A start-up takes a stand against the limitation initiative

Please login or
register
07.09.2020
Monito founders François Briod, Laurent Oberholzer, Pascal Briod (from left to right)

In Switzerland, start-ups virtually never speak out in political debates. The campaign for the limitation initiative is changing this. The Lausanne-based start-up Monito makes a clear statement.

On 27 September, Swiss nationals will be called to vote on a referendum which aims to scrap the existing freedom of movement agreement with the EU. The initiative was put forward by the Swiss People’s Party in August 2018 and was originally planned for 17 May 2020, but was pushed to September 2020 because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Today, EU citizens are allowed to work in Switzerland and Swiss citizens can do the same in the EU. The Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (AFMP) is one of seven bilateral agreements between the EU and Switzerland.

"We feel the need to speak up"

In response to the upcoming vote, tech startup Monito has joined in rejecting the upcoming referendum. Monito is a portal for money across borders that helps people find, compare and review different ways to exchange, send and spend money internationally. “Most people using Monito have moved to a new country for a period of their life,” explains Pascal Briod, co-founder and Head of Product at Monito. “We feel the need to speak up in favor of the free movement of people with the EU, because we witness every day the positive impact our users have both in the country they live in and in the country they are from.”

"I have colleagues from 14 different nationalities, and overall, half of our staff comes from the EU," he adds. “Free movement of people is essential for a rapidly growing startup like Monito to be able to stay in Switzerland, as we rely on it to access a large and highly qualified pool of talent across the continent.”

Many universities and organisations that support research and innovation have also rejected the initiative, including The ETH Board, swissuniversities, the Swiss National Science Foundation, Innosuisse – the Swiss Innovation Agency, as well as the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences.

(Press release / SK)
Picture: Monito founders François Briod, Laurent Oberholzer, Pascal Briod (from left to right)

0Comments

Company profiles on startup.ch

Global Impact Finance SA (Monito)

rss