AI-supported start-ups make Switzerland an innovation hotspot
From preventive health to the real-time detection of deepfakes: 36 start-ups - 95 % of them AI-supported - are ensuring that Switzerland lives up to its reputation as a world champion of innovation.
The Kickstart open innovation program brings together 36 pioneering startups from 14 countries - including a quarter from Switzerland - working on groundbreaking technologies such as real-time deepfake detection, food systems of the future and biological age testing. Building on a ten-year track record that has seen alumni startups raise over 2.8 billion Swiss francs in capital by 2024, this year's cohort will rethink topics such as health, nutrition and technology in a profound, data-driven and consciously responsible way. Partnerships with major Swiss companies such as AXA, the City of Zurich, Coop, la Mobilière, MSD, PostFinance/VNTR, Swisscom and others make this possible.
"These are not just technical experiments. These are solutions that will shape Switzerland's competitive advantage in the coming decade," says Katka Letzing, CEO and co-founder of Kickstart Innovation. From sustainable materials and healthcare to AI-supported innovations, Switzerland offers the perfect stage for this: highly networked, quality-oriented and determined. The recently launched Swiss {ai} Weeks initiative, which Kickstart helped to initiate with its expertise, further strengthens this position.
Swiss start-ups drive global technology breakthroughs
A quarter of this year's cohort consists of Swiss start-ups. Many of them have emerged from university spin-offs and tech hubs. Switzerland is thus consolidating its role as a location for innovation and a springboard for global growth. International start-ups are also part of the program to gain a foothold in Switzerland - a testament to the country's global appeal as a dynamic ecosystem for innovation, collaboration and business growth. These include:
- Genknowme based in Lausanne, offers an epigenetic blood test that reveals biological age and stress-related changes and positions Switzerland at the forefront of global longevity medicine.
- ai based in Zurich, has developed a technology for the real-time detection of deepfakes in audio and video content - a crucial protection, as AI-generated misinformation threatens democratic processes and corporate communication worldwide.
- Meeco based in Australia, has developed a secure data exchange platform that enables individuals and organizations to access, control and share personal data and digital assets. This is done using a privacy-by-design approach and low-code tools.
- WeShop AI based in Hong Kong, offers a platform that uses AI to create product and model images for e-commerce. Users can generate appealing visuals from just one photo - without any time-consuming post-processing. The platform also enables the creation of videos from static images.
- city based in Vienna, offers an AI-supported platform that is revolutionizing environmental modelling in urban planning: Using microclimate simulations, it supports architects and urban planners in designing more sustainable and liveable cities.
Innovation in key industries
The Kickstart Innovation Program supports high-growth start-ups and scale-ups in five key areas: Health and wellbeing, finance and insurance (including cyber security), food and retail, new working environments and learning cultures, and smart urban development concepts. These fields are among the most urgent and at the same time most promising social and economic challenges and promote effective cooperation between startups, leading Swiss corporations and public institutions.
In addition to working with startups, Kickstart also supports the internal transformation of leading organizations, for example through its academy and intrapreneurship programs, which support employees from brainstorming to founding their own ventures. In addition, Mission 2050 aligns its innovation programs with Switzerland's strategic goals in the areas of the circular economy, sustainability and social inclusion, thereby strengthening an ecosystem that is both future-proof and impact-oriented.
More information: https://www.kickstart-innovation.com/
This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/ki-gestuetzte-startups-machen-die-schweiz-zum-innovations-hotspot/
