
Brazil | July 01, 2026
This year, marking the third of five planned editions, nexBio Amazonia, powered by Swissnex in Brazil, the Swiss Leading House Latin America (University of St. Gallen), and the Brazilian National Council for State Funding Agencies (CONFAP) expands its journey to a new Amazonian destination. Returning to the city of Manaus, where the first week of activities will take place, participants will then travel to Macapá, the capital of the State of Amapá, which welcomes the Swiss-Brazilian program for the first time.
Located in the northernmost part of Brazil, Amapá is one of the best-preserved regions of the Brazilian Amazon. Around 90% of its territory remains covered by Amazon rainforest, while approximately 72% is protected through conservation units, Indigenous lands, and quilombola territories. The region is home to exceptional biodiversity and to Indigenous Peoples, as well as quilombola, riverine, and other traditional communities whose knowledge and practices are closely connected to the sustainable use of natural resources. Together, its rich biodiversity, extensive protected areas, and strategic location at the mouth of the Amazon River position the state as an important setting for initiatives related to the bioeconomy, environmental conservation, and nature-based innovation.
Previous editions, held in Belém, Santarém, and Manaus in 2024 and 2025, brought together 47 participants, including researchers and startups from Brazil and Switzerland. This year, 7 Swiss and 4 Brazilian startups will join 3 Swiss and 7 Brazilian researchers for an immersion experience taking place from August 3 to 14, with activities across the two Amazonian regions.
As part of the program, participants will have the opportunity to meet potential partners and stakeholders from different sectors, immerse themselves in local innovation and research ecosystems through visits to renowned institutes and innovation centers, and engage with communities and startups in the region. The agenda also includes meetings and experiences that will enable participants to align their solutions and research with the specific needs of the Amazonian territory.
Choosing the participants
The cohort selection was based on criteria including impact potential, connection to the Amazon bioeconomy, maturity of proposed solutions, innovation capacity, and contribution to more sustainable production models. Selected startups develop products, technologies, or services with market potential and applications in sustainable production chains. Researchers were chosen based on their work in areas related to biodiversity, food systems, climate change, social sciences, economics, and technologies capable of generating positive impacts in the region.
This edition’s cohort brings together researchers and entrepreneurs working across Biotech, with a focus on food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, as well as Finance and Carbon Markets, Land Governance, Energy, and Biodiversity.
Meet the 2026 cohort:
Startups
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Michela Dall'Angelo | DecodeNAture
DecodeNAture
SwitzerlandMichela Dall’Angelo is Co-founder & CTO of DecodeNAture, where increasing accessibility of DNA-based technologies is pursued by providing portable, field-deployable solutions that support conservation, research and environmental initiatives.
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Alexander Kapeller | KALO Earth
KALO Earth
SwitzerlandAlexander Garcia Kapeller is CEO of KALO Earth, where sustainable solutions for the agricultural sector and the climate are advanced. He works in interdisciplinary teams to create a meaningful and lasting impact.
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Svitlana Mykolenko | Olexir
Olexir
SwitzerlandDr. Svitlana Mykolenko is the founder and CEO of Olexir and ETH Zurich Pioneer Fellow, developing a plant-protein platform that transforms botanical oils into elegant, high-performance biomaterials.
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Stefan Kaspar | BCHAR
BCHAR
SwitzerlandStefan Kaspar is Co-Founder & CEO of BCHAR, a Swiss climate tech startup turning agricultural residues into biochar, carbon removal and renewable energy. He has a background in Business Innovation, entrepreneurship and Managing Climate Solutions at the University of St. Gallen (HSG).
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Aniruddhan Balakrishnan | Biosimo
Biosimo
SwitzerlandAniruddhan Balakrishnan is Chief of Staff at Biosimo Chemicals, where he leads strategic initiatives, business development, partnerships, and fundraising efforts. He works closely with the founding team to commercialize sustainable technologies and grow the company.
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Nadja Batista | Picterra
Picterra
SwitzerlandNadja Batista has over 15 years of international experience at the intersection of business development, strategic partnerships, and sustainability. She joined Picterra in June 2026 as Director of Sustainability Strategy and Business Development.
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Christopher Hempel | SimplexDNA
SimplexDNA
SwitzerlandChristopher Hemple is CTO of SimplexDNA. Passionate about biodiversity and the potential of technology to address environmental challenges, he combines scientific innovation with a deep commitment to protecting life on Earth.
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Fabiane De Almeida | Aqua Viridi
Aqua Viridi
BrazilFabiane De Almeida is CEO and Co-founder of Aqua Viridi, where her professional and personal journey as an Amazonian has been guided by a deep commitment to the region’s balanced development and the pursuit of sustainable, culturally aligned solutions.
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Gabriel Lohn | Invitrall
Invitrall
BrazilGabriel Lohn Costa is CEO and co-founder of Invitrall, where he leads AI-driven discovery of skin health molecules using long-duration human skin organoids. He has experience in biotech venture capital and science-based startups.
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Douglas Mafra | SAFinance by ATERRAH
SAFinance by ATERRAH
BrazilDouglas Mafra is Co-founder of SAFinance by ATERRAH, where he leads venture development and partnerships focused on sustainable finance, agroforestry finance-readiness and Amazon bioeconomy solutions.
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Bruna Freitas | Yara Couro
Yara Couro
BrazilBruna Freitas is an Amazonian entrepreneur and CEO of Yara Couro, a Brazilian startup turning discarded fish skins into high-performance luxury leather, proving waste can be the finest raw material.
Researchers
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Luisa Muhle Ferreira
Luisa Muhle Ferreira
ETH Zurich | SwitzerlandLuisa Muhle Ferreira is a Doctoral Student at ETH Zürich, where she conducts research on microalgae and fungi biomaterials for food application in a joint collaboration between the laboratory of Sustainable Food Processing and Food Structure Engineering at ETH Zürich
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Hauke Schlesier
Hauke Schlesier
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology | SwitzerlandHauke Schlesier is an environmental engineer and organizer of the Solarcamp for Future Initiative in Germany. He currently is researching the sustainability of energy transitions as a fourth-year PhD student at ETH Zurich and Empa.
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Paula Palermo
Paula Palermo
Università della Svizzera Italiana | SwitzerlandPaula Palermo is a Brazilian practitioner-researcher and MSc Finance candidate at USI Lugano, with a background in financial innovation and venture ecosystems, building CLARA to connect Swiss institutional capital to Amazon bioeconomy projects.
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Diego Silva
Diego Silva
Federal Institute of Amapá | BrazilDr. Diego Silva is a Forest Engineer and Professor at the Federal Institute of Amapá (IFAP), with a specialization in sustainable forest management, bioeconomy, and Amazon innovation. He leads research on giant trees, community forestry, and technologies that promote conservation and sustainablity.
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Juliano Bicas
Juliano Bicas
University of Campinas | BrazilJuliano Bicas is an Associate Professor at the School of Food Engineering (FEA) at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). Trained as a Food Engineer, he holds a PhD in Food Science and completed postdoctoral research at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany. He is a specialist in fermentations.
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Leandro Pereira
Leandro Pereira
Federal Institute of Paraná | BrazilLeandro Pereira is a biologist, professor at the Federal Institute of Paraná (IFPR), and partner at PixMaq. He develops innovation-driven solutions that connect biodiversity, climate adaptation, and technology, fostering sustainable development through research and entrepreneurship.
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Taciana Carvalho Coutinho
Taciana Carvalho Coutinho
Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) | BrazilTaciana Carvalho Coutinho is Professor and Researcher at the Federal University of Amazonas and coordinator of PaCTAS, where she has worked for more than 17 years in Alto Solimões with bioeconomy, innovation, territorial governance and sustainable development, integrating science, traditional knowledge and technologies for the Amazon.
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Leonardo Agapito
Leonardo Agapito
Unesp | BrazilLeonardo Agapito is a Professor of Environmental Law at the São Paulo State University (UNESP). He holds a PhD in Latin American Integration and is currently conducting research on the regulation of agrarian and mineral supply chains, disaster reparation processes, rural and urban development, and sociobioeconomy.
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Mateus Callegari
Mateus Andeatta Callegari
Federal University of Paraná | BrazilMateus Andeatta Callegari is a Chemical Engineer, researcher and doctoral student at the Federal University of Parana. He conducts research in biomass valorization, bioprocesses and bioenergy, focusing on sustainable biorefineries, circular bioeconomy and innovation from renewable biological resources.
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Gabriel Martins
Gabriel Martins
University of São Paulo | BrazilGabriel Martins is a pharmacist with an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Natural Products Chemistry from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He is currently a Professor at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of São Paulo (FCF-USP), where his research focuses on pharmacognosy, natural products chemistry, the bioeconomy, and the sustainable valorization of Brazilian biodiversity.
nexBio Amazonia is part of Swissnex in Brazil’s initiatives to foster collaborations between Switzerland and Brazil in areas such as nature-based solutions, the bioeconomy, climate, clean energy, and other strategic fields for a more sustainable future. Learn more about our work.
Brazilian applicants can find full details of the call for proposals on the Brazilian National Council for State Funding Agencies (CONFAP) official website.

As Academic Relations Program Lead, Pedro helps connect universities, think tanks, research institutions, professors and researchers to establish, and further develop, science and technology partnerships.

As Junior Project Manager at Swissnex in Brazil, Joëlle supports the development and implementation of initiatives that foster collaboration, research, and innovation between Switzerland and Brazil.
Partners
nexBio Amazonia is powered by Swissnex in Brazil, the Swiss Leading House Latin America (University of St. Gallen), and the Brazilian National Council for State Funding Agencies (CONFAP).




















