Micro-sharing (also known as Project-Aqua) won the StartCup Ticino 2016, the initiative promoted by the Center Start-Up Promotion (CP Start-Up of USI) with the support of the Department of Finance and Economy (DFE) and the BSI, which rewards entrepreneurial ideas and the most innovative and promising projects designed in the Italian Switzerland.

Micro-Sharing Project-Aqua has been selected among 865 other startups from around the world to participate in a prestigious Swiss accelerator of innovation.

During the event the finalists presented their project which was voted through an electronic voting system during the evening by the pubblic in Aula Magna.

The event was attended as guest of honor, Benjamin Simon, CEO and Co-Founder of Ectica Technologies AG, a spin-off company of ETH Zurich Ahead of the other four finalists of the competition.

The winner took home two prices: a check for 50 000 chf and USI Executive MBA Scolarship of 45 000 chf.

The novelty of StartCup Ticino 2016, now in its third edition, is that all finalists received a prize. In fact, the second place went Skypull a check for 30,000 francs, the third (Liberty) 20,000 francs, and the fourth and fifth place (SkyWhere and SmartCuff, resp.) 10,000 francs each.

Thanks to the Start-Up CP collaboration with Swiss Startup Invest (formerly CTI Invest) and the Swiss Economic Forum, the five finalists were able to present their projects to potential investors in the Swiss Venture Day Ticino, held in the auditorium of the campus USI on 1st December.

Furthermore, as happened in the first two editions, the five finalists will be automatically admitted to the final of the Swiss Economic Award, the prestigious competition that rewards the best start-ups emerging on the national level, without having to switch the phase of pre-selections.

The winning project

Micro-Sharing Project-Aqua www.project-aqua.ch

Project-Aqua is a project linked to the concept of Micro-Sharing, aimed at helping disadvantaged people around the world through micro-sharing products and services. In the pilot phase of the project, carried out in collaboration with Migros Ticino, buying a bottle of “Gazusa Nostrana” with Project Aqua-brand it has been able to guarantee – with the support of the Helvetas Swiss camp – the supply of drinking water for an entire village 330 people in Mali for a period of four years.

Congrats to Paolo Del Ponte and Marco Righetti, Micro- sharing pirate & Micro Sharing Dreamer, for the best future!