The perfect place for clever founders

Dear reader

Switzerland is the world’s number one, at least when it comes to general conditions for start-ups. So says the result of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s Global Report on the ease of starting and developing a business. Switzerland is particularly strong in areas such as R&D transfer, taxes and bureaucracy, legal conditions and also on entrepreneurship training after school.

Despite these good framework conditions, establishment of a thriving start-up scene does not happen automatically. Good business opportunities are not found easily in a well-functioning and innovative economy. According to the report, only a few Swiss see the opportunity to found a start-up in their area of activity.

Where there is no low hanging fruit, founders are forced to think carefully before they start and it is therefore not surprising that Swiss start-up business ideas are well thought out across the board. Start-up competitions provide evidence of this; for example, the six finalists of the Swiss HR Award provide services ranging from blockchain-based tools for more efficiency in the recruitment process to IT solutions for more diversity.

The three finalists of the ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark also demonstrate how ambitious Swiss deeptech start-ups are today. ELDICO Scientific, Microcaps and PharmaBiome are all developing fundamentally new products that can be used in a wide range of applications.

The finalists of the Swiss Fintech Awards have achieved a great deal in a short time, in particular Securosys and Instimatch Global, which are nominated as growth start-ups, and Legartis and Aidonic, the early stage finalists. Attention: for last-minute decisions, we still have a ticket available for Fintech 2020 and the Award Night on 12 March. Send an email to news@startupticker.ch.

Four entrepreneurial university (UAS) spin-off projects, at the very beginning of the journey, have already won funding. They will receive CHF 150,000 each and coaching as part of the Gebert Rüf Foundation’s First Ventures programme.

Nexthink shows what Swiss start-ups can ultimately achieve: the software company from Lausanne broke the sales threshold of USD 100 million in 2019. Also in 2019, Valais-based GRZ Technologies scored a great success with the capture of Hyundai as a partner and investor.

We also reported two more financing rounds this week. Private donors have invested CHF 500,000 in the Geneva start-up V-Labs, and the HR start-up Kollabo received funds from, among others, Wingman as part of a pre-seed round.

We have revised our map of start-ups with female CEOs for Women’s Day on 8 March. Input is still welcome.

Finally, I would like to point out the deadline for the Creative Business Cup on 15 March. It is looking for the most innovative entrepreneur from the creative industries.

Have a good weekend.
Stefan Kyora

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch