swissnex Network's Annual Report: Start-ups among the highlights

Please login or
register
24.04.2017
swissnex Annual Report

Today swissnex Network’s Annual report was published – a very interesting read for entrepreneurs.

“Inspiring partnerships” is the theme of the swissnex Network’s Annual Report, which was published on 24 april 2017 on the website www.annualreport.swissnex.org . This online report provides diverse insights into the activities of the five swissnex locations and their outposts, as well of the twenty Science and Technology Counselors (STCs) and Offices (STOs) based in the Swiss embassies worldwide. Their common objective is to support the international outreach of Swiss institutions and actors in the education, research and innovation domain.

In the past year, one focus of the swissnex Network was again the support of start-ups. In the Annual Report all swissnex locations are mentioning programmes for start-up among among the highlight of the year.

swissnex San Francisco
Thanks to swissnex’s ongoing relationship with Sundance film festival, two Swiss virtual reality studios – Apelab and Artanim - were able to present their work to key players in the industry, planting the seeds for future partnerships at the New Frontiers exhibition at the Sundance film festival. The studios were introduced to industry players such as LucasArts, Fox Studios, and Disney; and met journalists from the Guardian, Engadget, and the Discovery Channel. They even met Hollywood celebrities Robert Redford and Casey Affleck.

At the New Frontier event, Artanim first met representatives of the Dreamscape team. In February 2017, they announced that their technology would become part of Dreamscape Immersive, a new Los Angeles-and-Geneva-based venture bringing VR to storefronts and malls, launching this fall in Los Angeles: a big deal for a Swiss start-up.

swissnex India
The team of swissnex India is drawing the attention to the cooperation with CTI that enabled the location to turn India to a preferred destination for Swiss start-ups. Apart from the traditional CTI Market Entry Camp for Swiss startups in India, the team focused on fact-finding and market validation in India such as the Medtech startup tour to Bangalore and Delhi. In total, swissnex India assisted almost 200 startups, 50 of them were coached by CTI.

CTI Market Entry Camps do not only take place in India but are also organized by swissnex San Francisco, swissnex Boston / New York and swissnex China.

swissnex Brazil
swissnex Brazil gave Urban Farmers a platform during the during the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. Urban Farmers brought along their UFBox, a mini urban farm. It consists of a sea cargo container and a greenhouse using aquaponic technology, creating the opportunity for small-scale production of local and fresh vegetable and fish in urban areas without the use of herbicides and pesticides. swissnex hosted the UFBox at the House of Switzerland (HoS) Brazil, which was the Swiss government’s hospitality zone.

The concept and technology behind Urban Farmers were also discussed in events organized by swissnex at the House of Switzerland, including a conference on urban solutions and a panel discussion on food security.

The high-level events and visits inspired partnerships. One of the results: UFBox is now part of a new hub dedicated to innovation and creativity located inside the poor community of Cantagalo, in Rio de Janeiro. Starting in 2017, the recently incorporated Urban Farmers Brazil will help Brazilian city dwellers adopt the old, yet rediscovered, concept of food from the “farm” to the table, bringing a fresh and inspiring revolution.

Swissnex Boston / New York
One of the cover pictures of the Annual Report show Skye, the blimp-inspired drone of Aerotain. In 2016, Aerotain was a startup in residence both at swissnex Boston and swissnex New York, receiving targeted introductions and guidance from our innovation team as they set up meetings with potential clients and researched US market entry.

Twice in 2016, in June and September, Skye made appearances at TEDxCambridge at the Boston Opera House, which seats 2,600 people and features engaging and informative speeches given by experts in the fields of innovation, technology, and art/science. Upon entering the theater, audience members delighted in seeing Skye floating overhead; people reached out to touch it or held their phones aloft to film as it made its way throughout the gilded interior of the theatre.

About swissnex
swissnex is the Swiss global network connecting the dots in education, research, and innovation. Its mission is to support the outreach and active engagement of its partners in the international exchange of knowledge, ideas and talent. The five swissnex locations and their outposts are established in the world’s most innovative hubs. Together with around twenty Science and Technology Offices (STO) and Counselors (STC) based in Swiss Embassies, they contribute to strengthen Switzerland’s profile as a world-leading innovation hotspot. The swissnex Network is an initiative of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation and is part of the Swiss Confederation’s network abroad managed by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. The activities of the swissnex Network are based on a collaborative approach, relying on public and private partnerships and funding.

Source: swissnex / SK

Picture: swissnex

0Comments

rss