From Waste to Business: How Basel’s Startup Weekend Is Reimagining the Economy

Where Disciplines Meet and Ideas Take Shape

The weekend kicked off with an inspiring keynote from Vincent Ghilione, himself a former Startup Weekend participant, who shared his entrepreneurial journey and set the tone for what followed: hands-on workshops, late-night brainstorming sessions, MVP building, and no shortage of creative energy. Facilitated by Réginald Bien-Aimé, whose drive and focus kept momentum high throughout, the event quickly took on a life of its own.

Out of 29 submitted ideas, 12 projects made the cut. Over an intense weekend, mixed teams from industrial design, life sciences, IT, and beyond worked side by side, pushed by tight deadlines, shaped by experienced coaches, and united by a common brief: develop business models that are economically viable not in spite of their resource efficiency, but because of it.

The cross-disciplinary dynamic was, by many accounts, as valuable as the ideas themselves. “It’s great to meet so many people who want to make a difference and bring so much energy and commitment to the table,” said one participant.

The Pitches: From Design Furniture and Jewellery to Solvent Recovery

At Sunday’s closing pitch session, the teams presented their projects to invited guests and a jury of business and academic experts. The first place winner: Salvage Studio, a concept developed by Eva Bravo, Bruna Ideias, Rubab Mukhtar, Aliya Syzdykova, Parinati Tamboli, and Rebecca Wage. Their idea is elegantly simple:  to keep valuable materials in circulation and out of landfill by transforming industrial and trade fair waste from Basel into high-quality design products, complete with a digital passport. 

Second place went to ReSolv, a software-driven solution enabling companies to recover and reuse industrial solvents through smart analysis tools. Third place was claimed by Unmined, which turns waste aluminium into statement jewellery, paired with a refurbishing and buy-back service that closes the loop on materials.

A Growing Movement

The weekend was supported by BaselCircular, the regional organisation driving the transition to a circular economy. “The weekend showed just how much innovative entrepreneurial energy exists in this region,” says Carole Tornay, Managing Director of BaselCircular. “These are exactly the kinds of ideas and people we need.”

That the event sold out for a second time, speaks for itself. Interest in circular business models in the Basel region is growing, and the organisers are already planning a third edition for autumn 2026. The event is a collaboration between Startup Academy Basel, the Innovation Office of the University of Basel, and Impact Hub Zurich.