{"id":49896,"date":"2025-10-07T07:22:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T05:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/?p=49896"},"modified":"2025-10-07T07:55:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T05:55:35","slug":"paul-andre-vogel-a-key-figure-in-the-valais-innovation-ecosystem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/news\/paul-andre-vogel-a-key-figure-in-the-valais-innovation-ecosystem\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel : A key figure in the Valais innovation ecosystem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
CleantechAlps is celebrating 15 years of commitment to sustainable innovation and\u00a0cleantech\u00a0in Western Switzerland. To mark this anniversary, the platform is launching the\u00a0\u201c15 Years \u2013 15 Faces\u201d\u00a0initiative, showcasing inspiring individuals who actively contribute to the development of Switzerland\u2019s\u00a0cleantech ecosystem.\u00a0. Among\u00a0them, Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel, Director of CimArk and\u00a0Board Member of\u00a0the Ark\u00a0Foundation, perfectly embodies\u00a0the spirit of\u00a0entrepreneurship\u00a0support\u00a0and networking\u00a0that\u00a0CleantechAlps promotes.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

With over three decades of experience supporting entrepreneurs, Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel<\/a> is a true expert in the Swiss business support ecosystem. His passion for the field remains undiminished. \u201cWhat fascinates me is the diversity of people\u2014it\u2019s very often about meaningful human encounters\u201d he says. His preferred territory, the canton of Valais, is full of visionary entrepreneurs in the field of clean technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s inspiring to see how these entrepreneurs are seeking solutions to some of our planet\u2019s biggest challenges\u2014such as climate change and moving away from fossil fuels,\u201d explains Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel enthusiastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Event Smart Energy : a shared journey with CleantechAlps<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The year 2025 marks not only the 15th anniversary of CleantechAlps, but also that of the Smart Energy Event, which has become a major rendezvous for players in Switzerland\u2019s energy transition. \u201cCleantechAlps, with its day-to-day activities and network, was the ideal partner for us to co-organize this event. 15 years later, we have no regrets about our choice,\u201d says Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Event Smart Energy<\/a> is much more than a traditional conference. \u201cThese events are like suspended moments, where entrepreneurs can meet as specialists, discuss their challenges, and\u2014most importantly\u2014find solutions together.\u201d The Event Smart Energy also fosters international openness, with speakers from Norway, the United States, Austria, France, and beyond. \u201cThese talks broaden horizons and inspire participants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A remarkable evolution in the cleantech sector<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Deeply engaged in the innovation ecosystem, Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel draws a positive picture of the sector\u2019s evolution. \u201cFifteen years ago, when CleantechAlps was launched, clean technologies were still relatively unknown. Since then, they\u2019ve seen impressive growth in Switzerland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel is optimistic about the strong presence of cleantech among Swiss startups. \u201cIt shows that our country has the capacity to solve complex climate-related problems. I also believe that CleantechAlps has played a key role in the rise of cleantech in Switzerland through its daily efforts to showcase regional expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges and opportunities for\u00a0cleantech actors<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Despite progress, Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel acknowledges\u00a0several\u00a0remaining challenges, particularly around funding for new technologies or promising ideas. \u201c\u2009As in other sectors like biotech,\u00a0convincing investors and mobilizing the necessary resources requiresconstant\u00a0effort, and this often leads to delays in commercialization.\u2009\u201c.\u00a0He nevertheless points to encouraging\u00a0success\u2013stories, such as the Valais-based\u00a0startup\u00a0DePoly, which recently raised $23 million to scale\u00a0up\u00a0its\u00a0plastic recycling technology\u00a0toward industrial production.\u00a0\u2014a great reason to end on a high note\u2009!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel\u2019s favorite quote<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\n

\u201cImagination is more important than knowledge, because knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world.\u201d <\/em>\u2013\u00a0albert einstein<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This famous quote by the physicist resonates strongly with Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel: \u201cI love this quote because the emergence of ideas is at the heart of all progress. Imagination gives meaning to what we know.\u201d For Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel, imagination is an essential driver of innovation. \u201cIt allows us to look beyond the obvious and inspires us to explore new ideas and create innovative concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than just a motto, this quote guides his daily work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A passionate professional at the crossroads of entrepreneurship and innovation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Versatile and deeply engaged, Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel is a recognized voice in the field of innovation support in Switzerland. Modest and discreet in the media, he prefers working directly with entrepreneurs over telling others what to do. A former partner of the CTI (now Innosuisse), Paul-Andr\u00e9 Vogel also serves on the jury for Switzerland\u2019s Top 100 Startups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is involved in various innovation support initiatives such as platinn and has led CimArk SA\u2014Valais\u2019s innovation support agency\u2014for over a decade. CimArk also hosts CleantechAlps, and part of its team delivers services for the platform, illustrating the perfect symbiosis between the two entities working together to drive sustainable innovation in Western Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

source : cleantechalps<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

to mark its 15th anniversary, cleantechalps is highlighting individuals who are shaping the future of clean technologies in switzerland through the \u201815 years \u2014 15 faces\u2019 initiative. among them is paul-andr\u00e9 vogel, director of cimark, member of the board of the ark foundation and long-standing co-organiser of the smart energy event, who embodies passion and perseverance in the service of entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":49937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[208],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment-and-energy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49896"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50217,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49896\/revisions\/50217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theark.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}