Swiss Innovation Forum

Swiss Innovation Forum
Name	Swiss Innovation Forum
Formation	2005
Headquarters	Bern, Switzerland
Type	Non-profit
Region served	Switzerland
Leader title	Director

Swiss Innovation Forum The Swiss Innovation Forum is an annual platform for entrepreneurship and innovation based in Bern, Switzerland, bringing together startups, investors, universities and corporate actors to accelerate technology commercialization and startup scaling. It convenes participants from across Europe and beyond, including representatives from ETH Zurich, University of Zurich, EPFL, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Siemens, Google, Microsoft, IBM and Novartis, fostering connections among founders, venture capitalists, policy makers and research institutions. The Forum plays a visible role in Switzerland's innovation landscape alongside events like World Economic Forum and organizations such as Switzerland Innovation and Innosuisse.

History

Founded in 2005, the Forum emerged during a period of increased startup activity influenced by successes from Google, Apple Inc., Facebook, Tesla, Inc. and prominent Swiss spin-offs from ETH Zurich and EPFL. Early editions featured speakers from Nestlé, Roche, UBS, Credit Suisse and academic leaders from University of Basel, University of Bern, University of Geneva and University of Lausanne. The Forum expanded through the 2010s amid growing interest from funds like Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Balderton Capital and European accelerators including Y Combinator and Techstars. Milestones include strategic partnerships with Swiss Innovation Park, collaboration with European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and hosting panels with figures from European Commission, OECD and World Bank.

Organization and Governance

The Forum is governed by a board composed of representatives from corporations such as ABB, Glencore, Syngenta and financial institutions including Julius Baer and Credit Suisse Group AG, alongside academics from ETH Zurich and EPFL. Operational leadership frequently includes executives who have held roles at Google Switzerland, IBM Research – Zurich, Roche Diagnostics and startup ecosystems like Startupticker.ch and Venturelab. The advisory council has included alumni from European Space Agency, CERN, Swiss National Science Foundation, and policy figures associated with Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (Switzerland) and cantonal innovation offices such as Canton of Zurich and Canton of Bern.

Programs and Activities

Programs emphasize startup acceleration, corporate innovation, technology transfer and investor matchmaking, with activities similar to initiatives run by Innosuisse, Venture Kick, MassChallenge and Plug and Play Tech Center. The Forum runs pitch competitions, mentorship programs drawing mentors from ETH Zurich Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, EPFL Innovation Park, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) and Paul Scherrer Institute, and workshops on topics explored by European Investment Bank, World Intellectual Property Organization, European Patent Office and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It facilitates collaborations between startups and corporates like ABB Robotics, Roche Pharma, Novartis Venture Fund and Schindler Group.

Impact and Contributions

The Forum has contributed to the scaling of startups that later raised rounds from investors including Accel Partners, Atomico, Northzone and Kleiner Perkins. Alumni companies have participated in accelerators such as Y Combinator, Techstars and 500 Startups and attracted acquisition interest from multinationals including Siemens AG, Bayer, Johnson & Johnson and Google LLC. The Forum claims influence on regional innovation metrics tracked by European Innovation Scoreboard, collaboration networks studied by Bertelsmann Stiftung and tech transfer case studies at ETH Zurich Technology Transfer Office and EPFL Tech Transfer.

Partnerships and Sponsorship

Sponsors and partners have included multinational corporations and institutions like Nestlé S.A., Roche Holding AG, Novartis International AG, UBS Group AG, Credit Suisse Group AG, Swissquote, AXA, Swisscom, Migros, SBB CFF FFS and academic partners such as University of St. Gallen and Zurich University of Applied Sciences. International partners have featured European Commission Horizon 2020, EIT Digital, CERN Openlab and investment platforms like Seedrs and Crowdcube. Media partnerships have included NZZ, Le Temps, Swissinfo, Handelszeitung and startup outlets like TechCrunch and Wired UK.

Events and Conferences

The Forum's flagship annual conference gathers keynote speakers, panelists and exhibition booths, resembling formats used by Web Summit, SXSW, Slush and DLD Conference. Sessions have featured executives and researchers from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Microsoft Research, IBM Watson, Tesla Energy, Airbnb, Inc. and academics from Harvard Business School, Stanford University, INSEAD and London Business School. Satellite events include workshops with Swiss Startup Factory, demo days with Venture Kick and networking evenings co-hosted with Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce and Swiss-Asian Chamber of Commerce.

Awards and Recognition

The Forum has organized award programs recognizing outstanding startups, pitched ventures, corporate innovators and academic spin-offs, with prizes judged by panels including venture capitalists from Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital, corporate R&D heads from ABB, Roche and representatives from Swiss National Science Foundation and Innosuisse. Past award recipients have subsequently received accolades from European Commission Startup Europe Awards, Forbes 30 Under 30, Bloomberg Innovation Index listings and national honors such as distinctions from cantonal economic departments like Canton of Vaud and Canton of Zurich.

Category:Innovation in Switzerland