The search is well underway for the next four startups to join the Digital Accelerator Basel.
Now that applications are closed, the focus shifts to the work of the selection committee, a seven-member strong group of experts who will evaluate the early-stage startups developing solutions for supply chain and logistics.
The selection committee members
Grace Kagho
Founder, UrbanEcho
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Dr. Grace Kagho is a senior researcher at ETH Zurich and the founder of UrbanEcho, an ETH spin-off focused on urban digital twin technologies. Her work combines urban systems, mobility, and computational behavioural modelling to help planners and policymakers understand complex cities and make more informed decisions.
Originally from Nigeria, she earned her bachelor’s degree at Covenant University, her master’s degree at Tokyo Institute of Technology on a MEXT scholarship and completed her doctorate at ETH Zurich where she also won the ETH Social Impact Pioneer Fellowship to translate her research into practice.
Pierre Strub
Founder & Sustainability expert, nachhaltig wirkt
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As sustainability expert and founder at nachhaltig wirkt, Pierre Strub helps companies to implement environmentally responsible strategies. He ensures that the startups contribute to regional sustainability goals, such as Basel 2037 Net Zero.
Lea Firmin
CEO, >>venture>> foundation
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Lea Firmin is CEO of the >>venture>> foundation, a not for profit organization supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in Switzerland via the leading Swiss startup competition >>venture>>. She also serves as an expert at Innosuisse. Lea originally trained as a medical doctor and neuroscientist before moving into business, and worked as a management consultant at McKinsey.
Robert Sum
Corporate Support, Economic Development Canton Baselland
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PhD in Solid State Physics, Founder of and Investor in several successful Start-ups, Innosuisse Start-up Coach, Corporate Support at economic development Canton Baselland.
Michal Silhacek
Founder & Principal Advisor, The Nerd Syndicate
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Michal brings over 30 years of global leadership experience from various positions within IKEA’s supply chain across multiple continents. While his functional expertise lies in supply chain, procurement and operations, the consistent theme throughout his career has been building and developing organisations, integrating operating models, and creating sustainable competitive advantage and growth through business transformation.
Michal has led procurement in Eastern Europe and South America, as well as the development of IKEA’s global land transportation concept, organisation and operations. He has developed frameworks that balance economic, environmental and social perspectives, enabling organisations to meet complex, multidimensional KPIs. A strategic thinker and hands-on leader, he is passionate about building resilient, future-ready supply chains.
Currently, he is engaged with the boutique advisory firm The Nerd Syndicate.
Andres Gartmann
Co-Founder & CTO, mynatix
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Andres Gartmann holds an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from ETH Zurich and a PhD in Meteorology with focus on Computational Sciences. He is fascinated by complex systems, how they behave, and how their underlying structure can be understood well enough to be put to practical use. That interest runs from numerical modelling of physical processes to the architecture of modern computing environments.
As co-founder and CTO of a Basel-based deep tech company (mynatix), he has developed a physics-based technology that automatically segments program code and distributes it according to the hardware at hand. This automated segmentation enables higher performance, lower energy consumption, and shorter development cycles. The technology is secured in a patent family spanning four different fields of applications.
Yuanyuan Zheng
Founder & Director, EDGE.ECHO Studio
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Yuanyuan Zheng is the Founder of EDGE.ECHO, advising startups and growing businesses on becoming Corporate Ready， turning strong technologies and ideas into propositions that large organizations can understand, trust and prioritize.
She brings more than 20 years of international experience in procurement, logistics and supply chain leadership, including 18+ years with IKEA across China, Sweden and Switzerland.
Today, she supports founders in strengthening business relevance, value propositions, stakeholder strategies and enterprise business cases. As a Selection Committee member, she brings a practical corporate perspective to identifying solutions with real potential in logistics and supply chain.
What's one thing that makes a startup application stand out?
A working prototype is an essential starting point, but a compelling startup application is about more than the technology.
The selection process gives founders an opportunity to demonstrate why their solution matters, who needs it, and how they intend to turn it into a growing (and profitable) business.
We asked members of the selection committee what they look for when evaluating early-stage startups:
What's one mistake founders should avoid when pitching to the committee?
A strong pitch isn’t just about what you say, but also what you avoid. Here’s what the committee suggests applicants keep in mind when presenting their startup:
Want to learn more about the Digital Accelerator Basel? Read more about how the program works and register your interest for the 2028 edition.
