Innovation on the up

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13.11.2020
Stefan Kyora

In this special time, Swiss start-ups are driving their innovations forward, and both the quality and quantity are impressive.

Dear reader

Travel restrictions and economic uncertainty are currently affecting the global economy. At the same time, there is the opportunity to focus fully on homework and drive innovation. This is exactly what Swiss start-ups are currently doing. Awards, support programmes and collaboration projects reported by us this week show the fascinating and meaningful innovations that start-ups are working on. Six promising deep-tech start-ups, projects of which include novel cancer drugs, quickly and easily repairable composite materials, and drones that can interact with their environment, are in the finals of the Swiss Technology Awards. Fifteen founders were selected for the current Forbes DACH list, with most also working on basic technological innovations.

The projects require financial resources. In this respect, it was good news this week that the Federal Council wants to change the conditions for Innosuisse projects in favour of industry partners from next year as we report in our articles in German and French. At the same time, start-ups can rely on private funding: the Gebert Rüf Stiftung’s Innobooster programme supports about four young deep-tech companies with CHF 150,000 francs each.

Venture capital is also still flowing. Synendos Therapeutics from Basel develops drugs for diseases in the central nervous system, and generated a financing round of more than CHF 20 million this week. Netsensing from Neuchâtel is working on a wearable to diagnose sleep apnea and has now completed a seed round.

Partnerships are another way in which start-ups can put innovations into practice: 48 collaboration projects were launched in this year’s Kickstart programme, with Swiss start-ups involved in a little more than half. Fintech start-up FQX also implemented a special project together with partners; it enabled a commodity trader to finance a transatlantic metal shipment electronically without the involvement of a bank.

In the event space, electronic events have become the norm. Next week, the Swiss Innovation Forum will take place as a three-day online festival. Global Entrepreneurship Week with 80 events takes place throughout the week. Startfeld Investors Forum is taking place online for the first time, with 10 start-ups pitching. And the extraordinary times even allow attendance at the Venture Leaders China pitching event on 17 November, where not only 10 Swiss start-ups, but also 10 young Chinese companies will present themselves.

The application deadline for the Swiss Fintech Awards expires on 20 November. Start-ups have another week in which to apply for Stage Up, the Business Creation competition in Bern.

Have a sunny weekend
Stefan Kyora

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch

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