The right prize for every start-up

Dear reader

Winning a young entrepreneur award is always an enjoyable thing, but the benefits can go far beyond the actual award. An award can be the route to customers, partners or even a buyer for the company. The Swisscom Challenge Startup 2013 led to initial dscussions for video analytics start-up Upicto, which led finally to the acquisition by Logitech in March 2015. The special design of the Startup Challenge allows such successes: five selected young companies receive a tailored Acceleration programme in Silicon Valley. The partners there are compiled individually for each start-up. You have until 29 May to apply for this year‘s edition.

A number of other prizes are also now accepting applications. You can apply for the SwissICT Award until May 31. It is is not only looking for classic ICT start-ups: since digitisation covers all industries, life sciences and cleantech companies in which software plays a crucial role can also apply.

In addition, application deadlines for the venture leaders China programme, the Swiss Startups Awards, the Social Entrepreneurship Award and the Heuberger Winterthur Young Entrepreneur Award are also running. I would also like to highlight the SIX Technolgy Incubator, to which fintech start-ups can now apply. See our article for information on services provided by the incubator.

One start-up reported this week that it is working successfully with a large company: NetGuardians is in collaboration with Temenos. Scandit has won a number of well known US companies as customers, including Home Depot, Verizon Wireless and Genentech. And the location-sharing app Pathshare, which started only last year, is on a global success path. It is already being used in 135 countries.

Next week offers some opportunities to meet the startupticker team and to learn about our new website and our future plans. We‘re participating in two events of the venture competition in Lausanne and Zurich, as well as the annual occasion of the Basel Inkubator and the CTI Micro-Nano Event in Neuchâtel.

Have a relaxing long weekend.
Stefan Kyora

Managing Editor, startupticker.ch