There is a spirit of optimism, the hierarchies are flat and everyone speaks to everyone. It is this special atmosphere that turns start-ups into real idea laboratories, and more and more big companies want to profit from it.
The virtual marketing assistant adhook consolidates the advertising activities on search engines and social media channels on to one platform. It was developed by two school friends who have now joined the Google Channel Sales Acceleration Program. In the further marketing and development of their platform, the young Lucerne-based entrepreneurs Andreas Schürmann and Patrick Roos can count on the advice of Google experts.
Tobacco company Philipp Morris International is also working together with start-ups. It organises an annual Startup Challenge, in which recently Vaud-based start-up kaiosID was one of the winners. The company has developed a cloud-based traceability solution that marks product packaging with invisible random patterns designed to help combat counterfeiting, something that also affects the tobacco industry.
Avaloq also relies on open innovation. The software company set up a fintech marketplace at the beginning of the year, and executive board member Martin Greweldinger makes an interim appraisal in an interview with startupticker.
Two growth financings were published in the past week: an unknown amount was acquired by logistics provider Skycell in Zug, and CHF 14 million was collected by Avrios, a provider of fleet management software.
The EIC Accelerator, the European innovation promotion programme, is also about a lot of money. Four Swiss deeptech companies – Proton Technologies (cybersecurity), DHP Technology (cleantech), Interax Biotech and photonics start-up Nanoga – have now been awarded grants ranging from EUR 1.6 million to EUR 2.5 million.
And finally, three accelerator programmes announced the names of their selected start-ups this week: MassChallenge Switzerland has chosen 12 start-ups as finalists, of which eight are from Switzerland; EIT Climate-KIC Accelerator Switzerland launches with five start-ups, bringing six companies to the next phase; and the Valais initiative InnoPeaks enters its second round with 10 start-ups.
The registration phase of first call for Innosuisse’s new scale-up coaching programme runs until 25 October. And you have until Tuesday to apply for the first ConTech competition organised by SwissPropTech.
Have a sunny weekend.
Jost Dubacher
Editor, startupticker.ch
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