Up for bigger challenges

Dear reader

Established companies have recognised the need to enhance their strategies in order to grow and remain relevant. Swiss start-ups provide the solutions they need. Munich Re, a leading global provider of reinsurance, primary insurance and insurance-related risk solutions, has launched a digital service based on CertX’s technology. The two have been collaborating since the end of 2021 after Munich Re became a stakeholder in the Fribourg-based start-up.

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has selected H55 for its demonstrator programme: the Swiss start-up will provide the battery pack for the company’s regional hybrid-electric flight demonstrator. The expertise of Swiss Airtainer and Fixposition is going into a large European project on future mobility alongside that of CSEM, the third Swiss partner in the EUR 33 million Energy ECS project and coordinator of the Swiss cluster.

Large companies and projects help start-ups to not only bring their solutions to the market but also their ingenuity, courage and sales skills. Founded in January this year, EPFL start-up Resilio offers a SaaS platform that allows organisations to measure the environmental impact of IT products, services and infrastructure. The start-up has already generated close to CHF 200,000 in revenue from its work with large organisations. RetinAI has won a multi-year software license and services agreement with pharma giant Novartis for its digital health platform, and Sleepiz has launched its sleep monitoring solution in the B2B sector with Luzerner Kantonsspital as its first customer.

The long-standing Swiss start-up competition >>venture>> announced 15 winners selected from more than 350 applications in five verticals.  The majority of the start-ups are in their early stages; however, the technologies they showcased at the awards ceremony have the potential to transform their respective industries. The same is true of the four companies selected for the ESA BIC Switzerland cohort: one company – Correntics – is also a winner of >>venture>>. The 18 fintech and regtech start-ups in the F10 Acceleration Programme are already mature and among them are five Swiss companies. Swiss start-ups continue to shine as innovation flag bearers on a global scale – many healthtech and cleantech start-ups have brought home prizes.

Opportunities to demonstrate Switzerland’s innovative strength abound, and this year many programmes focus on the promotion of sustainable solutions. The GreenTech Startup Battle, held as part of Digital Days, is searching for start-ups that enable the efficient use of resources – applications are now open. The programme has a strong regional focus on enhancing start-up visibility and networking with local partners. Nespresso and B Lab have also launched the Swiss StartCup Challenge, which provides three winners with CHF 20,000 each to implement their projects to enhance the circular economy. The deadline for the Swisscom Startup Challenge, also focusing on sustainability, closes on 31 May.

Numerous events are taking place in the start-up scene – see our calendar for dates. Our team will be at the upcoming SEF.Founder Conference and the Swiss Economic Forum in Interlaken on 3 June.

Have a good weekend.

Ritah Ayebare Nyakato
Duty Editor, Startupticker.ch