The public vote concludes: 7 innovative projects nominated for the final of Clima Now
Public voting for the Clima Now Spotlight ideas competition took place from 7 to 21 September. The results are now in.
From the 14 ideas that made it to the "Wall of Fame," the public selected seven projects for the final.
On 29 October, these teams will present their ideas to an audience and a jury at the Spotlight Pitch Night.
All seven nominated projects demonstrate practical, innovative approaches that combine climate resilience with local value creation.
The finalists of the 2026 Clima Now Spotlight come from fields such as protein- and mushroom-based foods, soil-regenerative agriculture, and collaborative production and infrastructure development.
The focus is on scalable local production models and strengthening regional supply chains and cooperation among producers.
Climate change is fundamentally altering the conditions for food production, not just in Switzerland, but globally. For Switzerland, this means we must find new solutions for how we grow, produce, and consume our food in the future. At Clima Now, we want to foster these solutions and provide a platform for them through Spotlight," says Corinne Grässle, Managing Director of Clima Now
Meet the 7 nominated projects
1) Food Production Hub Basel: shared infrastructure for regional production.
The Food Production Hub Basel creates a shared production infrastructure for regional food producers, thereby facilitating processing, scaling, and collaboration. Through shared resources, regional raw materials can be processed into market-ready products, strengthening regional value creation.
"Our hub lowers barriers to local production and strengthens the link between regional producers and the market."
2) FungiHub: the mushroom farming model for Switzerland.
In Switzerland, most specialty mushrooms come from a few large-scale producers or imports, losing freshness in the days before they reach the retail market. Independent mushroom farms are expensive to set up, direct sales remain local, and distribution costs eat into already tight margins.
FungiHub’s solution is a "satellite model": a central hub supplies substrates, know-how, and proven infrastructure, while each satellite operation handles local production and sales.
"With FungiHub, we are creating local cycles and feeding the region sustainably."
3) Mokä: bringing Swiss legumes into institutional catering.
Mokä develops crushed lentil blends that make using Swiss legumes in institutional catering simple and versatile. The products have already proven successful in practice.
Now, the team aims to transition from small-scale artisanal production to professional, scalable manufacturing—with the goal of permanently establishing Swiss lentils in the institutional catering sector.
"We demonstrate that climate-friendly dining can be enjoyable and practical for everyday life, even on a large scale."
4) Raptrac: innovative technology for soil-friendly agriculture
Raptrac develops lightweight, multifunctional implement carriers for soil-friendly and water-conscious agriculture. The systems automate sustainable cultivation methods for vegetable farming as well as specialty and broad-acre crops. Through minimal soil compaction, precise field operations, and autonomous modes of operation, Raptrac supports more resilient production systems that use fewer resources and pesticides.
"With Raptrac, we are strengthening agriculture's resilience to climate extremes."
5) Symactiv: Soil-regenerating pellets for climate-resilient agriculture.
Symactiv transforms Swiss mushroom waste into a 100% organic pellet containing billions of microorganisms that can be applied just like fertilizer. It mimics forest soil, builds humus, and stores CO₂ in the ground. This makes agriculture and our cities more climate-resilient: 17% higher yields, 20% better water retention to combat drought stress, and 50% less disease.
"We don’t fertilise plants; we regenerate the soil they grow in."
6) Luya: fermented power from Swiss legumes.
The Swiss food-tech company Luya aims to produce fermented tempeh from regional legumes, offering a climate-friendly alternative to imported protein sources. The project fosters local value chains and reduces emissions through shorter transport routes—resulting in delicious, natural products for a more climate-friendly Swiss diet.
"We want to show that culinary enjoyment and climate protection can go hand in hand in Swiss cuisine."
7) The Shift Permaculture & The Shift Collective: scalable solutions for humus-building agriculture.
The Shift Permaculture is developing a humus-based cultivation method that combines highly microbially active humus composts with dynamic agroforestry polycultures. As part of the participatory "The Shift Collective" model, the project explores, tests, and disseminates this methodology to build humus-rich soil, produce wholesome food, and simultaneously create resilient ecosystems.
"We are developing a form of agriculture that builds soil rather than depleting it—for healthy soil, healthy plants, and healthy people."
"Spotlight Pitch Night": And the winner is...?
The big moment arrives on October 29. At the Clima Now Spotlight Pitch Night at Kraftwerk Zürich, each finalist team will present their solution to an expert jury in just four minutes.
The jury evaluates the projects based on criteria such as climate impact, scalability, level of innovation, and feasibility. At the end of the evening, they will crown the Spotlight winning team for 2026.
In addition to a public choice award worth 5,000 francs and substantive support from Spotlight partners, the following attractive cash prizes will be awarded:
- 1st place: 50,000 francs
- 2nd place: 25,000 francs
- 3rd place: 10,000 francs
Martin Meili, co-founder and President of the Board of Trustees of Clima Now and a member of the Spotlight jury, is looking forward to the Spotlight Pitch Night:
"For several months, the jury has been intensively reviewing the submitted projects, and we are thrilled by their quality. Ultimately, we unfortunately have to choose just one project. However, in my view, all the teams that participated in the 6th Spotlight ideas competition are winners. I wish them continued perseverance and success."