Switzerland’s annual Investor Summit 2017 will give 180 international investors from VC firms such as KKR and Robert Bosch Venture Capital and international groups such as Credit Suisse, UBS and Swisscom to meet some of the country’s most promising high-growth tech start-ups tackling serious social, biological and commercial issues.
Hosted by digitalswitzerland, a cross-industry association focused on strengthening the country’s position as a digital hub, the half-day event will take place at Zurich Airport on the eve of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos which this year looks at the theme of Responsive and Responsible Leadership.
Eighteen start-ups operating across Switzerland’s most innovative industries will showcase their innovations in the fields of robotics, MedTech, life sciences, IT, Fintech and Cleantech.
The attendees will also hear from leading names in the digital industry, including Markus Gross, director of the Disney Research Institute at ETH Zurich, Ulrich Spiesshofer, digital business innovation and investment at CEO ABB Group, with sessions moderated by Eric van der Kleij, former launch head of Level 39 and special adviser on fintech and blockchain for UK Trade & Investment.
This year’s summit takes place at a time when Switzerland’s start-up infrastructure is becoming increasingly recognised as a leading digital hub. Last year the country ranked number one in the Global Innovation Index for the sixth consecutive year, spurred by the strong R&D presence of some of the global tech industry’s leading players (e.g. Google and Disney).
Furthermore the Swiss government has made changes to its corporate tax policy that have led to a reduction of fees for start-up founders and in November last year, drafted proposals to soften regulation in financial services in order to encourage new market disruptors and further entice start-ups to remain and grow in Switzerland. Last year also saw the creation of the Swiss Digital Manifesto, a national commitment to the digital transformation of many aspects of Switzerland’s social and economic infrastructure, authored by digitalswitzerland and formalised as official government policy by the Federal Council.
“The calibre and breadth of investors and business leaders attending the conference demonstrates how far we have come as a country fostering and growing top tech businesses. Switzerland has long been known as a destination for world-class research and technological output and we are excited to present what is being done at the start-up level, outside of the university labs and corporate offices,” says Marc Walder, CEO Ringier AG and founder of digitalswitzerland.
