Timestamps:

9:05 - Chantal’s current startups

13:19 - Why Chantal joined Rheazymes

14:28 - Recycling textiles with enzymes 

22:06 - Knowing it was the end

30:59 - Seeing signals early on 

This episode was co-produced with the Female Founders Initiative.

About Chantal Schmelz:

Chantal Schmelz is the Chairwoman of the Board, CFO and now also one of the liquidators of Rheiazymes, a cleantech startup that was aiming to leverage the power of molecular recycling. She holds an MA in Marketing, Services and Communication Management and a teaching degree in higher education for economics and law from HSG, and worked for companies like DALI DISCOUNT AG and Netlive IT AG before starting Rheiazymes in 2022.

With its proprietary platform technology, Rheiazymes was looking to harness the power of fungi for a wide range of applications and industries, such as making textiles, electronics, and compound packaging recyclable. They were backed by the Migros Pioneer Fund.

According to Chantal, Rheiazymes failed because they needed another 3-5 years to get their technology to a point where investors could immediately trust it, and in the meantime they ran out of money to support their core team and hire specialists. In Chantal’s opinion, there are not enough grants and awards in Switzerland for a project of Rheiazymes’ nature.