News
We are beyond thrilled to announce that Urban Connect founders – Judith Häberli and Robert Ruttmann – have been honored with the prestigious EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Emerging Entrepreneur category.
What is EY Entrepreneur of the Year?
The EY Entrepreneur of the Year is one of the largest and most respected Business Awards, taking place for the 26th time in Switzerland. Established by consulting firm EY, the award celebrates founders, CEOs and leaders who demonstrate exceptional leadership in driving innovation, growth, and positive change in businesses and communities.
Chosen from a field of around 50 annual nominees, the finalists in four award categories – Emerging Entrepreneur, Service & Retail, Family Business, and Industry, High-Tech & Life Sciences – are selected by a dedicated and independent jury of 11 members who invest months in the careful selection process.
Emerging Entrepreneur Category Champions
On Friday evening, October 27th, Judith Häberli and Robert Ruttmann attended the prestigious EoY 2023 award ceremony and gala dinner in Lausanne. It was here that Tom Hanan, CEO of Web Republic and independent jury member for the Emerging Entrepreneur category, announced that Judith and Robert had won the award.
Tom Hanan recognized Judith and Robert for their risk-taking, ambition, and innovation in the mobility space. They founded Urban Connect almost accidentally after originally intending to start a coffee shop. The space they had selected was an old bike shop and the original owner announced that he would only sell the establishment if his apprentice could have a job. Judith and Robert happily agreed to the condition and this unexpected turn of events shifted the focus from coffee to mobility.
Revolutionizing Corporate Mobility
Today, Urban Connect is Switzerland’s premier corporate mobility platform for multi-modal solutions. The service offering includes three main pillars: 1) fleet services, which gives employees easy access to premium e-bikes, e-scooters, e-cars that are shared in a closed ecosystem; 2) mobility budget, which bundles all mobility services – including third party services – to offer employees a fair and flexible way to allocate mobility resources; and 3) digital parking management, which helps companies systematically guide access to their parking places. All these mobility services are accessible via one single app, designed to help companies save costs, cut emissions, and provide end-users with a seamless user experience.
Over the last 2 years, Urban Connect has flourished to become a leading corporate multi-modal mobility platform serving over 50 large blue-chip companies in Switzerland in their efforts to lower carbon emissions from auto-traffic. Judith Häberli, Co-Founder of Urban Connect stated,
“We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious award. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Urban Connect team. This recognition motivates us all to continue our mission of helping companies decarbonize and more efficiently manage their employee mobility systems.”
Let’s celebrate together!
On behalf of Urban Connect team, we also extend our heartfelt congratulations to the phenomenal co-finalists – David Gugelmann, Majbritt Byskov-Bridges and Mine Uran. You are all amazing! 🎗️🎗️
Congratulations also to the outstanding winners in their respective categories:
🏆 Industry, High-Tech & Life Sciences: Luca Santarelli from VectivBio
🏆 Services & Commerce: Paul Fritz from Home Instead
🏆 Family Business: Daniel Bossard from Bossard Schweiz
To celebrate the award together, Urban Connect invites companies for a personal demonstration of our services. Book time with us below and explore how we can help revolutionize the way your employees travel!
Change Mobility – Change the World
