SGMA Diamond Winner of MassChallenge Switzerland 2020 Accelerator
SGMA Picks UP Diamond
SGMA (Sol-Gel Materials & Applications) has been awarded the Diamond Prize in the MassChallenge Switzerland 2020 accelerator program. SGMA was one of over 1’000 other startups to apply for the accelerator located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Among 1000s of applications, four rounds of shortlisting, three pitches to more than half a dozen of independent judges (different set of judges each time), SGMA’s CEO and Founder proudly picked up the TOP PRIZE (Diamond Award) at MassChallenge 2020 award ceremony held on Thursday 29th October in Switzerland. Due to the unfortunate rise in COVID cases in Europe and various restrictions on movement between countries, the award ceremony was held virtually from Switzerland, with many of the finalists attending via Zoom. The award comes with a cash prize of CHF 150,000 and no conditions attached! For more information please visit the link below:https://masschallenge.org/announcement/masschallenge-switzerland-awards-equity-free-cash-prizes-to-top-2020-startups
Since 2016 MassChallenge Switzerland has been a leader in helping startups across Europe and beyond grow their businesses. To date, the 270 MassChallenge Switzerland alumni have created value for both economies and societies by raising $ 242M in funding, $ 71M in revenue and creating 9,800 (direct and indirect) jobs.
Here is what our CEO & Founder Dr Fanya Ismail had to say ‘I was honoured and thrilled to pick up the top prize on behalf of our company. In a world were regulations, test methods, equipment, designs and specifications are all based around plastic, this award reflects a strong desire from all segments of society to change and move away from the materials that cause harm to the people and planet. This recognition fuels our motivation and to be more determined than ever to continue to work hard to bring about the change. `
~Dr Fanya Ismail (CEO & Founder of SGMA)
The global market urgently requires sustainable solutions to tackle plastic pollution and climate change. SGMA delivers solutions that are extracted from sand, sustainable and provides an alternative to plastic and a route to create effective non fossil-fuel based chemicals.
Dr Fanya Ismail was backed by Innovate UK in ‘Women in Innovation 2019’ for ‘using sand extracts to create a plastic-free sol-gel barrier coating’.
About SGMA (Sol-Gel Materials & Applications Ltd)
SGMA is a Clean Tech venture with a sustainable solution to plastic environmental waste in food packaging and protecting PCBs in wearable technology. SGMA barrier coating made from sand extracts for fibre-based packaging provides a complete solution to replace single use plastics, eliminate the confusion among customers and fits into the recycling infrastructure of any country. SGMA barrier coating is biodegradable, compostable and recyclable. Learn more about SGMA by visiting https://sol-gel.co.uk/
About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Rhode Island, Switzerland, and Texas. MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 2,400 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $6.2 billion in funding, generated more than $3 billion in revenue, and created more than 157,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.