October 21, 2016
The challenge of disruptive changes
Dear reader
We rarely start the newsletter with a preview, but this time it is appropriate. Next Monday and Tuesday, Swiss Startup Day 2016 will take place at the Stade de Suisse in Bern – and it will be a spectacular event: 370 start-ups and more than 100 investors and support organisations will be represented, 1,000 meetings are already booked and others will take place spontaneously.
A major issue will surely be the digital transformation of the economy, which is becoming increasingly disruptive in some sectors.
For example, the construction industry: Olten-based young firm buildastiq connects construction suppliers with craftspeople, and architects with the building trade. Read the interview with Nicolas Berg, one of the co-initiators of buildastiq.
Another example is staff recruitment: Staff Finder has more than 100,000 temporary workers on its platform and is expanding to the UK.
And then there is the financial sector. Crowdfunding platforms such as wemakeit.com have opened up new methods of start-up financing – a Lucerne-based firm was able to attract CHF 300,000 for its composting bucket FreezyBoy within a month.
At the same time, the fusion of the financial sector and IT is also generating new business opportunities. That’s why swissnex India is organising a business trip to Mumbai and Bangalore for 10 selected start-ups – to a country where very few people have a bank account and where the smartphone will soon be the number one currency.
We live in exciting times and at the Stade de Suisse you can experience it on the spot. Registration is open until midnight tonight.
And last but not least, registration for an expert talk and workshop with the Swiss-American investor and consultant Herman Gyr runs until Monday, 31 October.
Have a good weekend.
Jost Dubacher
Managing Editor, startupticker.ch