EP #390 - Pascale Vonmont & Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler: Why Swiss Innovation Isn’t Living Up to Its Full Potential
Apr 7, 2024
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Pascale Vonmont and Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler discuss the need for Swiss startup initiatives to collaborate effectively, break down silos, and share resources to boost commercialization of Swiss innovation. They delve into the Kick Fund initiative, the role of Deep Tech Switzerland, and the importance of government and corporate support in fostering a favorable environment for startups and venture capital in Switzerland.
Collaboration among Swiss startup initiatives is crucial for commercializing Swiss innovation.
The Kick Fund offers a unique funding approach to accelerate innovation and provide a fast track to series A funding.
Deep dives
Switzerland's Evolution in Innovation
Over the last 25 years, Switzerland has seen increased acceptance, support, and visibility in innovation. Science and innovation were always strong, but execution was lacking. Today, entrepreneurship is integrated into university programs, marking a positive shift towards execution.
The Kick Fund Initiative
The Kick Fund invests in seed and pre-seed stage companies, offering a unique funding approach with a focus on innovation, acceleration, and sustainability. It accelerates the funding and innovation process, providing a fast track from idea to series A funding. By systematically investing in venture kick finalists, a new funding cycle is created, enhancing innovation.
Unlocking Switzerland's Capital for Growth
Unlocking capital is essential for the internationalization and scaling up of Swiss companies. Initiatives in the early stages are abundant, but there is a need to access capital for later stages. Utilizing pension funds for commercialization and monetization can drive success for Swiss companies and ensure sustainable growth.
Gebert Rüf Stiftung is one of the initial partners of the Kick Fund, whose goal it is to invest in Swiss pre-seed and stage technology startups from the Venture Kick pipeline. Venture Kick is part of the Kick Foundation, which is supporting young entrepreneurial talents at Swiss universities. The close collaboration with the Deep Tech Switzerland Foundation (where Roger is also active) secures the financing and support pipeline from startup to scale-up. Roger and Pascale feel that Swiss startup initiatives ought to break down silos and work together, sharing their resources, so as to facilitate the commercialization of Swiss innovation.
This episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place this year on May 30th 2024. Click here to purchase your ticket.
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