Dear Community,
Dear friends of Quadia,
Finding the right words in times of uncertainty is not always easy. With the COVID-19 crisis, we are in the midst of uncharted territory and it is impossible to already fully understand the consequences.
In line with the policy of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, the Quadia team, as so many others, has adjusted to working remotely, to respect the necessity of social distancing while maintaining full access to our server network, information tools and communication channels. Given the flexible, decentralized nature of our working arrangements, this adjustment has been fairly simple.
The core of our activity remains supporting entrepreneurs, the products and services they are offering, and the significant impact they can bring towards building a more regenerative economy. At Quadia, the last few days have been spent in calls and video conferences with our portfolio companies, listening to their challenges and concerns, and assisting them in finding ways to address this unprecedented situation and continue to envision their future development. We are closely monitoring the solutions they implement, including availing themselves of the financial support which public authorities are offering the SME sector to counter the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
We also continue to support all of the entrepreneurs with whom we work, to continue fostering circular production and consumption, improving natural resource use, promoting fair & safe value chains and supporting their local communities. If there is already a lesson to be learnt in the current situation, it is that post-crisis business models should continue to benefit from a positioning towards local, collaborative, circular and functional approaches. The COVID-19 pandemic is signalling the limits of our highly globalized and interconnected world, and perhaps as well the imbalance of our linear production and consumption patterns.
While healthcare professionals are working relentlessly to address this crisis, across Europe countless citizen actions are being initiated and shared, showcasing both our need for “human” connection and the power of digital solutions for good. And although “business as usual” is no longer possible, we may overcome this situation through intentional engagement with our communities, within the limits of the social distancing measures we face.
At Quadia, we endeavour to remain active in identifying and supporting companies in our sectors of focus, to create and share content and resources around these solutions and be present for all of our partners, from investees and network partners to the committed network of investors that have put their trust in us.