GraphSight has been awarded third place in the 2024 Boldbrain Startup Challenge, marking an important milestone for our team and for the technology we are building for renewable energy markets.
The seventh edition of Boldbrain concluded on 4 December at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano, where the ten finalists presented their companies to a national jury and an audience of more than 500 people.
GraphSight finished third behind In Virtuo Laboratories and SynthEnergy, receiving a CHF 20,000 prize. The result also gives the top three teams access to further development opportunities, including selection pathways for the Swiss Economic Award and MassChallenge Switzerland, as well as additional coaching support.
From 95 applications to the final ten
Boldbrain is an acceleration programme for early-stage startups and innovative projects with the potential to develop in Ticino.
The 2024 edition began with 95 applications, of which 61 met the programme’s eligibility criteria. Twenty projects were selected to enter the accelerator, spanning sectors including ICT, energy, cleantech, medtech and fintech. GraphSight was one of them.
Over the following three months, the participating teams worked through the programme before being evaluated for a place in the final. GraphSight was subsequently selected as one of ten companies invited to pitch at the Award Ceremony in Lugano.
For us, the value of that process went beyond the final ranking. Building a technology company requires repeatedly testing not only the product, but also the way the problem, market and value proposition are understood and communicated. Boldbrain gave us a structured environment in which to do exactly that.
Bringing better forecasting to renewable energy markets
GraphSight was recognised for our work applying artificial intelligence and advanced algorithms to renewable energy forecasting.
As renewable generation grows, power systems become increasingly dependent on weather-driven resources whose output can change quickly. Better forecasts help market participants anticipate those changes, operate more efficiently and integrate renewable generation more effectively into the grid.
Our approach is built around advanced machine-learning methods, including graph-based models capable of representing relationships between multiple sources of information. The objective is straightforward: turn increasingly complex energy data into forecasts that support better operational and trading decisions.
A strong result, and another starting point
The final ranking placed In Virtuo Laboratories first, SynthEnergy second and GraphSight third, followed by Deutelio and FarmAid. More than the prize itself, finishing third gives us further confirmation that the problem we are working on matters and that our approach has relevance beyond the technical work behind the models.
We are grateful to the Boldbrain team, Fondazione Agire, the coaches, jury members and everyone involved throughout the programme. We also want to congratulate the other finalists and winners. The companies on stage ranged from drug discovery and synthetic fuels to nuclear fusion and smart agriculture, reflecting the technical ambition emerging from the Swiss startup ecosystem.
For GraphSight, the next step is to keep doing what matters most: improving our forecasting technology, validating it against real operational requirements and working with energy-market participants to turn forecasting accuracy into measurable business value.