Managing the Swiss Bluetec Bridge

Violette Ruppanner (alumna), Alain Jouffrey, Myriam Malherbe, Jérôme Billotte, Sandra Wirth

Initial situation

The Swiss Bluetec Bridge aims to bring innovative technologies in the water and sanitation sector from Swiss start-ups, SMEs and social entrepreneurs to poor people (“base of the pyramid – BoP”) in low- and lower-middle-income countries. This project is financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation (SDC).

How it happened

As an operational unit, Strategos has set up a rigorous project evaluation and support mechanism in partnership with a network of experts and institutions competent in technology, development and finance. Following a competitive process, the most promising projects receive co-financing in the form of an interest-free loan to implement their project. These are monitored for two years to validate the successful implementation and the commercialization business plan. Successful projects are awarded the Swiss Bluetec Bridge label, which attests to the technology’s commercialization potential and the relevance of the business plan in attracting private funding.

Result

At the end of the pilot phase (end 2015), several projects have been funded, one of which has already been completed. More than 100,000 people are newly supplied with quality drinking water in Senegal, Nepal and Côte d’Ivoire.

Other projects of