i-Win triumphs at the first edition of the Boldbrain Startup Challenge

i-Win ranked first at finals of the 2018 Boldbrain Startup Challenge, which took place on December 4, in the Aula magna at the USI Lugano campus, winning the 50.000 Swiss franc cash prize award and a full scholarship of 45.000 CHF to attend the USI Executive MBA. The other four finalists are, in order of rank, I’m Back (cash prize of 30.000 CHF), TicInsect (cash prize of 20.000 CHF), and Iridis and Tell The Hotel (10.000 CHF each). The prizes were awarded thanks to the public vote, through the e-voting system, and the evaluation by a national jury.

i-Win won the first prize with its patented innovative solution for windows that integrate flexible thin-film photovoltaic cells in Venetian blinds enclosed within an insulating window (double-glazed), providing total protection from dirt, dust and weather conditions, and therefore requiring almost no maintenance. During the presentation, it was mentioned that buildings are responsible for about 40% of CO2 emissions in Europe and must be carefully designed or renovated to consume less energy.

The Boldbrain Startup Challenge, formerly StartCup Ticino, is an accelerator program for innovative ideas devised and developed in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, organized by the Fondazione Agire and the USI CP Start-Up, and supported by the Department of Finances and Economy of the Canton Ticino (DFE) and EFG Bank. At the end of the Boldbrain acceleration (or coaching) phase, which was completed at the end of August, in addition to the cash prizes, the finalists also were granted with preferential access for both the Swiss Economic Award and the MassChallenge Switzerland, two program that support the development of advanced-stage start-up companies.

For information and details on the other finalists see the attached press release (in Italian only).