Shaping the future with innovative startups and entrepreneurs

Hospitality and tourism is one of the fastest-changing industries, constantly transforming with the latest technology and consumer trends. That is why EHL's Incubator exists: to support promising startups or entrepreneurial projects that relate to tourism, hospitality or food and beverage sectors.  It gathers together people who are passionate about the latest trends and technologies in hospitality or F&B, and gives them a place to bring their ideas to life, in EHL's Innovation Hub. 

If you are passionate about the latest trends and technologies in hospitality or F&B, then we invite you to join us. We have a variety of resources available for our partners, and we will be happy to discuss your needs.

«The incubator gives us the opportunity to expand our network, find faithful partners, participate to key events and benefit from the support of hospitality professionals. It is a strategic point for us in the success of our startup.»
- Lucien Mauguin, co-founder of PrivateDeal SA.
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Our Incubator Model

Our incubator is like a wheel that turns and builds momentum, with the startups and entrepreneurs at the center.

At the heart of the Hub, the startups have access to a wide variety of resources on-site and through EHL's students and faculty.

The visitors and community of the Innovation Hub draw on this entrepreneurial spirit and provide a useful sounding board for the hub's activities. 

Benefits

Residents

  • Illimited access to the Incubator
  • Fixed desk in a coworking space
  • Incorporation of the start-up to EHL
  • 6 hours per month access to the meeting rooms of the incubator
  • Access to the events & networking
  • Liking to the EHL network when necessary ( EHL professors, students, students committee, companies)
  • Access to EHL services (reception, printshop, discounts at restaurants & boutiques)
  • Increase of visibility & communication through our website, posters, newspapers
  • Member of the Community on Slack
  • Access to the common spaces of the incubator (kitchen, sleeping room, ping-pong, baby-foot)
  • Opportunity to apply to the Fit Digital by EHL « Seed» “or Growth” program (if not incorporated to EHL or less than 6 months)

 

Visitors

  • Access to the incubator 10 days per month during opening hours, from 7.30 am to 10 pm.
  • Free seat place in the Visitor co-working Space upon availability
  • 2 hours access to the meeting rooms of the incubator & networking
  • Increase of visibility & communication through our website, posters
  • Member of the Community on Slack
  • Access to EHL services (reception, printshop, discounts at restaurants & boutiques)
  • Access to the events & networking
  • Access to the common spaces of the incubator (kitchen, sleeping room, ping-pong, baby-foot)
  • Opportunity to apply to the Fit Digital by EHL « Grant » program (if not incorporated to EHL or less than 6 months)

 

Community (Members & Alumni)

  • Access to common spaces during office hours
  • Invitations to expositions and events

All Members :

Access to events, SLACK community membership, discounts at EHL outlets and Print shop, incubator card, access to the nap room, logo posted on EHL incubator digital and paper communications supports, Ping-Pong, and the incubator baby foot table.


Followers (Online Followers)

  • Stay up to date on new start-ups and innovation trends
  • Innovation Hub news

Incubator Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs

Beelong-logo

Between seasonal, homemade, local, organic, sustainable and healthy products, how do you make the best possible choices? 

The Beelong eco-score evaluates food to provide simple information on the environmental impact of food products, in a context where the climate emergency is more than ever topical.

EHL is a cornerstone for tomorrow's hospitality industry and it's therefore a real opportunity for a young company to grow within the incubator. Beelong benefits from EHL’s extensive network and valuable support. We also have the opportunity to implement our indicator in the F&B outlets on-site – we couldn’t be any closer to those impacted by our tool!

- Charlotte de La Baume  & Mathias Faigaux, Managing Partners of Beelong

Logo-Blent

Blent is data platform that allows hoteliers to have a 360° overview on their business, and produce very easily highly customizable dashboards, reports, and tables for all domains: stays, F&B, accounting, SPA, IoT, etc.

And with our digital assistant you have now direct access to your data, anywhere, anytime. Whether you manage one or hundreds of hotels, Blent will consolidate your data independently of the technologies behind, and you can now group or benchmark your properties very easily.

- Christopher Meignier – CEO

EHL_Incubator_Capsule_services

We are a strong team of successful entrepreneurs whose aim is to provide people with an affordable and safe relaxation option with a relaxed atmosphere. Capsule hotels reduce the environmental footprint of travel and provide a platform to meet new and exciting people.

We develop and produce Swiss Capsules and offer them for rent to hotel operators and offices. The protected trademark "Capsule" stands for Swiss quality and innovation. By offering automation technology, we also give hoteliers the opportunity to fully concentrate on their hospitality qualities. Together with our customers, the Capsule hotel entrepreneurs, we continue to develop the product and services as a community.

Contler at EHL Incubator

Contler offers a fully customizable guest request system that optimizes internal processes and generates upsales while enhancing the guest experience. All services or products offered by a hotel can be intuitively ordered by guests using their own smartphone. With a lean & clean User Experience and an intuitive access via QR codes that integrate into the hotel design, the guest does not have to spend time to get to know the system but can fully enjoy his stay while having the benefits of ordering anything he might need quickly and therefore allowing the hotel staff to be at the right place at the right time. At the same time we provide managers with data reports of any KPI he might need. With Contler the guest, staff and manager have their entire hotel just one click away.

citytour_player

CityTourPlayer by NexSwiss is a solution that combines tourism, discovery and sustainability. Thanks to our audio guide system, every traveler can access real-time information around a bus, streetcar or train line. Using the web browser of a smartphone, there is no need to download an application: CityTourPlayer automatically adapts to the speed of the traveler, synchronizes with the vehicle's route via GPS and is available in several languages. The route is enhanced with images, 360º panoramic photos and texts that help the traveler to visualize in detail and in real time the information that is presented.

Freelane

Book hotel, accommodation, cheap flights, transfer, book train tickets, car rental, bus, scooter, bike, tours, activities, cooking classes, or experiences around the world?

OpenYour.World is the best site to book holidays meeting your vacation preferences. It sets the trend of new sustainable tourism in connecting the world and communities sharing the same values.

In 2021 and 2022, “where can I travel” is a hot topic considering the travel restrictions. Freelane team, based at the EHL Innovation Village, answers by providing real-time the green list countries considering quarantine, PCR test, and potential requirements even if vaccinated. 

 

Freelane Food2050 is a digital platform that makes the origin, processing and composition of food transparent and experienceable and connects this information with consumers' personal dietary habits and goals. This positive consumer experience and the resulting data lead to a more sustainable, healthier food offer provided by restaurateurs, retailers and producers - and ultimately to a healthier planet. – Christian Kramer

Logo_Futuraurant

Futuraurant is a Point-of-Sale software and an innovative all-encompassing restaurant management platform. This is due to the unique algorithm that optimises the filling of the dining room in real time, interconnecting all of the restaurant’s on-site devices alongside their website and mobile application. Its ability to create an optimal seating arrangement as customer’s arrive, and manage the process saves considerable time and money for the business. Hospitality companies who are moving towards digitalisation for processes such as table bookings now have a solution that genuinely meets their needs, helping them make the move to an electronic method from the traditional paper-based system.
In the case of its Futuraurant and Reservaurant, they are not limited to usage in restaurants, but can optimise a number of hospitality areas, including hotels, bars, festival, and nightclubs. The iOS and Android application Reservaurant is designed to improve the customer experience, enabling them to find vacant seating at linked venues within three seconds and lessening to the need to phone, email, and text the establishments instead.

Freelane We produce and allocate auto sustainable cabins in pristine remote areas in order to deliver a full immersion into nature supported by a luxury hospitality. Marco Antonio Caporale

JHA

JHA is a dynamic startup developed by a duo of École hôtelière de Lausanne students. Its purpose is to enrich the hospitality industry by providing a set of new ideas and perspectives.
We focus on delivering insights to modernize small/medium enterprises, hotels and restaurants both in Swiss Romandy and Ticino.
As agents we work to offer enhanced marketing strategies, talent management, optimization of existing service operations and more.

For more information you can reach us by email

Logo_Kooko

Kooko, an application for "homemade" and seasonal dishes. An ethical and sustainable delivery alternative, in the service as well as on the plate!

Komod are digital marketing tools and services for a monthly rate. The all-in-one platform offering social media production and management, reputation and review management, online listenings to website hosting and development on one place. Stress-free outsourcing for just a fixed monthly rate. DIY or let us do the work for you.

Limoo at EHL Incubator

International Healthy Cuisine is our Art

In today's lifestyle where people are used to quick and processed food and not paying much attention to the nutrients our bodies require to sustain a healthy manner, where excitement and diversity has lost its role in our daily life routines, we have come together to be by your side, making you able to discover the taste of international cuisine by our healthy, fresh made and exciting meals.

Being a young scientist working in the field of cancer and nutrition made me aware of the importance of our eating habits (both good and bad) which can lead to further irreversible consequences. Eating well, however, is now understood to be the basis of well-being, prevention of disease, and long-term health. The old adage, “we are what we eat,” inspires every menu we craft at Limoo for our hungry clients.

At Limoo, everyday we use freshly collected local ingredients and never use any preservatives, producing zero waste and using sustainable and reusable packaging. Limoo enables small businesses to grow and professional immigrant chefs to introduce their national cuisine for those who crave their home culture’s flavors and those who want to discover the world of spice they can only find with us.

Our dishes are provided fresh, are healthy and delicious at competitive prices which can benefit both the EPFL and wider communities, while at the same time, nourishing our company’s growth.

newco

NewCo is an online service that allows founders to start their own business in minutes.

Our goal is to help new entrepreneurs to start and then manage the legal and administrative formalities of their startup by developing simple and intuitive solutions.

LOGO_1StepUp

It feels like plastic and looks like plastic. There is just one difference: it’s made from plants and it's fully compostable.

One StepUp stands for a plastic-free world! We provide compostable packaging that returns back to the earth after use. All you need to do is throw it into your compost!

One StepUp’s packaging is just as transparent, durable and impermeable as conventional plastic packaging.

Together let’s step into a more sustainable world!

PrivateDeal developed the first smart negotiation solution designed to increase direct bookings on hotels’ websites. This unique engine lets guests offer their own price for a room and, if necessary, automatically and instantly negotiates with them the best price for both parties. PrivateDeal helps hotels driving a higher conversion rate by capturing more guests in direct thanks to a highly customer-centric approach.

“The incubator gives us the opportunity to expand our network, find faithful partners, participate to key events and benefit from the support of hospitality professionals. It is a strategic point for us in the success of our startup.” 

- Lucien Mauguin, co-founder of PrivateDeal SA.

Robin_des_fermes

Robin des Fermes is a platform that connects producers and consumers. We help producers to sell more and more easily with IT, logistics and communication solutions.

Logo_Share

Share.P is a plug-and-play system (consisting of multi-layer software and small electronic components) that solves the problem of parking and EV charging within the existing parking infrastructure. We use IoT technology to reduce CO2 emissions and enable building owners to make profits by sharing parking space and EV charging stations of any manufacturer in a secure and fully automated way.

Logo_SmartToni

smartTONi is an operation management system for professional catering kitchens. It allows untrained cooks to be productive in catering kitchens.

A personal digital device advices kitchen staff step-by-step on the tasks to be done. This allows constantly high food quality at lower labor cost.

- Lorenz Bertschi CEO & Georgi Antonov – CCO

Swelper

SWELPER is a tool that enables inexperienced employees to carry three plates instant moment without any training, straight away from the very beginning.
To evaluate the market need, Friederike Schnitger worked for about 6 months as a waitress for an agency. Many 3 to 5 Star hotels, restaurants, and catering businesses were facing staff shortages as well as high employee turnover rates, increasing the demand for temporary staff.
At the very beginning nearly 88% of quick starters – unskilled employees - are failing to carry three plates fast, efficient, smiling and still clean while arriving at the guest’s table. Frequently cutlery falls and plates are breaking. My invention will solve all these issues and even more in one go.
In November 2021 Friederike Schnitger was awarded a gold medal at the iENA Nuremberg for outstanding achievements. After two years of product development, SWELPER will be available this summer. It is a tool that will support those with high staff turnover as well as high percentage of inexperienced waiters. It will improve the team spirit and service quality in many restaurants but most importantly make carrying plates finally easy – one day hopefully worldwide.

Swiss_food_nutrition_valley

Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley is a nationwide initiative to develop, strengthen and promote food innovation in Switzerland and beyond. We address major challenges in food, agriculture and nutrition by leveraging cutting-edge science and technology for a more sustainable future.

Logo_Twentypay

Twenty is a simple, fast and efficient restaurant payment solution that allows customers to share and pay the bill themselves in less than 20 seconds. At the same time, restaurant owners can focus on what really matters to them: giving their customers a great time.

Typsy

What is Typsy? Hospitality skills suitable for any role led by world-class instructors.

  • It's a library of video courses from the world's best hospitality instructors.
  • It's an online learning platform built to make learning fast, fun and on-the-go.
  • It's a way to continuously learn new skills and connect with like-minded community members.

Vikarus

VIKARUS is an innovative wine start-up aiming to modernise Swiss wine culture. With local wine from Lavaux and a unique bottle design, we want to break away from traditional norms and entice today’s wine drinkers with first-class Swiss wines.