Chelonia SA

All About US

Our Skills

Develop New Business Model
that disrupt the status quo and address fundamental customer needsin better ways, creating new markets and new revenue streams.

Go-to-market success
by identifying and prioritizing fundamental problems customers are trying to solve.

Build innovation capabilities
helping organizations transform their business by creating a framework for repeatable innovation and sustainable growth.

Reshape existing business models
to meet new realities, including changing customer needs, identifying new ways to monetize existing assets.

Industry Focus

Clean Technologies and Energy
Include recycling, renewable energy (wind power, solar power, biomass, hydropower, biofuels), information technology, green transportation, electric motors, green chemistry, lighting, Greywater, and many other appliances that are now more energy efficient.

Biotech Applications
Contrary to its name, biotechnology is not a single technology. Rather it is a group of technologies that share two (common) characteristics -- working with living cells and their molecules and having a wide range of practice uses that can improve our lives.

At Chelonia we take pride in our core team being small and nimble by design, not by necessity: we work only with the best talent. We cumulate decades of experiences of direct equity investments and M&A transactions. We collaborate with senior leaders at the world's top companies and we assist young entrepreneurs to identify and pursue new growth opportunities, build innovation capabilities, and create disruptive new products, services, and business. Our advisory board structure gives us access to additional specialist expertise on a project-by-project basis.

Know-How

Always best execution
We offer a broad range of services, depending on the clients' needs. This includes research, business planning, new business strategy development and implementation, financial road-shows and the management of relationship with banks or financial institutions. Our team cumulates over 70 years of combined corporate, technical experience to tailor and deliver deals that enable sustainable growth and maximize business value for our clients. Our unparalleled knowledge of the cleantech and biotech sectors along with our extensive corporate finance, venture capital, private equity, and investment banking networks allow us to align our clients' growth potential with the right technology, capital solutions, and investment partners.

Think Global Act Local

Who we are
Founded by Silvano Coletti, serial entrepreneur, Chelonia SA is a Swiss boutique driven to provide clients and partners with the competitive edge in an increasingly complex and interconnected marketplace. We were formed on October 2002 in Switzerland. On a project-by-project basis, Chelonia team moves globally where it is requested by clients or partners. They come from all continents.

OUR Work

EXPERTISE AND IMPACT

Reshaping marketplace

The world face growing scarcities of such vital resources as fresh water, raw material and energy. An important source of materials for the future could be waste, by-product and all materials from end-of-life goods. These were the basic concepts of the vision that has led us to think, design and invest in the first and largest international marketplace for recyclables and byproducts. Jointly with global financial institutions, we financed startup operations, we were in charge for business strategy, business planning and successive road show in international financial community. We sat on board of directors. We directly managed negotiations with suppliers and partners, some of them included in Fortune 100 list. We traded and characterized by-products and recyclables, physically and economically.

Emerging markets

Africa is rich in opportunities and potential. It is home to seven out of ten of the world’s fastest growing economies. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is predicting that no continent will grow more strongly over the coming years. We advise clients to startup and finance agribusiness in Africa. On behalf of clients, we are in charge for business planning and road show in international financial community. Our professional experience in Africa starts in 2002 supporting and assisting UIDH, a large pan-African NGO, in developing and managing of "green" projects.

Wind energy

We founded and participated SPV jointly with a large utilities aiming to build and operate wind farms. We co-managed all start-up operations and sat on the board of directors. We managed project-by-project for a cumulated power to be installed of more than 400 MW. We managed all operations including choose of sites, choose of technology provider, financing (debt and equity side). We were in charge for business strategy, business planning and road show in international financial community.

Big Data

Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity. The amount of data in our world has been exploding, and analyzing large data will become a key basis of competition, underpinning new waves of productivity growth, innovation, and consumer surplus. The use of big data will become a key basis of competition and growth for individual firms. From the standpoint of competitiveness and the potential capture of value, all companies need to take big data seriously. In most industries, established competitors and new entrants alike will leverage data-driven strategies to innovate, compete, and capture value from deep and up-to-real-time information. We always look for smart initiative and sustainable investment opportunities for us and our network of investors. In this industry we partnered with market giants as well as Oracle and IBM.

Healthcare

We service clients in the healthcare field, as well as related fields such as biotechnology, life sciences, medical technology and pharmaceuticals: business planning, corporate development, raising of funds, M&A transactions. We team with healthcare startups that enable diagnostic services, healthcare IT, patient services, product development services and enabling technologies.

18MW Biomass Power Plant

Jointly with other partners, we founded and financed startup activities of a special-purpose-vehicle aiming to design, to permit and to built a 18 MW biomass power plant to produce electricity for local communities. Feedstock from woodchip of Eucalyptus. We were in charge for business strategy, business planning and road show in international financial & industrial community. Project has been sold to one of the largest electric utility.

Solar energy

Jointly with other financial partners, we founded and co-financed a special-purpose-vehicle aiming to design, to permit and to built a 5 MW solar power plant to produce electricity for local communities. Project sold to "blue-chip" corporation.

Genomics and Health

By studying the relationship between genes, environment, and behaviors, researchers and practitioners can learn why some people get sick, while others do not. Family health history information can also help to identify people who may have a higher risk for certain diseases. Better understanding of genetic and family history information can help researchers and practitioners identify, develop, and evaluate screening and other interventions that can improve health and prevent disease. Individuals can contribute to their health by keeping records of their family health information and sharing this information with their doctor and with other family members. with above vision and mission, since 2010 we are investing resources and know-how in a genetic information company, GeneBright, and in related biotech applications.

Distressed asset investing

In a global environment where credit is scarce and cash is invaluable, how position tomorrow. This requires business leaders and executives from resources and revenue growth. It is in this context that distressed asset investing represents a powerful opportunity. Distressed asset acquisition can be a shrewd deployment of corporate or private equity and hedge fund capital. But a strong understanding of distressed assets is imperative to overall capital agenda is essential to success.

Biotech applications

Biotechnology has applications in four major industrial areas, including health care (medical), crop production and agriculture, non food (industrial) uses of crops and other products (e.g. biodegradable plastics, vegetable oil, biofuels), and environmental uses. For example, one application of biotechnology is the directed use of organisms for the manufacture of organic products (examples include beer and milk products). Another example is using naturally present bacteria by the mining industry in bioleaching. Biotechnology is also used to recycle, treat waste, cleanup sites contaminated by industrial activities (bioremediation). We always look for smart initiative and sustainable investment opportunities for us and our network of investors.

Billion-Dollar Internet Company

As business angels and advisor, we are focused on identifying and backing high potential consumer technology startups. It’s the small number of hits that drive the investment returns generated by the best VC funds. We recently met with a talented and driven Internet entrepreneur who is running hard at building his second company. He sold his last startup a few years after founding it for about $30 million, which was a very fine outcome. He told me that his goal this time around is to “go the distance,” to build an independent company that will be a leader in its space and worth a billion dollars or more. We are boosting his talent and supporting his vision.

Social impact of our business cases

We are present at world-class events and we hold lectures in MBA and professional courses mentoring on business planning, corporate development and business management. Emerging entrepreneurs face an unusually fast-moving and competitive business environment. The speed of technological changes, accelerated product cycles, global competition and sophisticated financing strategies often demand resources and experience beyond the reach of the typical start-up entrepreneur. Through our mentoring process, we offer the help that is needed to confront these complexities.

Chelonia's is a philosophy of success

VALUE

We deliver superior value for clients and our partners through rigorous analysis and strategic positioning to tailor innovative and savvy deal structures that achieve market-leading business models.

MISSION

We want to manage the shareholdings of companies in which we decided to be, investing capital or know-how, or both. And we want to do that always with success. Leveraging on more than a decade of professional experience, we aim to provide advisory service to entrepreneur and companies that want to growth quickly and succesfully.

CONNECTIONS

We have the best little black book in the global sustainable infrastructure, clean-energy and biotech sectors. Our networks and connections are both broad and deep. We have access to an extensive financial investor base through our worldwide contacts with corporates, investment banks, private equity, industry experts, entrepreneurs, and private investors.

ETHICS

We believe in cleantech and biotech applications as good investment opportunities. They are not a luxury. They are essential for the sustainability of life on our planet and wellness of human being. We are always committed to finding ways for our clients and partners to succeed in business, being socially responsible.

Contact

Use below details to tell us about your project goals and needs.
The best way to reach us is through email: info@cheloniagroup.ch

Mail Box

Via G.B. Pioda 5 - PO BOX 6011 - CH 6901 Lugano (Switzerland)

Social

CHELONIA Swiss strategic advisor & partner