[March 4, 2019] Lausanne – The Board of Directors of MassChallenge Switzerland, the part of MassChallenge’s global network of zero-equity startup accelerators, today announced it has named Matt Lashmar as Managing Director, effective immediately. Matt will succeed Thierry Duvanel, who has led the Lausanne-based program for the last two years.
“I am very excited to be joining the talented MassChallenge team in Switzerland. MassChallenge’s unique approach to combine startups’ energy and ideas, corporate partners’ market access and scale, and mentor experts’ insight and know-how has created new ideas that have added value to consumers and will improve society,” said Matt Lashmar. “I am very much looking forward to building on the operation Thierry and the team have started.”
Matt joins MassChallenge Switzerland from P&G, where he has held numerous leading responsibilities, across several different geographies. He brings 25 years of experience, a proven track record of managing and scaling organizations, and will provide a unique connection between the startups and our corporate partners.
“Leading this program has been a tremendous honor. After three years, it has reached a preeminent position within the European and Swiss ecosystem and I am very confident in its future success when leaving it in the hands of Matt. He brings the right balance of industry expertise and ability to help our startups grow, expand our community, and engage with our corporate partners,” said Thierry Duvanel.
As of 2018, MassChallenge Switzerland has accelerated more than 200 startups. From addressing major social, health or environmental issues to launching the services and products that make our planet healthier and our lives better, these startups are disrupting, solving problems, and creating change worldwide.
While accelerating several hundred of startups is an impressive accomplishment, MassChallenge Switzerland’s is also committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem through partnerships. In 2018 and 2019, MassChallenge Switzerland launched a series of programs to address a simple question: when our population reaches 10 billion by 2050, how will we meet global citizens’ needs in a sustainable way?
To support innovation in food technology, MassChallenge Switzerland partnered with the EU-backed organization, EIT Food, to run the EIT Food Acceleration Network (EIT-FAN).
To support innovation in mobility and urbanization, MassChallenge Switerland partnered with the the Federation International de l’Automobile (FIA) to run the Smart Cities Startup Competition, a multi-location competition that will identify and support the most promising startups addressing the challenges of present and future mobility with the use of innovative clean, sustainable technologies.
About MassChallenge
MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Rhode Island, Switzerland, and Texas, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 1,900 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $4 billion in funding, generated more than $2.5 billion in revenue, and created more than 120,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org
MassChallenge Switzerland Founding Partners
Barry Callebaut, Bühler, GEA, Givaudan, Inartis Foundation, Nestlé, Swiss Economic Forum