can lead to a reduction in greenhouse emissions, lower building costs and benefits for local communities.

SEIF Award for Responsible Business
supported by PwC

With the vision that every healthcare provider should be able to communicate with all patients regardless of the language they speak, Care to Translate has developed a responsible business model that aims to strengthen patient safety, increase efficiency and lower healthcare costs. The solution is highly relevant, especially in today’s multicultural and international societies.

SEIF Award for Future Impact Trend
supported by Julius Bär

By converting any biomass waste in any location, Carbo Culture can start to redirect millions of tons of carbon out of the atmosphere and put it to use in the soil, where it can help prevent soil from degrading, foster natural soil micro-organisms and help prevent the loss of livelihoods. The jury was impressed by the circular solution approach, with biochar made from locally available waste material and converted on the spot into a high-quality biochar.

SEIF Award for Scalable Solution
supported by SEIF

By recycling post-consumer PET plastic waste, including the waste the current recycling system cannot deal with, DePoly can increase recycling rates. Which in turn would result in less plastic ending up in landfills, oceans or incineration centers. All jury members were convinced by the urgency of the challenges DePoly aims to address. Our society needs innovative and scalable solutions like DePoly’s to tackle issues related to single-use plastic, recycling and climate change.

SEIF Audience Award
Awards Ceremony Public Vote

During the SEIF Awards Ceremony, Green-Y Energy convinced the audience with their innovative solution for energy storage. Green-Y revolutionizes the energy sector by building a highly economical, clean and efficient energy storage system combining production and storage of heat, cold and electricity. An affordable and efficient system, which only uses air and water. Green-Y combines electricity, heat and cold in one decentralized device and provide it when and where it is needed, making the integration of renewable energy on a large scale possible.

SEIF Awards 2020 Brochure

Download the SEIF Awards 2020 Brochure here to find out more about the winners, finalists and gain expert insights to the European Tech for Impact Ecosystem.