Foldcast secures CHF 40k in Venture Kick Stage 2

Foldcast, a spin-off from the Accademia di architettura and currently incubated at the USI Startup Centre, has been selected for Stage 2 of Venture Kick. The team secured CHF 40,000 in the form of a convertible loan to accelerate business development, establish strategic partnerships, and secure more pilot projects.

Concrete is the world’s most widely used building material, accounting for around 10% of global CO₂ emissions. However, despite growing demand for more sustainable construction, reducing concrete use remains a challenge because traditional metal and wooden moulds lack flexibility and are expensive and time-consuming when used for optimised structures.

Foldcast addresses this challenge with a novel approach, using recyclable paper-based moulds that enable more efficient structural designs. By optimising how concrete is used, the startup can reduce the carbon footprint of structures by up to 50%, while also unlocking new possibilities for architectural designs.

Founded by Fabio Amicarelli, PhD candidate, and Ena Lloret Fritschi, Assistant Professor at the Accademia di architettura in Mendrisio, Foldcast builds on years of academic research and the core technology is protected by a patent filed with the support of USI Transfer. The Venture Kick Stage 2 funding will support Foldcast’s business development activities as the team prepares for its first financing round and expands pilot collaborations.

Launched in 2007, Venture Kick is a philanthropic initiative by the Kick Foundation, supported by a private consortium and operated by Venturelab. The programme supports Swiss university spin-offs through a competitive three-stage process, awarding CHF 10,000, CHF 40,000, and CHF 100,000. Teams that complete all stages can unlock up to CHF 850,000 in additional funding.

Read the full announcement here.