Today, Swiss Medtech kicks off the competition for the Swiss Medtech Award 2022. The industry’s coveted prize for innovation will be awarded for the fifth time next year. Applicants have even more reason to be pleased: the prize money has increased from the original 50,000 to 75,000 Swiss francs.

Der Digitaltag am 10. November bildet den Abschluss von 6 Wochen mit Anlässen rund um die Digitalisierung. Zurzeit werden laufend neue Videos mit Startup Battles aufgeschaltet – wer zu den fünf Finalisten gehören wird, entscheidet das Publikum und die Jury.

The 11th edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Week Switzerland occurs from November 8 to 14, mainly physically. More than 20 startup organisations are participating in GEW 2021 and over 70 events are planned.

The semester at different Swiss universities has commenced and so has the student VC S2S Ventures. Students with innovative ideas can now submit their applications to receive funding to bring their idea to the next stage. 

Thrive With Mentoring and Impact Hub Basel are launching EmpowHER, a new support program to bolster female entrepreneurship. During six months, selected participants will receive training to boost their resilience, self-development and provide access to Switzerland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Registration is still open.

The development and marketing of innovations in the security sector poses special challenges for start-ups. A new accelerator programme from RUAG is now helping young companies to overcome these hurdles. The application period for the next batch is now open.

Starting from today the H2 challenge is open for applications from startups and university teams that develop both hardware and software solutions within the hydrogen value chain. Winners will get an opportunity to launch sponsored PoCs, receive strategic funding and access R&D facilities for further joint development with POSCO or Hyundai.

The newly launched startup program acts as a springboard for early-stage startups to launch their projects and collaborate with Bühler, a Swiss family-owned business with over 12,500 employees in 140 countries, and a turnover of CHF 2.7 billion. Registration is open until 25 August.

With the launch of its new service, Scouting Days Agire, Fondazione Agire is offering SMEs, startups and investors in the Ticino and Italian Grisons resources and channels to promote the organization of specific initiatives. The first initiative, calling for ideas to transform the pharma sector, has been launched.

The path from cleantech innovations to the market usually involves setting up industrial production - a complex task. At the Demo Day of the Switzerland Innovation Tech4Impact initiative, the six winners of the first edition showed how the programme has pushed them forward along their challenging way. Applications for the second edition are open.

Under the tagline Mobility@Baloise, Swiss Insurance company Baloise is launching a ‘mobility accelerator’ to promote innovative ideas at the earliest possible stage. Selected teams will benefit from a fully-funded 10-week program offering training, tailored feedback and mentoring as well as access to mobility experts. Registration is open until June 21, 2021.

The Diabetes Center Berne (DCB) is looking for ideas in the field of glucose measurement for its newly launched Open innovation Challenge. Up to 50 projects from all over the world will be selected and supported by industry experts in transforming their ideas into solutions. The winning project will receive USD 100’000.

After 5G innovations in 2020, Swisscom is now looking for the best cyber security solutions from start-ups and research teams. The winner can look forward to an exploration programme in Switzerland and—with some luck—even in Silicon Valley. In addition, the five winners will be given the chance for business cooperation and an investment by Swisscom Ventures.

The newly launched Swiss-Turkish startup program aims to connect the startup ecosystems and make Switzerland attractive to Turkish investors. Selected participants will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions during the Swiss days in Turkey, and a winner from each country will receive a cash prize along with in-kind offers. 

Wingman Campus Fund, a new micro investment initiative entirely run by students, plans to invest in entrepreneurial student teams at ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne and the University of St.Gallen (HSG). Students who want to join the 1-year traineeship of the Wingman Campus Fund can apply until 27 May. - Updated - 

‘Be where innovation happens’; that has been the slogan of the START Summit since its genesis. Indeed, this year from 22nd - 27th March, the annual event will unit the European startup community virtually offering them a rich program that includes fireside chats, keynotes, pitching sessions and networking opportunities. The highlight remains the START Summiteer award. 

Die BLKB lanciert mit den beiden Partnern Hemex und Launchpad ein neues Beratungs- und Betreuungsangebot, für innovative Start-ups. Geboten werden Zugang zu Netzwerken, Know-how von Coaches und Experten sowie Räumlichkeiten inklusive Labors.

“Innovation meets Practice: Humanitarian Innovation Exchange and Accelerator 2021” seeks to support promising and innovative ideas that enhance response to humanitarian emergencies. Over six months, selected teams will receive mentorship from humanitarian experts and innosuisse coaches, networking and pitching opportunities. Application deadline closes on 31 March 2021.

From April 29 to July 15, the first cohort will join the newly launched Social Impact Accelerator in Switzerland. The program aims to boost social entrepreneurship by supporting social ventures through workshops and mentorships. Registration closes on April 4.

A new team will be responsible for the startup days of Startup Invest in 2021 and will refresh the event. The team attracted already a first keynote speaker from one of the most prominent global VCs. Pre-registration is open.

Der Kanton Basel-Stadt und die Eckenstein-Geigy-Stiftung verbürgen nachrangige Darlehen für wissens- und technologiebasierte Startups, die unter der Corona-Krise leiden. Gesuche werden ab Montag 14. Dezember entgegengenommen.

Zusammen mit der Startup Academy Schweiz lanciert die Swissbau – Fachmesse für Bau und Immobilien – ein neues Angebot für junge Unternehmen aus der Immobilien- und Baubranche. Ausgewählte Start- und Scale-ups können sich während einem Jahr systematisch auf einen allfälligen Finalauftritt an der Swissbau 2022 vorbereiten.

From 16 to 22 November numerous events, workshops and other activities for prospective entrepreneurs will take place under the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Switzerland for the 10th time. Almost 70 events, for which registration is now open, will take place online.

The Swisscom Startup Challenge gives start-ups and research teams access to the Swisscom 5G lab, its live network and to 5G devices during an exploration week in Switzerland. In addition, the winners will receive the support of experts and mentors from Ericsson, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies and Swisscom. The competition is open to teams from all over the world.

Coronabedingt etwas limitiert werden sich am 25. September bis zu 1000 Innovationsbegeisterte für die Startup-Event in Winterthur einfinden. Rund 36 Startups haben sich angemeldet, um ihre Ideen und Produkte vorzustellen. Erfolgreiche Gründerinnen und Gründer teilen ihre Erfahrungen.

Die Impact Hub Bern Genossenschaft lanciert den Lean Innovation Award LIA. Speziell sind dabei die niederschwelligen Selektionskriterien für die Bewerbungen. Sie sollen Teams in der Ideenphase den Zugang zum Award ermöglichen.

The Swiss Economic Forum took place in Montreux on Wednesday and Thursday. Several speakers stressed the importance of the team in times of crisis. There was also news from the organisers: they launched a new award for female entrepreneurs. Applications are open.

Der Creative Hub, die Plattform für die Schweizer Kreativwirtschaft, führt auch ab Herbst 2020 sein Förderprogramm Creative Business Coaching durch. Dem besten Projekt winkt eine Förderung von 10'000 Franken.

This year’s Swisscom Startup Challenge takes on a completely new format with the focus on 5G technology. The award is aimed at startups and research teams from all over the world that are developing 5G applications. Five winners will have the chance to further test their cases with the live Swisscom 5G network at various locations and 5G enabled devices as well as at Swisscom’s 5G lab during the week-long exploration program.

The newly launched Young Professional Program organised by Future.preneurship connects young professionals and innovative companies for long-term or project-based jobs. With over 70 participants supported in the pilot edition, the program has launched the application phase for the next round. Registration closes at the end of September.

The Cyber-Defence Campus is looking for innovative technologies and explores the startup market by organizing the Cyber Startup Challenge 2020. The selected startup is awarded a contract of up to CHF 100'000.- to integrate a Proof of Concept of its technology within the Swiss Armed Forces.

Evolve begleitet Gründerinnen und Gründer beim Schritt vom validierten Business Case zum Markt. In einem Pilotversuch mit fünf Startups wurde das neue Ausbildungsmodul von be-advanced in den vergangenen drei Monaten getestet. Nun wird es definitiv eingeführt.

The Swiss Market Entry Bootcamp offers startups from abroad the opportunity to meet with experts from leading corporations, public institutions, innovation programs, accelerators and incubators. The application phase runs to 1 September.

Newly announced Trust Valley is launching the 2nd edition of Tech4Trust, the Swiss acceleration program for startups from Switzerland and Europe. This is the first official activity to spawn out of the Trust Valley, an unprecedented Vaud and Geneva initiative to promote excellence in cybersecurity and digital trust. Other cantons can join the initiative.

LikeMinded is a new accelerator program initiated by Blulion to support skilled professionals who are starting a business from scratch. The the 10-week program provides participants with a platform to build outstanding co-founding teams and validate their business ideas. Registration closes on 15 July.

In 2020, Karger is offering the Vesalius Innovation Award for the first time. Early stage start-ups developing solutions for modern publishing with a focus on Health Sciences have a chance to win. The overall winner will be awarded a prize money of USD 15,000 and two runner-ups USD 5,000 each. 

EPFL and the Wyss Center in Geneva have joined forces to invest in the neuro technologies of tomorrow, and accelerate the journey from bench to market. The partnership will provide funds to selected entrepreneurial projects for up to CHF 100’000 per project. Applications can be submitted until September 15th.

Goodwall and GENiLEM, with the support of Geneva and Vaud cantons, and the accounting firm Berney Associés SA,  have partnered to launch the Swiss Futurpreneur Award competition. The aim is to promote entrepreneurship among students, young professionals, and entrepreneurs in Switzerland.