SurfAce Cleantech Raises CHF 250K Pre-Seed for Compostable Packaging Coating

SurfAce Cleantech Closes Pre-Seed Round

SurfAce Cleantech, a Swiss deep-tech startup based at EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne, has raised CHF 250,000 in pre-seed funding. The round was recorded on September 11, 2026.

The investors participating in the round are the SICTIC network and Stiftung HSG START Accelerator. No single lead investor is named in the transaction.

What SurfAce Cleantech Does

SurfAce Cleantech develops a patent-pending composite coating technology for compostable flexible packaging. The coating is designed to strengthen bioplastic films, allowing packaging to be roughly 30% thinner while remaining compostable.

Thinner films matter commercially: less material per package can make compostable packaging more cost-competitive against conventional alternatives, which has been one of the main barriers to adoption in flexible packaging.

Origins and Team

The company was founded in 2025 by CEO Frederic Mauch and CTO Saoirse McConnell. It developed its technology in collaboration with EPFL, and is based at the EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne — an environment that places it within Switzerland's deep-tech research ecosystem.

The Technology at a Glance

• Category: Composite coating for compostable flexible packaging
• Status: Patent-pending
• Core benefit: Strengthens bioplastic films
• Material impact: Enables packaging around 30% thinner
• End-of-life: Remains compostable
• Commercial angle: More cost-competitive packaging

Why This Round Matters

At CHF 250,000, this is an early-stage pre-seed round — the kind of capital typically used to advance a deep-tech concept toward validation, pilot work and early commercial conversations. The backing from SICTIC, a Swiss angel investor network, and Stiftung HSG START Accelerator reflects early institutional and angel interest in the company's coating approach.

For a 2025-founded company working on materials science, the pre-seed stage is about proving that the technology performs as intended and that there is a path to market in the packaging value chain.

The Investors

• SICTIC network — a Swiss investor network
• Stiftung HSG START Accelerator — an accelerator foundation

Both are listed as investors in the round. No lead investor was designated.

Acquisition Angle

Sustainable packaging is an area where large materials, chemicals and consumer goods players have been actively looking for technology. SurfAce Cleantech's proposition — a coating that lets compostable flexible packaging use less material without losing strength — targets a specific, well-understood pain point: the cost gap between compostable and conventional films.

For strategic acquirers, the company offers:

• Patent-pending intellectual property in a defined materials niche
• A research lineage tied to EPFL
• A founding team combining CEO and CTO roles around the technology
• Positioning in the compostable flexible packaging segment

At pre-seed, the company is early. The CHF 250,000 round gives it capital to continue developing and validating its coating technology.

Summary

• Company: SurfAce Cleantech
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland (EPFL Innovation Park)
• Founded: 2025
• Founders: Frederic Mauch (CEO), Saoirse McConnell (CTO)
• Round type: Pre-Seed
• Amount: CHF 250,000
• Date: September 11, 2026
• Lead investor: None named
• Investors: SICTIC network, Stiftung HSG START Accelerator
• Focus: Patent-pending composite coating for compostable flexible packaging