POWHER Award

📌 In the "Hi-Tech of the Year" category, the prize goes to Marija Plodinec, co-founder of ARTIDIS. The Basel-based biotech company, which emerged in 2017 from the Biozentrum spin-off, has developed a nanomechanical biomarker for cancer that diagnoses the disease in less than three hours, detects its aggressiveness and predicts the likelihood that a patient will develop metastases. The award recognizes "the degree of innovation/novelty, the potential to scale on a globally, and the value creation / added value for the Basel region.

📌 In the "Lo-Tech of the Year" category, the prize goes to Catherine Meuter, co-founder of VYN Sneakers. The Basel-based startup, founded in 2020, has re-designed and re-engineered the most vulnerable parts of the sneaker so that they can be replaced by the wearers* themselves. The eco-innovation is made of high-quality materials of Italian craftsmanship. With the "world's first repairable and durable sneaker," Vyn now aims to revolutionize the footwear industry and put a stop to material waste". The two startups will each receive a cash prize of 2500 Swiss francs as well as coaching support worth 2500 Swiss francs.

📌 The "Advocate of the Year" category recognizes those individuals or organizations who passionately and enthusiastically support and promote women entrepreneurs and bring about systemic change through programs, investments, consulting, etc. The winners of this award are Béatrice Speiser initiator and founding president, and Isabelle Gröli, managing director of Crescenda. For 18 years, this pioneering institution has been helping women with migration and refugee backgrounds from all over the world to achieve sustainable independence through empowerment, coaching and a comprehensive range of training programs. Time and again, Crescenda sets milestones with innovative projects, most recently with the launch of the cooperative for cleaning and everyday help "Flexifeen", and is committed to the importance of female entrepreneurship with numerous public appearances and publications.