What BioDesign Foundation does

BioDesign Foundation is a Swiss-registered non-profit foundation (Stiftung) established following the death of industrial designer Luigi Colani in 2013, with operational headquarters on Certosa Island in Venice, Italy, and national associations in Germany and Italy. The organization applies Colani's proprietary '90/10' design philosophy — 90% inspiration from nature plus 10% human transformation — to environmental challenges, primarily marine plastic pollution, ghost fishing nets, bycatch mortality, and engine oil disposal. It serves a heterogeneous constituency including fishing industry operators, Italian governmental agencies (Marina Militare, Guardia Costiera, Guardia di Finanza, Protezione Civile), academic researchers, sporting federations, corporate sponsors, and citizen volunteers.

The foundation's product portfolio centers on The Custodians App (a geo-localisation citizen science mobile application available on iOS and Android), the Custodians Earth Solution Platform (a fact-checked encyclopaedia connecting environmental problem-spotters with solution providers), and the Vox Maris initiative — three sub-projects: Zero Nets in the Sea (container-based collection infrastructure for fishing harbours), Life Save Project (tempered-water tanks targeting 70% bycatch survival, under scientific study by the University of Padua), and Zero Oil in the Sea (used engine oil recovery). The Custodians Plastic Race coordinates multi-stakeholder cleanup events in partnership with major sporting organizations. Underlying technology consists of the geo-referenced citizen science platform built with technical partner ETT S.p.A., supplemented by physical infrastructure (collection containers, life-saving tanks) deployed across Italian fishing ports.

BioDesign Foundation generates revenue through three streams: donations and charitable contributions from individuals, companies, and organizations; sustainability partnership fees from sporting events and federations; and membership in the Custodians Movement. The organization operates with a lean core of 7 employees supported by a voluntary Board of Trustees and Board of Directors, distributed across offices in St. Gallen (Switzerland), Venice and Milan (Italy), and Bietigheim-Bissingen (Germany). No revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

BioDesign Foundation

Legal name

BioDesign Foundation

Website

https://biodesignfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

BioDesign Foundation is a Swiss-registered non-profit applying Luigi Colani's biomimetic design philosophy to marine conservation. It operates citizen science platforms (The Custodians App), the Vox Maris fishing-equipment recovery program, and multi-stakeholder cleanup events across Italy and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Gallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Non-profit organization relying on donations and support from individuals, companies, and organizations. No explicit revenue model described.
2. Sustainability Partnership Fees: Partnership arrangements with sporting events and federations (The Ocean Race, Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour, EUROSAF) as sustainability partner, likely involving sponsorship or collaboration agreements.
3. Membership and Custodian Program: Membership in the BioDesign Foundation or Custodians Movement, with financial backers supporting the foundation actively.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

No source material with a resolvable source ID was supplied in the input. The company's actual core offering cannot be verified.

Product overview

BioDesign Foundation operates a portfolio of environmental conservation initiatives centered on ocean protection and plastic pollution cleanup. The core offerings include The Custodians App (a citizen science mobile application for geo-localizing contamination), the Custodians Earth Solution Platform (a forum connecting challenge observers with solution providers), and three Vox Maris projects addressing maritime pollution (fishing net collection, bycatch rescue, and engine oil recovery). The Custodians Plastic Race coordinates large-scale cleanup operations. These interconnected initiatives apply Luigi Colani's 90/10 design philosophy (90% nature inspiration + 10% human transformation) to environmental challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vox Maris: Environmental initiative addressing fishing net disposal and ghost net recovery from seas. Includes Zero Nets in the Sea, Life Save Project (bycatch rescue), and Zero Oil in the Sea sub-initiatives.
• The Custodians Plastic Race
• Custodians Earth Solution Platform
• The Custodians App

Products and services

• Unverifiable offerings

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 570,000 kg of fishing nets prevented from ocean disposal since April 2021
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• The Ocean RaceflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023BioDesign Foundation launched The Custodians Plastic Race as Sustainability Guest alongside the finale of The Ocean Race in Genoa in July 2023. This marked the first global initiative uniting navy, coast guard, military, police forces, Guardia di Finanza, schools, city council, companies with employees, NGOs, and volunteers to intensively clean the city on land and at sea.
• Marina Militare Nastro Rosa TourcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023Sustainability Partner of Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour 2023/2024. Format successfully replicated in all regatta stops (Genova, La Maddalena, Vibo Valentina, Taranto, Vieste, Porto Rose and Venice) and in Las Palmas during Mini Transat regatta.
• European Sailing Federation (EUROSAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDurable institutional partnership with European Sailing Federation as Sustainability Partner. Format promoted through further sport events as ideal opportunity to generate traction for the race against time.
• European Athletic Championships 2024coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSustainability partner of European Athletic Championships 2024 in Rome, providing platform for cross-generational environmental engagement.
• Foaling Week 2024minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSustainability partner of Foaling Week 2024 sailing event.
• Consortium of Chioggia ShipownerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Vox Maris project for effective collection and disposal of discarded fishing nets and plastic caught in fishing nets. Fishermen provided with containers for waste disposal, collected material weighed and processed by foundation staff.
• University of Padua - Biology DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific collaboration on Life Save Project. Solution refined with Biology Department. Scientific study led by University evaluating effectiveness. Foundation funding research grants for two marine biologists on eight vessels.
• ETT S.p.A.coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partner providing technology expertise for The Custodians App and Earth Solution Platform. Antonio Novellino as Project Manager representing ETT at BioDesign Foundation.
• enespa AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain partner and honorary advisor. Cyrill Hugi (CEO) represents enespa AG as main partner. Company involved in environmental solutions.
• Marina Militare (Italian Navy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNavy participation in The Custodians Plastic Race cleanup activities. Logo displayed as partner on website footer.
• Guardia Costiera (Italian Coast Guard)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoast guard involvement in sea cleanup operations and environmental protection through The Custodians Plastic Race.
• Guardia di FinanzacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial police participation in coordinated cleanup efforts and environmental enforcement activities.
• Protezione CivilecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian Civil Protection participation in environmental cleanup and conservation efforts.
• Luna Rossa Prada PirelliminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerica's Cup sailing team connection through Edoardo Bianchi's involvement in both organizations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plastic Bank: Global social enterprise focused on stopping ocean plastic by partnering with coastal communities and providing collection infrastructure with traceable recycling. Directly comparable to BioDesign Foundation's Vox Maris in operating container-based plastic-collection systems for ocean-impact reduction, though commercial rather than donation-funded.
• 4ocean: Direct-to-consumer ocean cleanup brand pulling plastic from oceans and selling bracelets funded by donations/subscriptions. Comparable to BioDesign in mobilizing citizen-driven cleanup, using a donation-subsidized model with measurable impact claims.
• The Ocean Cleanup: Non-profit developing advanced technologies to rid oceans of plastic, particularly through river-based and ocean-based cleanup systems. Comparable to BioDesign Foundation as a high-profile non-profit tackling marine plastic with measurable impact targets and similar global awareness ambitions.
• Healthy Seas (a Journey from Waste to Wear): Non-profit initiative that recovers ghost fishing nets from the sea for recycling into textile products. Directly comparable to BioDesign's Vox Maris Zero Nets in the Sea initiative — both focus on ghost-net collection and prevention in the Mediterranean region.
• Ocean Conservancy: Major US-based marine conservation non-profit running the International Coastal Cleanup. Comparable to BioDesign Foundation in mobilizing volunteers for cleanup events and engaging citizens in marine debris data collection worldwide.
• Surfrider Foundation: Non-profit grassroots organization focused on ocean protection, beach access, and water quality; runs volunteer cleanup and citizen-science initiatives analogous to The Custodians Plastic Race and Earth Solution Platform.

Broad incumbents

• Oceana: Largest international advocacy organization focused solely on ocean conservation globally. Comparable as a marine-conservation non-profit operating at much larger scale and with policy-advocacy focus rather than field-based cleanup.
• WWF International: Largest global environmental NGO with significant marine and ocean-plastic programs. Comparable as a non-profit environmental organization with formalized national-association chapters in Switzerland, Italy, and Germany — identical governance structure to BioDesign Foundation's three-country presence.
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Marine conservation non-profit running direct-action campaigns against illegal fishing, net loss, and ocean destruction. Comparable to BioDesign's emphasis on ghost nets and partnership-heavy maritime enforcement approach.

Emerging players

• Plastic Free Foundation: Non-profit running the global Plastic Free July movement — citizen-driven, community-led campaigns against single-use plastic. Comparable to The Custodians movement in mobilizing household-level behavioural change through community membership models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzcPIUvt66XmgT9vGrOWhCA
• Facebookweb.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551246121291
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biodesignfoundation?originalSubdomain=ch
• Instagraminstagram.com/biodesign.foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about BioDesign Foundation