Birds&Co, PAVE SPACE SA, Rea Diagnostics SA, SurfAce Cleantech Sàrl and WasteFlow SA have been nominated for the final of the PERL award. The five start-ups will compete against each other on May 6 at the Beaulieu congress and exhibition center in Lausanne with the aim of landing the coveted prize. “Reflecting the major changes that are currently occurring in the economy, this 24th edition of the award highlights high-impact solutions in a range of fields, including aerospace, healthcare, the environment and the circular economy”, as the event organizer writes in a statement.
Based in Renens in the canton of Vaud, Birds&Co develops floating platforms made from cork to serve as alternative nesting sites for birds on the shores of Lake Geneva. This aims to protect the birds from boats and reduce delays in shipping traffic caused by the nesting sites.
The start-up PAVE SPACE, based in Chavannes-près-Renens in the canton of Vaud, specializes in space launches using an orbital vehicle by the name of Kickstage. This allows three to ten satellites to be placed into their final orbit within 24 hours instead of six to twelve months.
Rea Diagnostics is a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and is headquartered in Écublens in the canton of Vaud. It offers a home testing kit to detect the risk of premature births.
SurfAce Cleantech from Écublens is developing an alternative to plastics in the form of biodegradable packaging with biomaterial-based coatings.
Also headquartered in Écublens, WasteFlow is using Artificial Intelligence to optimize waste sorting. The company analyzes waste flows in recycling centers in real time and is looking to increase the recycling quota of household refuse.
The five awards to be presented come with prize money of 100,000 Swiss francs overall, including a trophy valued at 50,000 Swiss francs, three innovations awards of 10,000 Swiss francs each, a public award of 10,000 Swiss francs and a special jury award also of 10,000 Swiss francs. The jury is chaired by Pierre-Antoine Hildbrand, who is a member of the Lausanne city council responsible for overseeing economic affairs. Those interested can choose their winners in a public vote held between April 21 and May 5, 2026. ce/gp