Startup Guide Switzerland

In partnership with Impact Hub Switzerland

Proudly supported by Proudly supported by
With thanks to our Community Partner

Startup Guide was founded on the mission to guide, empower and inspire people
to start their entrepreneurial journey anywhere. Though helping entrepreneurs start
their businesses has been the goal of our guidebooks since our inception five years
ago, this is no longer enough. We need to begin evaluating what impact, both negative
and positive, a business can and will make.
As a media and publishing company, we have a responsibility to use our role to contribute
to the narrative of what good business means today. Therefore, we want to help drive
the shift toward sustainable businesses and impact entrepreneurship. Until now, we’ve
talked about technology, funding and growth, but what we haven’t talked enough about
is how we can solve the world’s largest and most important challenges and how to create
businesses from that. Thus, we need new businesses to take new measures – to find ways
to tap into their power and realize creative entrepreneurial solutions to the problems we’re
facing now and in the future. In moving over to this vision for our guidebooks, we found it
necessary to begin highlighting the ecosystems that advance impact innovation through
businesses, working toward a greater good in more ways than one.
We hope that this guidebook will inspire you both as a reader and an entrepreneur to start
focusing on how you can personally create a positive impact. Our world depends on it.
manifesto
Sissel Hansen
Startup Guide
We’re thrilled to present our first regional impact book, the Startup Guide Switzerland,
with this edition kicking off our journey into impact entrepreneurship.
Switzerland is an ideal destination for entrepreneurs and innovators, with world-class
universities and research facilities, high-quality startup accelerators, programs and
hubs, and an overarching desire to solve some of the world’s pressing problems through
innovation. Startups such as Anaveon in Basel, Retinai in Bern, Goodwall in Geneva,
GAMAYA in Lausanne, and Yova in Zurich are just a few of the amazing companies in
this flourishing wave of impactful businesses. The wealth of knowledge in Switzerland
is matched only by its growing investment in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Covering regional initiatives, startups, programs, coworking spaces, schools, investors
and more, this guide is your first step into Switzerland’s wide world of entrepreneurship.
We’d like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to this guide, with
a special thank you to our community partner Impact Hub Switzerland. We hope this book
will inspire you to go create something meaningful!
Happy reading.
Sissel Hansen
Founder and CEO of Startup Guide
6 7
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION

Startup Guide’s impact books highlight the most innovative startups and entrepreneurs
in the region’s most socially impactful cities. What we aim to describe in writing about
impact are the processes of making changes, both big and small, that help make the world
a better place. Though impact does not exclude negative outcomes that may also occur,
this guide aims to highlight the stories of initiatives that are fueled by businesses with
a clear positive vision for impact on both people and the planet.
This regional guidebook has been curated specifically with a focus on impact when
it comes to the startups and founders featured. To assess the impact of nominated
candidates, Startup Guide uses five dimensions from the Impact Management Project
(impactmanagementproject.com) tool. These include:
criteria
Startup Guide also uses its own criteria to select and assess the ecosystem based
on startup purpose, vision, transparency, profits and value rooted from the United
Nations’ seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, which is used as a framework for
building businesses. Finally, local city and community partners help to fairly evaluate
our selections and later take part in the impact-eligibility process. Startup Guide’s main
goal for its regional impact books is to highlight local actions for global good, providing
a perspective for readers and assessing how the business scenes and entrepreneurs
featured have helped provide local value that could be harvested at the global level.
what who how much contribution risk
the outcomes do
they contribute to
the people
responsible for
experiencing social
and environmental
outcomes
the scale of people
experiencing
the outcome
the depth that
businesses assess
their contribution
to the depth of an
outcome
the probabilities
and consequences
of risk events if they
are realized
What To Expect
This guide features five of Switzerland’s main impact ecosystems, among others.
We take a focused, in-depth look at Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and Lausanne
but also extend to a few smaller cities in the Swiss ecosystem that straddle multiple
areas yet are equally as beneficial to the entire region (see chapters Beyond the
Cities and Regional Initiatives).
Our guides aim to give you a view of the whole region, so we have also included
cities not necessarily considered main Swiss hubs. Some were voted in by the
advisory board, and others were selected by our team due to the cities’ important
contributions to the ecosystem.
This impact guide also features expert interviews, entrepreneur stories
and other useful tips and tricks that are the core of the Startup Guide series.
Finding Your Way
This book begins with an introduction and a Regional Initiatives chapter that gives
you an overall view of the area covered and some exciting initiatives happening in
the Swiss region. Following this, the next five chapters cover the book’s main focus:
five of Switzerland’s innovation hubs.
After our five city chapters, our Experts chapter collects some of the most
experienced and knowledgeable experts across the region to share their insights
about entrepreneurship in the ecosystem.
Beyond the Cities is the penultimate chapter before closing with our helpful tools
and resources section for readers.
The Not So Obvious
In this guide, websites do not begin with prefixes, which might not work
on some browsers. You may need to add the ‘www’ prefix for them to work.
The back of this guide includes all the resources you might need, including
an address directory, contact details, a glossary and other self-help points.
Switzerland uses the Swiss franc (CHF)
The average currency exchange rate over 2019 is CHF 1 = USD($) 1.005921
how to use
the book
8 9
INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION

Dear readers,
Dear entrepreneurs,
We enter the new decade facing myriad challenges. Climate change means we have
to transform the way we produce and consume food, the way we design our homes and
the way we think about mobility. By reflecting on our common aspiration as a society,
the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) show us where innovation is needed to
bring about meaningful change and achieve the necessary impact. Our aim is to create
the most favorable conditions for innovative businesses to make the SDGs a reality.
This guide maps the landscape of Swiss startups that are contributing to that change.
Switzerland has traditionally been fertile ground for entrepreneurship, thanks to its
excellent infrastructure, liberal culture and good governance. Swiss companies are world
leaders in terms of investment in research and development. Innovation is essential to
the country’s economic stability and attracts the most ingenious minds from around the
world. It is now time to harness this creative power to redesign our society so it is able to
function in a way that fits within planetary boundaries. Businesses are the threads of our
economic fabric, and we can weave them differently. Our entrepreneurial ecosystem can
be enhanced to promote people, sustain the planet and generate profit – all at the same
time – while creating world-class startups and companies.
Improving entrepreneurial education for young people, financing startups in their early
stages, and removing barriers to entrepreneurship for women are all key to creating the
conditions for a sustainable future.
I hope that this Startup Guide, produced in partnership with Impact Hub Switzerland,
will help us all to create value for ourselves and the generations to come.
Isabelle Moret
President of the National Council
Isabelle Moret
President of the National Council
10 11
SWITZERLAND SWITZERLAND
10
FOREWORD

Impact Hub Switzerland
With over two thousand members, Impact Hub
Switzerland is the largest community of entrepreneurs
in Switzerland. We focus on entrepreneurship,
innovation and sustainable development through
community building, coworking, events and programs.
Dear entrepreneurs,
In September 2015, over 150 world leaders adopted the Agenda for Sustainable
Development. At its core, this ambitious agenda defines seventeen Global Goals
– the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – to be achieved by 2030. While
governments and multinational corporations are indispensable players to reach
the SDGs, the necessary innovation more often than not comes from the global
startup and entrepreneurship community. And why else should an aspiring
entrepreneur throw her life into a startup, if not for making a significant contribution
to achieve those Global Goals?
We are thrilled to cocreate this first-ever Startup Guide focused on entrepreneurs
committed to the SDGs. In today’s entrepreneurship community, where funding rounds
and exits are glorified, this is a bold statement of purpose: a startup is not a product
to be sold but a powerful tool to make the world a better place. The Swiss startup
ecosystem is willing to walk this talk, and we hope to see many other startup
ecosystems join this path.
We are equally excited to develop Startup Guide Switzerland as the first-ever edition to
focus on one country. It is a guide about a fast-growing ecosystem in a country already
among the leaders in innovation and quality of life. Switzerland is a hyper-connected
startup environment where many individuals and organizations are joining forces to
become role models not just for economic growth but also for sustainable development
through innovation and entrepreneurship. This Startup Guide is both information and
inspiration, yet also an invitation to get in touch and dare to build your own company
focused on the SDGs. Switzerland is your launchpad.
Yours,
Chris Jenny, Cofounder of Impact Hub Bern
and Member of the Board of Impact Hub Switzerland Association
André Moeri, Cofounder of Impact Hub Basel
and Member of the Board of Impact Hub Switzerland Association
Amanda Byrde, Cofounder of Impact Hub Geneva and Lausanne
and Co-President of the Board of Impact Hub Switzerland Association
Christoph Birkholz, Cofounder of Impact Hub Zürich
and Co-President of the Board of Impact Hub Switzerland Association
From left to right
in the photo:
12 13
SWITZERLAND SWITZERLAND
C
O
MMUNI
T
Y
L
E
T
T
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contents
Spaces
Bluelion 60
Impact Hub Zürich 60
Kraftwerk 61
startup space by IFJ 61
Schools
Future.preneurship 62
University of Zurich 63
Zurich University of Applied
Sciences (ZHAW) 63
In partnership with:
ETH Zurich 64
Investors
Creathor Ventures 66
investiere 67
Lakestar 68
BASEL 71
Local Ecosystem 72
In partnership with
Basel Area Business & Innovation:
A Home For Innovative
Minds: How the Basel Area
Has Become a Hub 75
Startups
Anaveon 80
Direct Coffee 82
Ginga Ethical 84
Lyfegen Healthtech 86
Founders
Andre Moeri 88
Stefan Zanetti 92
Programs
BaseLaunch 96
DayOne Accelerator 96
Impact Hub Basel
Incubator 97
Spaces
Impact Hub Basel 98
Kleinhafen 98
Switzerland Innovation
Park Basel Area 99
Technologiepark Basel 99
Schools
School of Applied Sciences
and Arts Northwestern
Switzerland (FHNW) 101
Basel School of Business 101
University of Basel 102
Investors
BioMedPartners 104
MTIP 105
BERN 107
Local Ecosystem 108
In partnership with be-advanced:
Small in Stature, Giant
in Innovation: How Bern
is Becoming an Epicenter 111
Startups
FOODOO 116
Resilient 118
Retinai 120
Founders
Christian Hirsig 122
Franziska Walser 126
Programs
Berner Business Creation
Wettbewerb 131
Youngpreneurs 131
be-advanced
Startup Program 132
Spaces
Effinger 134
Impact Hub Bern 135
Urbanfish 135
Schools
Bern University
of Applied Sciences 136
Powercoders 136
University of Bern 137
The Swiss Region 18
Getting Started
in Switzerland 20
REGIONAL
INITIATIVES 26
CE Incubator 27
digitalswitzerland 27
innosuisse 28
Kickstart Innovation 28
Open Food Data 29
Seedstars 29
Startup DAYs 30
>>venture>> 30
Venture Kick 31
Venturelab 31
ZURICH 33
Local Ecosystem 34
In partnership with
City of Zurich, Canton of Zurich & SEIF:
How Zurich Became a Hub
for Economic and Impact
Innovation 37
Startups
1nfusion 238
BOND Mobility 44
Eaternity 46
Yova 48
Founders
Adrian Bührer 50
Renat Heuberger 54
Programs
Capacity 58
Climate-KIC Accelerator 58
ESA Business Incubation
Center Switzerland 59
Women Entrepreneurs
Week 59
Investors
Aare Ventures 138
Obviam 139
Swiss Entrepreneurs
Fund 140
GENEVA 143
Local Ecosystem 144
Startups
Goodwall 146
La Corde à Linge 148
MagicTomato 150
Founders
Alisée de Tonnac 152
Jonathan Normand 156
Programs
Accelerate2030 160
Fongit 161
The SINGA Factory 161
Spaces
Fab Lab Onl’Fait 162
Impact Hub Geneva 162
Spaces 163
Voisins 163
Schools
CREA Genève
– INSEEC U. 164
Investors
BlueOcean Ventures 167
Index Ventures 168
Quadia 169
LAUSANNE 171
Local Ecosystem 172
Startups
Alaya 174
Bloom Biorenewables 176
Gamaya 178
Insolight 180
Founders
Iwan Märki
& Nicolas Durand 182
Ramzi Bouzerda 186
Programs
Biopôle StartLab 190
EHL Innovation Village 190
MassChallenge Switzerland 191
Seedstars Expansion Program
to Emerging Markets 191
Spaces
Gotham Lausanne Gare 192
Hyperespace 192
Impact Hub Lausanne 193
Swiss EdTech Collider 193
Schools
In partnership with
École polytechnique fédérale
de Lausanne (EPFL) 194
IMD Business School 197
University
of Lausanne (UNIL) 197
Investors
NanoDimension 198
EXPERTS 201
Michael Eitle & Michael Kuhn
/ Blum & Grob 202
Ruth Happersberger
& Metin Zerman
/ Energie 360º 208
Dr. Daniel Heller & Roy Müller
/ Farner 214
Roger Stieger
/ Generali Switzerland 220
Dr. Oliver Bleck & Alain Bindels
/ Roche 226
Open Innovation Team
/ SBB 232
Jacques Hefti & Matthias Filser
/ STARTUP CAMPUS 238
BEYOND
THE CITIES 244
btov 245
Fondation pour l’Innovation
Technologique 245
Fusion Partners 246
Gartengold 246
Innovation Fund
Association 247
New Roots 247
Power-Blox Ltd 248
START Summit 248
Startfeld 249
Sustainability Management
School (SUMAS) 249
directory 251
glossary 260
sources 263
about the guide 267
Media Partner:
CNNMoney
Switzerland 268

THE SWISS
REGION
Switzerland, nestled at the intersection of several
countries and home to some of Europe’s foremost
universities and research centers, has the ingredients
of a startup powerhouse. And the data shows it.
The difference between the Swiss startup ecosystem
in the late nineties and today is night and day. In 1996,
fewer than fifty startups were created countrywide,
according to Startupticker.
Today, that number has increased six-fold to around
three hundred each year. With hubs in its major cities,
not to mention startup activity across all twenty-six
cantons (regions), Switzerland is one of the continent’s
greatest producers of deeptech, biotech and fintech
startups. Zurich is king, with more than 30 percent
of startups coming out of the region, but Geneva,
Lausanne, Bern and Basel are also key players.
Because of the highly technical nature of Swiss
startups, growth in the sector is slower than in other
European countries, a challenge that still needs solving.
On both a regional and national level, Switzerland has
placed an emphasis on impact. It was the first country
to host a network of connected Impact Hubs, consisting
of 1,700 active members. Individually, different regions
have their specialties. Basel is a pharmaceutical mecca
of sorts, with companies addressing everything from
antibiotic resistance to cancer therapies. In Bern,
medtech has also seen a recent emergence, with
the field growing by 20 percent, and energy and
environment play an equally important role in the
local ecosystem. Zurich is not just about fintech but
also about connectivity and AI. Health, covered by
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, is the focus
of the Vaud canton, including its capital Lausanne.
Last but not least, Geneva is one of Switzerland’s
biggest life-sciences clusters, as well as an
emerging fintech hub that hosts the FC4S Network,
the sustainable financial-centers network. •
Area: 91.88 km2
Metropolitan Pop.: 428,700
GDP: CHF 143.05 billion (2017)
GDP per capita: CHF 95,608 (2017)
Metro Area Unemployment: 3.0% (2018)
Average Salaries: CHF 117,792
Cost of Living: 1st highest out of 354 cities
Impact: Recently the majority of the
universities in Zurich have focused their
research on various areas related to the Global
Sustainable Development Goals, including
future cities, world food systems, energy,
climate change and risk.
Twenty million people pass through Zurich’s
airport each year.
PAGE 33
Area: 35.89 km2
Metropolitan Pop.: 200,256 (2018)
Cost of Living: 2nd highest out of 354 cities
Impact: Basel was the Swiss city with the most
patents filed in 2018. Roche, based in Basel, was the
individual company that filed the most patents (643).
PAGE 71
Area: 41.37 km2
Metropolitan Pop.: 139,720
Cost of Living: 3rd highest out of 354 cities
Impact: More than half of the research labs
(191 of 350) at the École Polytechnique
Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) worked on
projects related to the UN SDGs.
Lausanne is the only Swiss city
with an underground metro system.
PAGE 171
Area: 15.93 km2
Cost of Living: 4th highest out of 354 cities
Impact: More than 250 participants, including
startups, impact investors and Fortune 500
company representatives, attended the 2019
SDG Finance Geneva Summit (SGSGeneva).
Geneva is often known as the “peace capital”
because it hosts the headquarters of the
International Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC).
PAGE 143
Area: 51.6 km2
Cost of Living: 5th highest out of 354 cities
Impact: The 2019 Sustainable Development
Solutions Network (SDSN) conference took
place in Bern
The bear is the mascot of Bern, as well as a
common name for restaurants in the region.
In fact, 116 restaurants have the name Bären
in the canton.
PAGE 107
Every migrant who moves to Basel received a voucher
for free German lessons paid for by the city.
Impact Initiatives
Life-sciences startups (covering SDG 3:
Good health and well-being) are prominent in
all five cities and represent more than 10 percent
of the startups created in Switzerland.
An additional 4 percent of startups
countrywide were in the energy and cleantech
(Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy) fields.
Moving toward a more circular-economy
(SDG 12: Responsible consumption and
production) is a new focus of many Swiss
startups, and the Circular Economy (CE)
Incubator operates in four major cities:
Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich.
More than half of research labs at EPFL
incorporated the SDGs into their research,
according to the university’s first-ever Sustainable
Development Goals Report, with the greatest
focus on SDG 3 (good health and well-being),
SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), and SDG 9
(industry, innovation and infrastructure).
Check our sources - page 263
18 19

CHF 75 CHF 30–80
CHF 75–100
GETTING YOUR PAPERWORK RIGHT
In Switzerland, immigrants get the job done. More
than one-quarter of the country’s population comes
from abroad. Although the large majority of foreigners
residing in Switzerland are other Europeans (with
Italy, Germany and Portugal the most represented),
more than 15 percent came from Asia, Africa and the
Americas in 2017. EU/EFTA nationals have priority
over “third country nationals” when entering the labor
market, as the latter population is defined by a federal
quota system and only high-skilled workers tend to be
accepted.

For EU/EFTA residents, stays longer than three
months require a work visa sponsored by an employer
or proof of sufficient self-employment resources.
For shorter work periods under three months, the
employer is nonetheless required to electronically
register the employee. (Third-country nationals can
only work in Switzerland if they have a work visa, even
for under three months.) Once three months have
passed, residents are required to register with their
canton and the federal government (within fourteen
days), the Swiss healthcare system (unless they have
a European Health Insurance Card, or EHIC) and the
social security system. Luckily, in recent years, much
of this has moved online, expediting the process.
Self-employed people will have to take on a number
of additional assurances, including accident insurance.
Other things to consider include opening up a bank
account as soon as possible to be able to get paid
and rent an apartment, getting a Swiss drivers’ license
(a requirement within the first year) and, if necessary,
signing up for unemployment insurance. The website
ch.ch is an excellent resource for getting started.
STARTING A COMPANY
Switzerland’s regulatory environment and amenities
such as advanced public infrastructure and access
to world-class universities is favorable to building
a successful company. Recently, the country and
its various cantons have made additional efforts to
facilitate the process. Typically, companies fall into
two categories: Societé à Responibilité Limité (SARL,
or limited liability company) or Societé Anonyme
(AG, or large company). SARLs tend to require less
capital (under CHF 20,000) and are easier to set up,
while AGs necessitate a minimum capital investment
of CHF 100,000. A number of other models exist,
including sole proprietorship, limited partnership,
and branch and representative offices.
Once you have determined the type of company you
want to start, you must pay a small base fee (set at
CHF 120) to formalize the company name through
the federal Commercial Register, and another for your
canton’s Commercial Register (usually in the range
of CHF 100–200). To pay taxes, you must also register
with the Federal Tax Administration. A number of
services can help entrepreneurs and small business
owners fill out these legal forms and file taxes,
including EasyGov (Commercial Register, social
security, VAT and accident insurance), Bexio (tax
accounting) and IFJ (free incorporation services).
In recent years, the Swiss government has begun
to seed Swiss startups at a much higher level, with
the rate of investment tripling between 2012 and 2017.
In 2018, the federal government invested more than
CHF 300 million in the Swiss Entrepreneurs
Foundation, another sign of the rapidly shifting
landscape for entrepreneurs.
COST OF LIVING
The good news? Switzerland doesn’t have the
world’s highest cost of living (that’s Bermuda).
The bad news? It ranked second. Switzerland, of
course, has never been known to be cheap. Three of
the world’s most expensive cities (Zurich, Geneva and
Bern) are located here. Average monthly living costs
differ by city: around CHF 1,500 in Zurich, Basel and
Lausanne, but closer to 1,400 in Geneva and Bern.
Transportation can add even more. In most cities,
you can expect to pay around CHF 75 for unlimited
metros, buses and trams. For long-distance travel, the
SBB (the country’s main railway provider) is the most
expensive in Europe, at CHF 52 per 100 km traveled.
Internet costs range from around CHF 30–80
per month. Yallo and Sunrise offer the best deals.
Food costs vary by location but are generally
expensive. Average weekly groceries at Switzerland’s
major chains (Migros, COOP and Spar) cost around
CHF 75–100 per month. Even fast food packs a hefty
punch in Switzerland. The Economist’s “Big Mac
Index,” which ranks the price of a hamburger around
the world, had Switzerland well above the US and
other developed countries. It’s a good thing salaries
are high too.
Getting Started
in Switzerland
REGION ESSENTIALS
20 21
REGION ESSENTIALS

60% GERMAN
20% FRENCH 1% ROMANSH
7% ITALIAN
60% RENT 40% BUY
RENTING AN APARTMENT
Around 60 percent of people in Switzerland rent
their apartment, which can make finding a place as
a newcomer a bit of a challenge, and rental prices are
not cheap. According to data from Transferwise, the
average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city
center across Switzerland was around CHF 1,484,
but that too can differ by city. In Geneva, for example,
a one-bedroom apartment costs CHF 1,743 versus
CHF 1,214 in Bern. According to Expatistan.com,
studio rents in Zurich ranged from CHF 1,457 to
CHF 1,891; in Lausanne, from CHF 1,152 to CHF 1,507;
and in Basel, from CHF 970 to CHF 1,727.
Get going early, and be ready to snatch up an
apartment when it becomes free. It’s recommended
to prepare a credit report (Betreibungsauskunft
in German, or rapport de crédit in French) before
you start looking, especially if you’ve never lived in
Switzerland before. This will prove to Swiss banks
and landlords that you’ll be a trustworthy renter.
Typically, in German-speaking parts of the country,
the apartment search lasts around three months,
while in French- and Italian-speaking parts it can
take a bit longer (four months or more). Finding an
apartment can be made easier through a number of
online platforms such as Homegate.ch, Comparis.ch
and Ums.ch for transitional housing and sublets.
CULTURE AND LANGUAGE
Switzerland – a small country surrounded by four
larger ones – is a fusion of cultures, languages and
traditions. The Swiss officially speak four languages:
German (about 60 percent of the population), French
(20 percent), Italian (7 percent) and the little-known
Romansh (1 percent), not to mention many regional
and local dialects. Unofficially, English might as well
be listed too, as the Swiss are generally proficient,
learning it from an early age. For entrepreneurs,
most resources can be found in several languages,
including English.
Regardless of the part of the country or language
spoken, a few small formalities will go a long way.
The Swiss value timeliness, and showing up
fashionably late is a faux pas. Typically, when speaking
to people for the first time, it’s safer to employ the
formal you (vous in French, Sie in German, etc.),
though young people have adopted a more casual
approach. As in neighboring France, saying “hi” is
not only a form of politeness but almost a social
requirement. Learn how to say it in different ways;
for example, “hallo,” “bonjour” or “ciao.” In social
settings, be prepared: the Swiss typically kiss three
times on the cheek and not just one or two.
While known for its business environment, people in
Switzerland know how to have fun too. With one-fifth
of the Alps mountain range located in Switzerland
and one hundred peaks reaching higher than 4,000
meters, Switzerland may be the best place in the
world for skiing. For non-alpinists, the country has a
number of lakes for boating, vineyards for wine-tasting
and, of course, copious fondue for snacking.
MEETING PEOPLE AND NETWORKING
The Swiss are known for being discrete and
sometimes a bit insular, but they are also friendly
and welcoming people who love to share their culture
(and they’re not afraid to get into each other’s
personal space and stand very close together on
public transit, for that matter). With Impact Hubs
in Switzerland’s five largest cities and networking
meetups across a number of industries and
demographics, meeting people in Switzerland is no
longer as daunting as it once was. If you’ve just arrived
in the country, coworking spaces are a great place to
meet people. In Basel, stop by the Technologie Park;
in Bern, Urbanfish offers a homely vibe; in Geneva,
Voisins (“neighbors”) breaks down the wall between
foreigners and locals; in Lausanne, Gotham is doing
something new; and in Zurich, Bluelion and Kraftwerk
are popular spaces.
Many of the biggest universities in Switzerland,
such as ETH Zurich or EPFL, host entrepreneurship
clubs that meet for events during the year. Startup
Days, an event that brings together hundreds of
entre-preneurs across the country each June to Bern,
may be the best way to meet a lot of entrepreneurs
at once. Digital Switzerland also hosts a number
of startup bootcamps each year.
For keeping abreast of networking events in any
Swiss city, some useful resources include Meetup,
Startupgrind and Eventbrite. Startupticker.ch and
swissinfo.ch also publish news and briefings about
comings and goings in the Swiss startup scene.
The best way to get to know people, however, is to
learn how to make a killer fondue or play the alphorn,
and then invite new acquaintances to join you. •
[Q] How would you describe the Swiss startup
ecosystem in terms of its level of collaboration,
cooperation and openness?
[A] The Swiss startup ecosystem has developed
dramatically over the last ten years. Several initiatives
such as digitalswitzerland, Swiss Startup Invest
and Venturekick have helped to connect corporates,
startups and VCs. The technology transfer from
the universities has also become more professional.
With a grain of intelligence, young entrepreneurs get
easy access to the community and the right partners.
[Q] What would be your number one tip for an
entrepreneur who’d like to connect with interesting
people in the startup ecosystem in Switzerland?
[A] The Swiss Startup ecosystem is fairly small and
manageable. Newcomers have three platforms to be
efficiently accelerated and plugged in: Startup Days
in Bern, where the entire industry meets; IFS with its
Venture Kick program; and Kickstart Accelerator in
Zurich. There you meet the right people to be further
connected. One may also follow the startupticker.ch
to learn more about the latest trends.
[Q] What do you think makes a successful
entrepreneur in the Switzerland ecosystem,
and do you feel it’s different than other regions
in any particular ways?
[A] Switzerland has great universities and
technologies. In my opinion, any successful enterprise
combines hardware and software. Due to the limited
size of the domestic market, global markets have to
be the target. The combination of Swiss reliability
and precision with sales and marketing from abroad
creates fruitful companies. •
[Q&A] — Christian Wenger
Partner Wenger & Vieli AG / Business Angel and Entrepreneur
/ Founder of digitalswitzerland and Swiss Startup Invest
“The Swiss Startup ecosystem
has developed dramatically
over the last ten years.”
22 23
GETTING STARTED IN SWITZERLAND REGION ESSENTIALS

REGIONAL
INITIATIVES
CE Incubator
Formed in 2018, Circular Economy Transition (CET) aims to
accelerate the transition of Switzerland to a circular-economy,
one based on reselling, reusing and repairing. Active in cities
across the country and facilitated by Impact Hub Switzerland
and sanu durabilitas, CET has rolled out the CE Incubator,
which focuses on early-stage startups with circular business
models. The incubator helps these startups prototype and
develop their solutions with support from advisors, experts
and a network of impact investors. Each edition of the program
incubates more than twenty-five startups countrywide, split
among four cohorts in Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich.
Aside from business-development support, CE Incubator also
helps startups secure their first clients, grow visibility and
showcase at events.
AREA Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich
SECTOR Early-stage startups with circular
business models; i.e., solutions based on circular
activities such as resell, reuse, repair, and
refurbish
FACTS Twenty-six startups went through the first
edition of the CE Incubator in early 2019. About
60 percent of them launched their solutions
during or after the program.
SELECTED PORTFOLIO Bloom, La Manivelle,
Kompotoi, Miniloop, Bibou’tic
APPLY cet@impacthub.ch, form.jotformeu.com/
ceincubator/ce-incubator-2020
WEBISTE cetransition.ch/incubator
digitalswitzerland is on a mission to promote Switzerland
as a deeptech hub. Partnering with Impact Hub Zürich and
Venturekick, it runs two startup bootcamps to help build that
reputation. Its Scale Up Bootcamp supports late-stage Swiss
startups who have already sold their product and are ready
to grow. These startups participate in an intensive half-day
program where they make introductions, have one-on-one
meetings, pitch their companies and are then matched with
corporate partners. “Legartis was super successful on the
last FinTech Scale Up Bootcamp and gathered nine leads with
different corporations in less than four hours,” says Matthias
Zwingli, project manager of both programs. The Market Entry
Bootcamp helps international startups enter the Swiss market
with a three-day immersion program. Many of their corporate
partners are active in both bootcamps and are eager to
collaborate with startups to help their own evolution.
digitalswitzerland
AREA Switzerland-wide, main hub in Zurich
SECTOR deeptech
FACTS The program supports between
80 and 110 startups per year, roughly half in each
of the bootcamps: Scale Up is a one-afternoon
intensive, while Market Entry is a three-day deep
dive into the Swiss startup ecosystem.
PARTICIPATING PARTNERS Impact Hub Zürich, Venture-
kick, Credit Suisse, Swiss Post, Zurich Insurance
EMAIL matthias@digitalswitzerland.com
WEBISTE digitalswitzerland.com/startupbootcamps
incubation program focused on circular-economy
startup bootcamps
27
REGIONAL INITIATIVES

Nestled into a valley below the Uetliberg mountain,
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and a global
financial capital whose eye is increasingly drawn
to companies focused on making a positive impact.
The canton of Zurich, with its population of over
1.2 million people, has long attracted foreigners
and Swiss residents alike. Today, it’s also bringing
in unprecedented levels of investment in the startup
economy and reimagining itself for the twenty-first
century.
ZURICH

Only the Viennese live better than residents of Zurich, according to Mercer’s quality-of-
life rankings. A Zürcherin or Zürcher might argue otherwise. The 430,000-person city
in the German-speaking part of Switzerland lies on the shores of beautiful Lake Zurich.
The city meets all the criteria for living the good life: abundant economic opportunities,
efficient infrastructure and a vibrant cultural environment. There are more than 500 bars,
1,500 restaurants, 50 museums and 100 galleries, as well as some of the world’s best
universities. Ascending the Uetliberg mountain, which is accessible by public transit,
reveals a city abuzz with energy and life.
As a global financial capital and an important research center for companies such as
Google and Disney, Zurich is without a doubt one of the best places in the world to start a
business. According to the 2019 Swiss Venture Capital Report by startupticker.ch, more
than half a billion Swiss francs were invested in nearly 100 Zurich-based startups in 2018,
representing about half of the investment across Switzerland for that year. Increasingly
this investment has been steered toward startups proposing unique solutions to societal
challenges. Startups can apply for Kickstart, a deeptech accelerator with a focus on
bringing together startups, corporates, city agencies and nonprofits, or they can take
part in the world’s largest Impact Hub. And whether it’s in ICT, finance, life sciences or
cleantech, Zurich has created jobs at an especially high rate when compared to the rest
of Switzerland – just another feather in its already-brimming cap.
– Zurich figures among the most attractive financial centers in the world. In Europe,
it is preceded only by London according to the Global Financial Centres Index.
– The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) was again ranked as the best
university in continental Europe and generates more than twenty-five startups
each year, of which 90% remain in successful operation over the next five years.
– With 48 deals in the first half of 2019, Zurich was the fifth strongest European city
for investment after London, Paris, Berlin and Stockholm.
– Nearly half of the country’s value-add in the financial market in 2017 was generated
in the Zurich region.
– Major accelerators, incubators and supporting organisations are located in Zurich
including SEIF, Innosuisse, Venture Kick, Swiss Finance Startups, Startzentrum Bluelion
and GO! Mikrokredite.
– Zurich boasts the largest number of circular-economy startups across Switzerland.
– Between 2017 and 2018, investment in Zurich-based startups increased by 88%.
– The city is also a hub for ICT startups, with 64 ICT startups raising more than
CHF 300 million in 2018.
FACTS &
FIGURES
– The Zurich-founded travel-experiences company Get Your Guide has raised nearly
half a billion dollars and is set to attain unicorn status. Now headquartered in Berlin,
the company still bases some of its research and development in Zurich and has
received investment from Swisscanto Invest, which is part of Zürcher Kantonalbank.
In total, the app has helped sell more than twenty-five million tickets to various tourism
experiences around the world.
– Loanboox, a Zurich-based debt-capital-market platform, was named the Growth Stage
Startup of the Year at the 2018 Swiss Fintech Awards.
– More than forty of the top 100 Startups in 2019 originated in Zurich, including Wingtra
AG, Cutiss AG and Piavita AG, which all made the top ten.
– Labster, a VR-based laboratory-simulation platform used in educational settings
around the world, went through the Impact Hub Zurich and raised a more than
CHF 20 million in its Series B funding round in April 2019.
NOTABLE
STARTUP
ACTIVITY
ZURICH
Local Ecosystem
34 35
ZURICH ZURICH Local Ecosystem

Canton of Zurich
Department for Economic Affairs
Office for Economy and Labour
Zurich is an old city with a new beating heart of entrepreneurship. With the largest
number of circular-economy startups in Switzerland, unheralded scientific innovation
coming out of its major universities, and a number of major accelerator and incubator
programs to open up to new businesses in recent years, Zurich has become Switzerland’s
leading startup hub.
How did Zurich manage to do this? The keyword is collaboration. In Zurich these days,
everyone – from urban planners and developers to scientists, investors and startup
founders – has a razor-sharp focus on entrepreneurship, and this shared focus is working:
between 2017 and 2018, investments in startups nearly doubled.
Because Zurich is a major financial capital, it has always benefited from a constant ebb
and flow of capital and ideas, making it uniquely situated to push the envelope when it
comes to entrepreneurship. With the advent and increasing global popularity of social
impact entrepreneurship, its role in developing future solutions to technological and
social challenges – not just for Switzerland, but for the planet – will continue to grow.
“Zurich is a very interesting city for startups because it’s kind of a big living lab,” says
Anna Schindler, director of Urban Development Zurich. “The important element is the
fusion between the different players in the ecosystem.”
Since taking over the position in 2011, Anna has sought to make Zurich a more attractive
city for entrepreneurs in two primary ways.
How Zurich
Became a Hub
for Economic and
Impact Innovation
In partnership with
An interview with
Anna Schindler / Director of Urban Development Zurich
Mariana Christen Jakob / Founder, SEIF
Aimée van der Wolde / Managing Partner, SEIF
37
ZURICH
36 In partnership with City of Zurich, Canton of Zurich & SEIF
An interview with Anna Schindler, Mariana Christen Jakob & Aimée van der Wolde

TEAM
1nfusion’s team of seven comprises a mix of
expertise, bringing together dedicated sensor
experts, experienced medical-device developers
and a professional in medical-innovation pioneer sales
and marketing. “It is a compact and powerful team,”
says Daniel. “Every single member is an A player.
We have the chance to really move something and
make an impact, but it is also fun to work together.”
The team has a tradition of Friday beers and regular
get-togethers and sessions where they give each
other feedback in a relaxed environment. “Every year,
we get together for a team goulash, and every year
the pot gets bigger as the team grows in size.”
Up to 90 percent of hospital patients receive infusion
therapy, and thus infusion pumps are used on a daily
basis. Most of these pumps, however, are unable to
track how much fluid is actually passing through
them, and there are frequent failures. The ECRI
Institute ranks them as the number-one healthcare-
technology hazard. When Daniel Thorvaldsen, working
for a sensor company, discovered this at a trade show
back in 2015, he resolved to do something about it.
His startup, 1nfusion, has developed a new type of
infusion pump that uses sensors to measure flow,
creating safer pumps that are more accurate and
easier to use. “We take infusion therapy to the next
level,” says Daniel.
The 1nfusion pumps, after a fast development period
that saw the traditional infusion pump redesigned
from the ground up, are now ready for market, with
the first devices already in use and patents filed.
Daniel says the pumps have been developed with
customer feedback in mind. “You have a plan until
you meet a customer. We learned a lot when we first
put the device in the clinics.” A strong team has been
put together, and market entry is now underway,
with the first sales predicted over the next few
months. The privately funded startup, which has also
taken on some grant capital, will make money from
device sales and recurring revenue from consumables,
software and service.
Reaching CE-certification of the first
infusion pump with flow sensing.
Bringing the FlowBox into clinical
use in Swiss hospitals.
Filing four patents to protect
our core technology.
Getting strong development,
marketing and sales teams set up.
MILESTONES
ELEVATOR PITCH
1nfusion
“ We have developed a new generation of
infusion pumps based on a proprietary
sensor technology. 1nfusion pumps
provide consistent accuracy, a higher
level of safety and superior ease of use.”
WEB 1nfusion.com
42 43
ZURICH STARTUPS STARTUPS 1nfusion

Adrian Bührer
Founder
/ Panaman, Uebermorgen Ventures
Swiss serial entrepreneur Adrian Bührer has been
active in the startup world in Zurich for over two
decades. As a self-described “generalist,” he has
advised and invested in digital startups across
many industries, ranging from food and retail to
mobility and healthcare. Having recently set up
a venture fund, Uebermorgen Ventures, Adrian
is now focusing on companies that develop
innovative technologies and business models
to mitigate climate change.
and have been pretty active as a business angel in
Switzerland and Germany.
What inspired you to start your own consultancy?
Like many founders, I think my strengths lie in
establishing the foundation of a new company. I’m
really good at coming up with business ideas and
bringing these ideas to life, surrounding myself with
a good team of people, making prototypes, bringing
a product to market and acquiring customers. After
selling my first company, many businesses asked me
whether I could offer consultancy services. It seemed
like the right time to make this move.
When I worked with corporates, I brought innovation
into their business models and tried to explore
possibilities that were outside their established
mindsets. I usually did this by incubating and investing
in startups, creating product ideas, finding the right
team members and accelerating creative ideas. I like
to think of startups and corporates in the following
way: large enterprises are like a vast tanker, whereas
startups are like small, agile jet skis. I think I’m more
of a jet ski guy: a good inventor and entrepreneur, but
maybe not a very good manager in a large company
structure.
How do corporates and startups compare in terms
of company culture?
I think they have very opposite cultures; there are
few similarities. Entrepreneurs have very different
characteristics compared to employees and managers
that want to make a career within a company. In my
view, entrepreneurs are more autonomous, problem-
solving orientated, curious, willing to take risks and
make sacrifices – especially in terms of sleep, salary,
friendships and security – in order to fulfil their
dreams. They can also be annoyingly stubborn, erratic
and emotionally unstable at times!
The processes in startups and corporates are also
completely different. While in a corporate, you have
established processes that everyone must adhere
to for the whole company to function. Startups tend
to have fewer processes and more flexibility. Their
business model is also looser, which makes them more
agile. However, startups that have too few processes
can often be too unstructured, which sometimes
leads to problems further down the line. Many
startups begin with a great idea, but they stumble
when it comes to establishing crucial things like a
management hierarchy or customer-management
process, for example.
Startups often lack the good things that corporates
have and vice versa. It’s sometimes challenging to
bring these two worlds together.
You’ve had quite a varied career working across
many different industries. How do you think your
experiences have impacted your role as a founder
and your ability to successfully run your own
consultancy?
I think it has definitely made me more of a generalist
than a specialist. I’ve worked in lots of different digital
segments. I saw the media industry when I was
working with Axel Springer, and I’ve had insight into all
kinds of industries: retail, car sharing, mobile banking,
real estate, you name it.
Five years ago, I became the founding investor
of Farmy, the third-biggest online marketplace
for organic food in Switzerland, and now I’ve got
investments in the crypto space, female podcasting
and baby food. With every investment, I learn so many
things. I love it.
I think what I can bring to the table is a lot of
experience about what needs to be done to get
a company off the ground and how to solve the
challenges that inevitably arise during this time.
WEB uebermorgen.vc panaman.com
“ In the next few decades,
environmental and social
policies will continue to
grow in strength. I think
businesses that prepare
now for these coming
changes will be the
winners of tomorrow. ”
Panaman, founded in 2012, is a digital innovation
consultancy that assists corporations and
startups in creating digital business models
and products. Panaman works with a network
of experts to offer services such as product
innovation, general management consulting and
corporate strategy.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Can you start by giving me a bit of background
about yourself? Where are you from originally
and what has your career looked like so far?
I grew up in a suburb just outside Zurich. I moved
into the city about twenty-two years ago to study
my masters in media science, microeconomics and
international politics at the University of Zurich,
and I’ve been living there ever since.
I started my first company alongside three friends
some twenty years ago. It was called Students.ch,
and it’s the largest online community for students in
Switzerland to this day. We sold the company to Axel
Springer, the largest media house in Europe, in 2007.
I then became employed at Axel Springer and was
the head of new media in Switzerland for three years.
I quickly found out while working there that I wasn’t so
much of a corporate guy. I wanted to build something
that was my own, where I could use the skills I’d
gained over the years to help other entrepreneurs
grow their businesses.
In 2012, I founded Panaman Consulting. Ever since,
my professional life has formed around corporate
consulting through Panaman and startup investing
as a private business angel. I’ve had the pleasure to
consult Migros, one of the largest retail companies
in Switzerland, and the life-insurance company
SwissLife, on things like startup collaboration,
innovative business models and incubation. I’ve also
privately invested in twenty companies over the years
50 51
ZURICH FOUNDERS FOUNDERS Adrian Bührer

However, Switzerland is quite a closed market,
which means it can be hard for companies to scale
internationally. This is mainly because we have our
own currency and financial system. We don’t have the
euro here, and we’re not part of the European Union,
both of which have consequences for companies
wanting to expand.
Is Zurich also a good place for impact-focused
businesses?
Yes, absolutely. I think it’s a rapidly-growing space
here in Zurich. Businesses that try to tackle societal
problems, especially climate change, are gradually
getting more visibility. The coworking space Impact
hub is a good example of this. It’s a great initiative
that’s growing every year. Also, during the recent
elections here in Switzerland, a great number of new
green politicians were elected. I think this shows that
there will be many promising changes to come in
politics over the next few years.
I’m currently launching a venture fund with three
partners called Uebermorgen Ventures that will
make early-stage investments in innovative startups
developing profitable business models to prevent
climate change. I think it is valuable to invest in
companies that are creating solutions that can save
the planet and generate revenue by doing so.
Climate change is an enormous threat but also
a huge business opportunity for startups.
Do you think that businesses are more generally
becoming more aware of their social and
environmental impact?
I think so, yes. You only have to look in the
newspapers and see all the problems that are
happening globally to know that businesses,
particularly large corporations, have to change
and adapt to the times. Our resources on this planet
are limited. We need to use them more carefully.
I do think, however, that the biggest steps toward
a better future will need to come from politics
and regulation. People can change voluntarily on
an individual level – you can change your energy
providers in your home, walk more rather than getting
public transport and swap your gas guzzling cars for a
bike – but we need the big push of government policy
to enact fundamental change in society. Ultimately, I
think the best measure would be to raise a carbon tax
and then redistribute the money back to the people.
When it comes to businesses, it’s important for them
to be aware of what impact, positive and negative,
they’re having on society, but they also need to
consider the bottom line. That’s why they need a
clear path from the regulators about climate-change
legislation, so they can plan ahead and find innovative
solutions.
Over the next few decades, I think that environmental
and social policies will continue to grow in strength,
and companies will be forced to think about their
impact. I think businesses that prepare now for these
coming changes will be the winners of tomorrow.
What professional advice would you give to younger,
less-experienced entrepreneurs?
If I were to speak to my younger self, I would tell him
not to listen to every piece of advice he is given.
Above all, I think the important thing is to be naive,
ry everything out and learn through experience.
You cannot really learn how to be an entrepreneur;
you just have to do it. •
What are your top work essentials?
My phone. I don’t need more to operate
properly.
At what age did you found your first
company?
Twenty-two.
What’s your most-used app?
Email.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice
you’ve been given?
Just do it.
What do you do every morning (or night
before) to prepare for the day ahead?
In the optimal case, drink a good coffee,
hug my kids and my wife, hum to a song
and smile at life. Otherwise, just drink coffee.
Product, marketing, distribution, team, investor
relations: I think this is where I can bring the most
value to a startup. Helping companies throughout
these early stages is also where I find the most joy
in my professional life.
Can you tell me a little bit more about the business
landscape in Zurich? Why should startups choose
this city as the location to start their venture?
First of all, Zurich is one of the most beautiful cities on
Earth, and it has a very high standard of living. I think
it’s a privilege to be able to live and work here. When
it comes to startups, there are many advantages
to launching a company here. It’s a small city full
of very bright people. Zurich’s universities produce
world-class graduates, which means that companies
can access an extensive talent pool. The size of the
city also makes it easy to be well-connected: you
can reach out to and meet people very fast, and you
can easily tap into resources like human capital or
financing. It’s also a good experimental playground
for entrepreneurs to test their ideas. Zurich, as a city,
has a very high average net worth, which means that
you can meet wealthy consumers who are passionate
about making good product choices and trying out
new things.
52 53
ZURICH FOUNDERS FOUNDERS Adrian Bührer

Impact Hub Zürich’s first location sprung up in 2011 underneath
the arches of a restored nineteenth-century railway viaduct.
Since then, another bright and airy space – dubbed the Colab
location – was opened in 2015 in a former chemical factory.
With a community of startups, freelancers and creatives, most
of whom are working towards at least one of the seventeen
Sustainable Development Goals, each space resembles a small
village. With collaboration as its guiding ethos, Impact Hub
Zürich hosts a variety of activities, including match-making
events with partners, such as Google for Startups and the
Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), and skill-share breakfasts.
While the price and type of memberships vary, each member
has access to a personal community builder who can offer
support across all aspects of the coworking experience.
Impact Hub Zürich
Since 2016, the startup space by IFJ has been hosting
workplace sessions and providing office space to
entrepreneurs and local businesses. Ideally located only a
two-minute walk from Schlieren train station, the 1,500 m²
coworking space has become a popular hotspot for seminars,
meetings and events, while visitors arriving from Zurich’s
central station can reach it in just nine minutes. With its
ultramodern interior, the space provides an aesthetically
smooth experience for guests and has plenty of room for
games and refreshments once the workday is over. “Due to
our courses and events program, we’re engaging with around
twenty thousand people each year, making us an exciting
space for businesses to meet new clients,” says Simon May,
managing director at IFJ.
startup space by IFJ
Housed in a former power station, Kraftwerk is an innovation
space with palpable energy. Upon stepping through the
doors, visitors are welcomed into a space of high ceilings and
industrial-style decor, where a range of coworking facilities,
event spaces and a cafe serving eco-friendly dishes can be
found. At the center of the space is the Basecamp, which acts
as a meeting point for national and international startups,
accelerators and local municipalities. Kraftwerk is a place
where coworkers can rub shoulders with top opinion leaders
and innovators and discuss their latest ideas in an open and
collaborative setting. The space, the result of a partnership
with Engagement Migros, ewz and digitalswitzerlandis, is also
the most recent location of its operator, Impact Hub Zürich.
Kraftwerk
For Bluelion, an incubator with coworking space for startups,
the city of Zurich is etched into its DNA. Inspired by the
Zurich coat of arms, Bluelion was founded in 2012 through a
wide-ranging partnership of local foundations, independent
investors and companies, including the City of Zurich, ETH
Zurich, UZH, Swisscom, ZKB, and attorney Christian Wenger.
While the space, which now has three locations, caters largely
to preseed startups, the idea is to mix new companies with
more established ones, such as MyClubs, Sustema and PhAST
Diagnostics. The Sihlquai space has a semi-open layout as well
as a cafe and event space that can seat forty people.
It’s just a five-minute walk from the river and next door to
Impact Hub Zürich.
Bluelion
ADDRESS Sihlquai 125, 8005 Zurich
OPENING HOURS 24/7 for members. Office
hours, Mon–Fri: 8:30 AM–5:30 PM
USP The only nonprofit incubator in Zurich
that focuses on preseed startups.
PRICE RANGE Desks: starting at CHF 550 per
month. Private offices: CHF 1,050 per month.
WEB bluelion.ch
ADDRESS Selnaustrasse 25, 8001 Zurich
OPENING HOURS Mon–Wed: 8 AM–10 PM;
Thurs–Fri: 8 AM–12AM
USP A meeting point for a broad network
of innovators.
PRICE RANGE Small meeting room (for up to 8
people): CHF 70 per hour. Workshop space
(for up to 25 people): CHF 170.
WEB kraftwerk.host
ADDRESS Sihlquai 131, 8005 Zurich
OPENING HOURS Mon–Fri: 8.30 AM–7:00 PM
USP A community of changemakers.
PRICE RANGE Membership: CHF 45 to CHF 550
per month. Day passes: CHF 25 for members
and CHF 35 for non-members.
WEB zurich.impacthub.ch
ADDRESS IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen AG,
Wiesenstr. 5, 8952 Schlieren
OPENING HOURS Mon–Fri: 7:00 AM–7:00 PM
USP A flexible and multi-faceted coworking space
that can respond
to business infrastructural needs for fast-growing
startups.
PRICE RANGE Day pass: CHF 35. Monthly: CHF 450.
Hourly meeting rooms: CHF 30.
WEB startup-space.ch
60 61
ZURICH SPACES SPACES

The University of Zurich (UZH) is committed to producing
cutting-edge research across its wide range of disciplines.
As the largest and most diverse Swiss University, UZH aims
to cultivate future innovators by promoting free dialogue,
interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and independent
thinking. UZH offers bachelor’s, master’s and PhD students
the opportunity to explore sustainability-focused topics
within their wider disciplines. Students can opt to do an
interdisciplinary master’s in gender studies, a joint master’s in
economics and politics, as well as minor-level courses in Earth
system science and environmental sciences. Together with
the university hospitals, UZH is a center of biomedicine and
life-sciences research, and it’s also an incubator for numerous
biotech and medtech spinoffs. In addition, the UZH Innovation
Hub connects students and researchers of all faculties to the
Swiss startup ecosystem and offers funding and hands-on
training to fledgling startup founders.
University of Zurich
LOCATION In the Alstadt neighborhood,
across the road from Universitatsspital Park.
CLOSE TRANSIT CONNECTIONS Tram or bus
services to Platte.
PRICE OF TUITION CHF 720–CHF 1,220
per semester.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Bachelor: a federal or
Swiss-recognized maturity certificate or a
country’s equivalent. Master: A bachelor’s
degree or an equivalent from a state-ac-
credited university.
WEB uzh.ch
Made up of eight schools across locations in Winterthur, Zurich
and Wädenswil, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences
(ZHAW) looks to equip students with professional, research-
based and practice-based competencies in transformative
science, which can be applied in demanding professional fields.
The university has over 13,000 students and offers twenty-
eight bachelor’s and eighteen master’s degree programs.
Central to its degree and continuing-education programs are
scientific foundations and evaluation as well as the systematic
reflection of the competence-oriented educational process,
which ZHAW believes provides the basis for successful lifelong
learning. Regionally integrated, the university cooperates
with international partners and is oriented towards global
challenges and markets. It actively participates in the
further development of the European Higher Education and
Research Areas as well as of European economic, social
and cultural environments, and it has an increasing focus
on entrepreneurship via its new Master in Innovation and
Entrepreneurship program.
Zurich University
of Applied Sciences
(ZHAW)
LOCATION ZHAW operates three locations:
Campus Winterthur, Campus Zurich, Campus
Wädenswil.
CLOSE TRANSIT CONNECTIONS All locations can be
easily reached by public transport (train, tram)
PRICE OF TUITION CHF 720 per semester
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS High school degree
or apprenticeship with a vocational
baccalaureate.
WEB zhaw.ch
Future.preneurship’s overarching aim is to introduce young,
talented individuals to the future of work. The school provides
students with opportunities for work experience with
inspiring companies (from early-stage startups to established
businesses) that have an entrepreneurial spirit and a human-
centered ethos. At weekly training sessions held at Impact Hub
Zürich and other innovation hot spots, young talents are given
insight into topics from agile management to design thinking
from experts in the Swiss innovation and startup scene. The
idea is to equip participants with the essential skills needed
to thrive in today’s challenging and ever-changing job market.
Future.preneurship provides equal opportunities for all
prospective participants and is committed to increasing
the diversity of the Swiss startup scene. Thanks to its focus
on encouraging more women entrepreneurs to take part
in the local ecosystem, two-thirds of the school’s participants
are female.
Future.preneurship
LOCATION Colab space in Impact Hub Zürich
in the Sihlquai neighborhood.
CLOSE TRANSIT CONNECTIONS Tram or bus
services to Limmatplatz
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Open to everyone
between the ages of twenty and thirty with
a valid work permit for Switzerland. Each
applicant will be subject to a selection
process due to limited places.
WEB futurepreneurship.info
62 63
ZURICH SCHOOLS SCHOOLS

HOCHSCHULEN
WERD
KREIS 1
FLUNTERN
Founded in 1855, ETH Zurich (which was at the time known as Polytechnikum) has always
been a pioneer in the fields of engineering, mathematics, fundamental science and
innovation. The Pascal programming language, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
and, more recently, SCION (the first clean-slate Internet architecture) and Climeworks
(a technology which captures CO2
from the air) can all trace their histories back to ETH.
In the last twenty years, more than four hundred spin-off companies and startups with
ETH technology and patents have evolved from ETH. Today, the school serves over
21,000 students from bachelor to doctoral levels. They come from across the country and
around the world for the school’s rigorous scientific principles and its forward-thinking
entrepreneurial options. “We have three missions: teaching, research and innovation,”
says Vice President for Research and Corporate Relations Detlef Günther. “And all parts of
our mission work hand in hand. So whether that means starting directly with your doctoral
studies or with your master studies, you can live your dream in terms of developing your
technical skills and accessing outstanding infrastructure.”
A number of entrepreneurial resources are available to all ETH students. This includes
the student project house with a makerspace, which gives students support in developing
prototypes out of their own ideas; a student-run, nonprofit Entrepreneurship Club, which
promotes entrepreneurship at ETH and provides workspaces for startups; and the CHF
150,000, eighteen-month Pioneer Fellowship grant available to master’s and doctoral
students to develop their startups from cutting-edge ETH research results. In addition,
the school offers a high-tech accelerator called the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Lab
(ieLab), which supports startups and hosts Pioneer Fellows; the Swiss ESA Business
Incubation Center, which focuses on space-related start-ups; and finally the Wyss Zurich,
a joint accelerator of the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich that focuses on
regenerative medicine and robotics startups. Through ETH, startups are connected
to network partners and investors, such as the Venture Incubator, and have the added
benefit of proximity to their professors’ research groups as well as to companies
performing cutting-edge data-science research around Zurich; for example, Google,
IBM and Microsoft. “We have an extremely fruitful ecosystem,” Detlef says, “and are
therefore attractive as an educator of the next generation.”
ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich is a Swiss-government-funded technical
university with the major task of teaching the next generation
how outstanding research leads to innovation. ETH stands
on a bedrock of true Swiss values: freedom and individual
responsibility, entrepreneurial spirit and open-mindedness.
LOCATION Downtown and Hönggerberg
Close transit connections Downtown campus:
tram lines 6 and 10 to ETH/Universitätsspital;
polybahn from Central. Hönggerberg campus:
buses 69 and 80 at ETH Hönggerberg stop.
ENTRY REQUIRENMENTS For master’s and doctoral
programs, an undergraduate degree from
a university is necessary.
PRICE OF TUITION CHF 1,250 per year
APPLICATIONS CAN BE SENT VIA ethz.ch
LINKEDIN school/eth-zurich
FACEBOOK & TWITTER @ETH
INSTAGRAM ethzurich
WEB ethz.ch
In partnership with ETH Zurich
Detlef Günther, Vice President
for Research and Corporate
Relations, ETH Zurich
64 65
ZURICH SCHOOLS ETH Zurich

Dammsteg Brücke, Zurich
Lakestar
SECTOR Internet and technology focused
WEB lakestar.com
It is in Lakestar’s DNA to create successful companies
and to support entrepreneurs on their way to disrupt
entire industries with their technologies. When one of
Lakestar’s portfolio companies came to investment
partner Nico Brand for help with securing follow-on
funding, Nico dove headlong into the challenge. After
spending several weeks working closely with the
founder, the team succeeded in bringing on board
additional, reputable investors. “Getting involved
properly is essential in supporting portfolio companies
beyond capital investments,” says Nico. “This is what
our portfolio companies highly regard in our
collaboration.” If anything, it’s this idea – an
investment model based on developing deep,
personal relationships with founders and the intuition
for the “next big thing” – that makes Lakestar unique
in the investing ecosystem. Founded by Klaus
Hommels, a European investor since the ‘90s,
Lakestar invests in early- and growth-stage startups
across a wide range of sectors, with an interest in
emerging technologies, such as blockchain and AI,
and across a wide variety of sectors including real
estate, healthcare, travel, mobility and fintech.
Founded in Zurich, Lakestar has developed a truly
global presence with international investors in Zurich,
Berlin and London. Globally, the fund manages a
portfolio of more than €1 billion ($1.1 billion).
Lakestar’s portfolio companies are using technology
to improve human outcomes in fields as diverse as
healthcare, insurance, logistics and transportation. Its
portfolio includes established startups such as
Spotify, Skype and Airbnb as well as emerging
companies in fields undergoing tectonic industry
shifts. The latter includes companies such as Sennder,
which is digitalizing the freight and logistics industry,
and Auterion, an open-source software platform for
drones. The idea, says Nico, is to use technology to
“help solve some of the key challenges we face at the
moment,” including demographic shifts and global
inequalities. “We’re not going about doing a job. We’re
following something we’re deeply interested in and
passionate about, and that’s helping others succeed
with what they want to achieve.”
Lakestar has a strong entrepreneurial spirit
and works alongside ambitious founders to
create successful companies.
LINKEDIN company/lakestar-vc
68 69
ZURICH INVESTORS

Located at the crossroads of three countries –
Switzerland, France and Germany – the Basel Area is
a modern region that’s familiar with bringing together
diverse cultures and perspectives. The Basel Area,
with the oldest university and a unique dialect called
Baslerdytsch, also has a French-speaking region, is
home to some of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical
companies and boasts the strongest life-sciences
cluster in Switzerland. The city of Basel is also the
second-most international Swiss city after Zurich.
BASEL

BASEL AREA
Local Ecosystem
Nestled into the intersection of three major European countries, the Basel Area has
long been a key node for trade and commerce. This has made for a small area that’s
surprisingly cosmopolitan, with more than one in three inhabitants coming from abroad.
With its temperate weather, high quality of life (ranked in the top ten worldwide) and
proximity to natural wonders such as Germany’s Black Forest, it’s also an eminently
pleasant place to live and work. The region has always been known for its cultural
offerings and the city of Basel has more than one museum per square kilometer
– forty in total.
Because of its size, attractiveness and history of trade and commerce, the Basel
Area has been able to draw in a number of world-class companies, which has in turn
sparked further innovation. Pharmaceutical companies Novartis, Roche, Lonza, Bayer
and Syngenta are all headquartered here. In fact, almost two-thirds of Switzerland’s
pharmaceutical employees work in the region, and the majority of growth in the Swiss
pharmaceutical industry is generated here. A number of new startups are revolutionizing
the industry, such as Clinerion, which is using data to transform clinical trials; Resistell,
which is fighting antibiotic resistance; and Qnami, which developed a microscope for
nanoscale magnetic imaging. For budding entrepreneurs, the economic and innovation
agency Basel Area Business & Innovation (formerly BaselArea.swiss) and the Economic
Development Unit of the Canton of Basel-Stadt, Canton of Jura and Canton of Basel-
Landschaft, are critical resources for acceleration, connection to investors and support
with office space and administrative matters.
– With over 1,300 patent applications filed each year, Basel was named the most
innovative city in Switzerland.
– In total, the area plays host to some 700 life-sciences companies with a combined
30,000 employees, 350 drugs in clinical development and CHF 21 billion spent on
research and development.
– The Basel region is the Swiss biotech hotspot and in the last three years,
approximately CHF 3 billion has been invested in local biotech companies.
– Healthcare Accelerator BaseLaunch, which is operated by Basel Area Business &
Innovation, is among the leading accelerators of its kind in Europe, according to Sifted.
– The Basel region is Switzerland’s logistics hotspot. Basel is the only Swiss city with
direct access to the North Sea.
– The Basel region draws a truly international crowd: 60% of the region’s working
population uses foreign languages at work. The proportion of foreigners in the city
of Basel is more than 35%. People from 192 nations live and work here.
– The working population in the region is highly qualified and very multinational.
Around 63,600 cross-border commuters from France and Germany travel to work
in the Basel region every day.
FACTS &
FIGURES
– In 2019, startups that went through therapeutics accelerator BaseLaunch’s program
successfully raised CHF 70 million, with Polyneuron raising CHF 22.5 million, Alentis
CHF 12.5 million and Anaveon CHF 35 million.
– Allthings, a Basel-based ETH startup in proptech, raised CHF 13.7 million in 2018.
It developed a platform that transforms buildings into digital products and provides
building users with digital services via its app.
– Basel-based startup Advanced Osteotomy Tools AG’s CARLO (a medical tactile robot
that can cut bones using cold laser technology) conducted the world’s first upper-jaw
corrective surgery using robot-guided cold laser ablation.
– Parashift, a local startup developing an AI-based method for document extraction
in accounting, was named one of the 30 most promising AI startups from the DACH
region by Forbes in 2019.
– The Basel-based biopharmaceutical startup Cellestia Biotech, which develops
first-in-class targeted cancer therapies, closed a CHF 20 million Series A financing
round in 2018.
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BASEL AREA BASEL AREA Local Ecosystem

For Christof Klöpper, CEO of Basel Area Business & Innovation, the Basel Area is more
than a general startup hub. It’s a longstanding epicenter of research and the place to be
for local and international entrepreneurs in healthcare and beyond. The region is a leader
in life sciences and has excellent academic research and resources, so it is especially
enticing for entrepreneurs and startups focusing on biotech and life sciences, or on other
more lab-oriented tech sectors including digital health and therapeutics.
As a startup ecosystem, the Basel Area has many exciting opportunities, and Christof
believes it has enormous potential. With the support of Basel Area Business & Innovation,
the area can further grow to become a world hub for research and innovation. “We know
we can be a home for innovative minds, forward-thinking investors and those who shape
global trends, allowing them to become a source for lasting and sustainable growth,” says
Christof. “We believe in nurturing this growth by providing a hub for additional innovation
and progress.”
Created in 2016 to help startups, institutions and companies find business success,
Basel Area Business & Innovation is the investment and innovation promotion agency
representing the cantons Basel-Stadt, Basel Landschaft and Jura. The one-stop agency
considers itself a professional partner and service provider that focuses on investment
and innovation. As CEO, Christof is responsible for bringing in investments and supporting
entrepreneurs who want to found in the Basel Area or bring their existing enterprises
to the region.
In partnership with
An interview with Christof Klöpper
/ Basel Area Business & Innovation CEO
A Home For
Innovative Minds:
How the Basel Area
Has Become a Hub
75
BASEL AREA
74 In partnership with Basel Area Business & Innovation
An interview with Christof Klöpper

The capital of Switzerland, home to Toblerone
chocolate and the national parliament building
(Bundeshaus), Bern holds down the fort in the center
of the country, where it sits less than one hour from
other major cities. A hub for small and medium
enterprises, Bern leads the way in innovation as well,
with key industries represented, including the life
sciences, ICT and precision engineering.
BERN

BERN
Local Ecosystem
Without Bern, the world would be a lot less efficient. The small city has, after all, been
home to a number of groundbreaking scientific and technological developments. As the
center of precision engineering – the technological industry that enables watches to tell
time, among other things – and the city where Albert Einstein refined his theory of
relativity, Bern remains to this day a key node in both the Swiss and global innovation
ecosystems. The picturesque city, split in two by the river Aare, is also a quirky one: every
hour, the Zytglogge (a medieval clock tower) displays a mechanical puppet show; visitors
can look into the so-called “bear pit” to catch a glimpse of live bears (the bear is also the
city’s mascot); and shoppers from around the country come to peruse the six kilometers
of arcades. Its downtown area is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Home to about 140,000 people (400,000 in the canton), Bern also plays host to the Swiss
Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/
Bienne (SIP) and Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology.
The Bern region features a number of innovation clusters in emerging fields, such as
medtech, precision engineering, consulting, food and nutrition, and energy. For startups,
the Bernese Innovation Agency (be-advanced AG), the Bern Economic Development
Agency and the Impact Hub Bern offer unrivaled access to resources and networks for
starting up, and the city’s yearly International Innovation Film Festival (IIFF) can serve as
a launching pad for thinking about the intersection of innovation, research and impact.
– Nearly two-thirds of jobs in Bern are in small and medium-sized companies (SMEs),
a higher rate than the rest of Switzerland.
– The medtech field is growing in Bern: over the past several years, this field has
expanded by 20% and now provides more than 7,000 jobs in the region.
– About 6% of all technology startups in Switzerland were located in the Bern canton,
the fourth-highest percent among all cantons across the country.
– The canton of Bern produces more than half of Switzerland’s heat pumps and
pioneered the Minergie standard for low-energy-consumption buildings. On average,
Bern is ahead of the game in the energy field, with 15,000 jobs in the energy and
environmental sectors.
– Bern has the second-largest historical institution in Switzerland, the Bern Historical
Museum, which also contains records of Albert Einstein’s time in the city as he
developed the theory of relativity.
– The Swisscom business park in Ittigen, located in the canton of Bern, was awarded the
2015 Swiss Federal Office of Energy’s Watt D’Or in the Buildings and Space category
for its energy-saving design.
– Bern’s top accelerators and incubators include the Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/
Bienne (high-precision industry and digitalization), sitem-insel – the Swiss Institute for
Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine (medical research) and Impact Hub Bern
(social entrepreneurship).
FACTS &
FIGURES
– Retinai, based in Bern, is using artificial intelligence to detect macular degeneration,
diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. It recently raised a seed round of more than
$2 million.
– Infrachain, the first-ever blockchain conference focused on public infrastructure,
took place in Bern in 2018.
– Six startups took part in the 2019 Circular Economy Incubator in Bern, including
Bloom, Direct Coffee and Bioloop.
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BERN BERN Local Ecosystem

Bern is fast becoming a melting pot of innovation, an epicenter of entrepreneurship
and a thriving ecosystem for medtech, ICT, precision industry, social entrepreneurship
and related disciplines. It’s not only a beautiful place to live in the heart of Switzerland but
also perfect for entrepreneurs who want to meet with advisors and investors in Zurich,
Lausanne, Basel, Lucerne or any of the surrounding cantons. Within the city itself, all the
offices, labs and hubs are within thirty minutes of one another.
As a concentrated innovation ecosystem, Bern is specialized in various areas. The canton
is home to one of the largest university hospitals in the country and also hosts various
medtech innovation events. The research at the Faculty of Medicine of the University
of Bern is especially notable, and every year many spin-offs and startups in the medical
field are created. Industrial production is popular in Bern, as well as spacetech and more
specialized engineering fields. There’s also a focus on ICT, as there’s a good mix of small
ICT players and big corporates like Swisscom who are interesting partners for startups.
Bern’s startup and innovation ecosystem may be small, but it’s active and growing fast.
People in the ecosystem take quality very seriously and are open and willing to work
together. Jeremias Jurt, head of the be-advanced startup program, says that Bernese
entrepreneurs are uniquely friendly and collaborative. New entrepreneurs and companies
scaling in the region should feel welcome to make introductions anywhere they please.
“As an entrepreneur in Bern, you are not just a number,” he says.
In partnership with
An interview with Jeremias Jurt
/ Head of Startup Program
Small in Stature,
Giant in Innovation:
How Bern is Becoming
an Epicenter
110 111
BERN
In partnership with be-advanced
An interview with Jeremias Jurt

Maybe it’s something in the waters of Lake Geneva.
In recent years, Geneva’s startup ecosystem, spurred
on by the powerful fintech and biotech fields, has
taken off in a big way. A truly international city, with
more than 1,200 foreign companies and 250 NGOs,
Geneva is also a hub for social impact, hosting
everything from sustainable finance companies to
public utility foundations to cutting-edge life-science
research.
GENEVA

GENEVA
Local Ecosystem
As a former European trading outpost whose history dates back to 121 B.C., Geneva has
entrepreneurship and exchange baked into its DNA. The city (Switzerland’s second-
biggest after Zurich) is home to just under 200,000 people, 1,200 foreign companies,
250 NGOs and a 140 m high water fountain that’s one of the tallest in the world. Its
immense natural splendor, with a view of the Alps from almost any part of the city,
is matched by an equally elevated quality of life: Geneva ranks in the top ten cities
worldwide, according to Mercer.
As a global hub for scientific research, finance and diplomacy, Geneva has a lot to offer
entrepreneurs. The world’s largest particle accelerator, developed by the European
Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), lies in a tunnel under Geneva. The World
Wide Web was also invented and developed at CERN laboratories. This scientific energy
remains to this day: the Lake Geneva region was recently named “number one cluster
for life-sciences research in continental Europe.”
The finance industry is a dominant and still growing player in Geneva’s startup ecosystem.
The city hosts the WealthTech conference, and FC4S Network, the sustainable financial-
centers network, is based here. In addition to being a financial and scientific hub, it’s
also a diplomatic one, hosting a number of UN agencies such as the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Meteorological Organization and the World
Trade Organization. All of this makes tiny Geneva one of the most vibrant, international
cities on Earth.
– Geneva was home to 1,208 public utility foundations in 2019, more than any other Swiss
city.
– The ICRC partnered with the Geneva-based bank Lombard Odier to develop and launch
the world’s first-ever “Humanitarian Impact Bond,” which uses private-sector social
investment to finance disability services in conflict-affected countries.
– The University of Geneva ranked second in the world after the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT) for number of molecular biology and genetics research papers
published.
– Of Geneva’s population, 40 percent comes from outside Switzerland.
– In 2018, Geneva was home to 22 fintech startups, and Geneva’s canton was second after
Zurich for interest in fintech startups.
– Along with Bern and Lausanne, Geneva ranked in the top ten for life sciences patents,
research and policy, according to the 2019 Life Sciences Ecosystem System Ranking.
– Campus Biotech, a biotech incubator located in central Geneva, uses 100 percent
renewable energy from Lake Geneva for its cooling and 75 percent for its heating.
– The first incubator to be based in Switzerland (Fongit, founded in 1991) and the country’s
first fintech incubator (Fusion) are both located in Geneva.
FACTS &
FIGURES
– ProtonMail, which specializes in encrypted email services, was developed by researchers
at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and has raised nearly $5
million over five funding rounds.
– Founded in 2012, ObsEva became one of the first major biotech IPOs worldwide. The
company researches and markets therapeutic solutions for women’s reproductive
health and pregnancy and is currently developing assisted reproductive technology for
women experiencing infertility.
– FarmerConnect,ablockchaincompanyaimedatsupportingfoodsecurityforagricultural
ecosystems worldwide, recently partnered with IBM and a number of coffee-growing
associations to build out an intelligent ecosystem for ensuring transparency across the
coffee supply chain, which is expected to launch in 2020.
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GENEVA GENEVA Local Ecosystem

LAUSANNE
Lausanne, the capital of the Vaud region of
Switzerland, is also the official capital of the modern
Olympic Games, a rising player in the global healthcare
field and the home of numerous startups, accelerators
and entrepreneurial hubs. Innovation springs forth
from the large student population at the University
of Lausanne and École polytechnique fédérale (EPFL),
as well as from the surrounding cities, making
Lausanne a key entrepreneurial node in the heart
of French-speaking Switzerland.

LAUSANNE
Local Ecosystem
Lausanne, a 140,000-person city located in the French-speaking part of Switzerland,
mixes the quaint charm of a medieval town with the world-class reputation of a global
city. Although Lausanne might best be known for playing host to the headquarters of
one of the world’s biggest events – the Olympics – it has long led the pack in many fields
other than sport, including environmental sustainability, scientific research and economic
innovation. Known as the “City of Energy,” Lausanne was the first city in Europe to receive
the European Energy Award (EEA) gold label. The city, located on the shores of Lake
Geneva, takes part in a water-solidarity exchange with the city of Nouakchott, Mauritania,
raising funds to provide potable water to residents of underdeveloped neighborhoods.
For startups, the entire canton of Vaud is a goldmine of innovation and creativity, with
nearly nine hundred patents created per one million people – eight times more than the
European average. Three innovation parks (EPFL Innovation Park, Y-Parc and Biopôle)
sustain the region economically, providing space for more than four hundred companies
and four thousand employees. Both in terms of scientific output and quality of life, the
Vaud region lives up to its adopted name of “Health Valley.” Starting in 2020, the canton
plans to take a step further, creating the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley initiative, aimed
at innovating around food and agriculture systems through a partnership between EFPL,
l’Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHP Group) and Nestlé.
– Between 2000 and 2015, gross economic growth in the Vaud region was twice that
of the rest of Europe.
– Of all startups across Switzerland, 15% are from Vaud, thanks in part to the large
number of spinoff companies coming out of its major universities, such as EPFL.
– The EPFL Innovation Park alone accounts for 2,300 innovators and entrepreneurs
from more than 150 deeptech startups, as well as 25 innovation units.
– ICT, medtech and biotech were the three most represented fields for investment
in the region, totaling CHF 267.5 million in 2018.
– EPFL is one of the biggest research universities in Switzerland and a prolific source
of startup creation, with one startup founded every month, on average, between 2000
and 2018.
– In addition to the large number of scientific startups to come out of the Vaud region,
there were 350 digital-innovation companies based in Vaud in 2017.
– One quarter of the 100 top Swiss startups were based in Vaud in 2018, including four
of the top ten.
FACTS &
FIGURES
– Bestmile is one of the most innovative companies to come out of the Vaud region,
revolutionizing fleet-management services through AI, including automated shuttle
buses and taxis. It has raised more than $30 million through a number of investors,
including Blue Lagoon Capital, TransLink Capital, Road Ventures, Partech, Groupe
ADP, Airbus Ventures and Serena.
– Agrosustain, a spinoff company from the University of Lausanne, is aiming to tackle
the global challenge of food waste through antifungal solutions developed at the
university.
– Astrocast, another Lausanne-based startup, has its eyes set not on the Earth but on
space. The company has developed nanosatellite technologies that will improve IoT
communications on Earth, and it recently raised an $8 million Series A round.
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LAUSANNE LAUSANNE Local Ecosystem

No matter how far along a startup is in its journey, there will always be challenges to face.
For many early-stage startups, being able to communicate their story and concept to
clients and investors is a hurdle that seems insurmountable at first glance.
“The main difficulty companies have when they first start out is getting their business
known in the market,” says Daniel Heller, head of Innovation and Startup Communications
at Farner. “Communication is a decisive success factor for startups, and even more so
for scaleups, but companies often ascribe too little importance to creating an effective
communications strategy. Having a good story is a valuable differentiator for startups,
but it needs the necessary spice.”
Adding a little bit of “spice” to a startup’s story is exactly what Farner Consultancy aims
to do. With their communication services in PR, digital marketing and communication
concepts, among other services, Farner helps startups build relevant and inspiring
content that will facilitate their access to target groups, increase brand awareness
and expand their global reach. “Our task is to provide advice and reduce the effort and
costs involved with building a communications strategy while at the same time increasing
its professionalism and effectiveness,” says Roy Müller, startup consultant at Farner.
“Market success lies in the ability to build and look after relationships. Only those who are
able to communicate convincingly will make their business fly.”
For startups seeking to establish an effective communications strategy, Roy suggests
enlisting the help of experts. For example, startups can profit from collaborating with
companies or market experts that can support them in getting their ideas off the ground.
Farner itself likes to work closely with startups as a “trusted advisor” to establish long-
term relationships of trust and collaboration. “It’s important, however, for startups to
remember that at some point they will have to stand on their own two feet,” Daniel adds.
“Figuring out how you will implement communication effectively in the long run is crucial.”
In partnership with Farner Consulting AG
Farner
Consulting AG
[SECTOR]
PR and communications
[LOCATION] Zurich
/ Dr. Daniel Heller: Partner, Vice President of the Board
and Head of Innovation and Startup Communications
/ Roy Müller: Startup Consultant
Dr. Daniel Heller
& Roy Müller
214 215
EXPERTS Dr. Daniel Heller & Roy Müller

BEYOND
THE
CITIES
btov is a venture capital firm with a twenty-year history,
founded and funded by serial entrepreneurs and private
investors, focusing on digital and industrial technologies.
Christian Winkler, btov partner, joined the firm in 2016 after
accumulating his own experience in both startups and the
corporate world. He is proud to have joined a company that
had the foresight to invest in Germany’s leading AI firm,
DeepL. Sustainability and entrepreneurial impact have become
important goals for btov’s investments. One example from
Christian’s own portfolio is DouxMatok, a company that has
created a healthier way to consume sugar. “It is absolutely our
responsibility to think through every single investment and
decide for ourselves if this product or technology is something
we want the world to have and use,” he says. “In the end, we
believe that the most profitable companies will be those that
create genuine value for society.”
btov
investor
LOCATION Offices in St. Gallen as well as Berlin,
Munich and Luxembourg
SECTOR venture capital and private investor
network
SELECTED PORTFOLIO DeepL, Foodspring, Doux-
Matok, GTX Medical, Volocopter, Retinai, Raisin
and SumUp
WHO SHOULD APPLY btov typically invests in more
than thirty ventures per year, based on an eight-
point selection process. It considers tangibles
such as targets and skill sets, and intangibles
such as team culture.
APPLY btov.vc/contact
WEBISTE btov.vc
Since 1994, the Fondation pour l’Innovation Technologique
(FIT) has spurred growth in the startup ecosystem across the
Vaud canton. FIT partners with local universities, including
EPFL, CHUV and HEIG-VD, to offer a number of different
funding options for technology projects. Each year, FIT funds
about thirty projects through grants, seed loans for early-stage
companies and growth loans for growth-stage companies.
As a public–private funding mechanism aimed at supporting
innovative projects, FIT aims to spur employment in French-
speaking Switzerland. Increasingly, its projects focus on impact.
“We don’t have a specific tool,” says Julien Guex, the director
of FIT, “but we’re seeing more and more projects with that
focus.” These include Trivert, an IT platform for facilitating
more efficient waste removal; Originfood, a blockchain platform
for enhancing food and beverage systems; and Ouay, a digital
assistant for elderly people.
LOCATION Lausanne
SECTOR sector-agnostic
SELECTED PORTFOLIO Mindmaze, Sophia Genetics,
BestMile, Nexthink
WHO SHOULD APPLY Projects must be connected
to a university in Western Switzerland and have
an “innovative or technological character.”
APPLY info@fondation-fit.ch
WEBISTE fondation-fit.ch
investor
Fondation pour
l’Innovation
Technologique
245
BEYOND THE CITIES

CE Incubator
Impact Hub Geneva
Rue Fendt 1
1201 Geneva
cetransition.ch/incubator
digitalswitzerland
Market Entry and Scale Up
Bootcamps
Selnaustr. 25
8001 Zurich
digitalswitzerland.com/
startupbootcamps
Innosuisse - Swiss Innovation
Agency
Einsteinstr. 2
3003 Bern
innosuisse.ch
Kickstart Innovation
c/o Kraftwerk
Selnaustr. 25
8001 Zurich
kickstart-innovation.com
Open Food Data Program
Sihlquai 131
8005 Zurich
food.opendata.ch
Seedstars
Ave Cardinal-Mermillod 36
1227 Carouge
seedstars.com
Startup DAYs
by Startup INVEST
Färberstr. 6
8008 Zurich
startupdays.ch
>>venture>> office
Pfingstweidstr. 3
8005 Zurich
venture.ch
Venture Kick
c/o Venturelab startup space
Wiesenstr. 5
8952 Schlieren
EPFL Innovation Park
Bâtiment C
1015 Lausanne
venturekick.ch
Venturelab AG
startup space
Wiesenstr. 5
8952 Schlieren-Zurich
venturelab.ch
CITY PARTNER
The Business and Economic
Development Division
of the Canton of Zurich
Walchestrasse 19
8090 Zurich
location.zh.ch
The Office for Urban
Development Zurich
City of Zurich
Stadthausquai 17
8001 Zurich
stadt-zuerich.ch
SEIF
Westhive Innovation
Ecosystem
Hardturmstr. 161
8005 Zurich
seif.org
STARTUPS
1nfusion - onefusion AG
Sihlquai 131
8005 Zurich
1nfusion.com
BOND Mobility
Birmensdorferstr. 419
8055 Zurich
bond.info
Eaternity
Siewerdtstr. 95
8050 Zurich
eaternity.org
Yova AG
Limmatstr. 123
8005 Zurich
yova.ch
FOUNDERS
South Pole
Technoparkstrassße 1
8005 Zurich
southpole.com
Uebermorgen Ventures
Oberdorfstr. 8
8001 Zurich
www.uebermorgen.vc
PROGRAMS
Capacity
c/o The Impact Hub Zürich
Sihlquai 131
8005 Zurich
capacityzurich.ch
Climate-KIC Switzerland
Limmatstr. 264
8005 Zurich
climate-kic-dach.org
ESA BIC Switzerland
c/o ETH Zurich
Stampfenbachstr. 56
8092 Zurich
esabic.ch
Women Entrepreneurs Week
by the Swiss Entrepreneurship
Program (Swiss EP)
Swisscontact - Swiss Foundation
for Technical Cooperation
Hardturmstr. 123
8005 Zurich
swissep.org/global-activities/
women-entrepreneurs-week
SPACES
Bluelion
Sihlquai 125
8005 Zurich
bluelion.ch
Impact Hub Zürich
Sihlquai 131
8005 Zurich
zurich.impacthub.ch
REGIONAL INITIATIVES
Landwasser Viadukt, Engadin 251
Some of the websites in the Directory require the ‘www’ prefix.
250
directory The following is only a brief selection of organizations,
companies and contacts available in Switzerland
ZURICH

Startup Guide Switzerland

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Startup Guide Switzerland