Invest in Switzerland’s Post

Is Switzerland as innovative as it ranks? After years of doing the Global Innovation Index (GII) at #WIPO, we’ve seen #Switzerland consistently rank first on innovation - sometimes to the surprise of our Swiss friends themselves 😂 (https://lnkd.in/eQRdqBwK). These three recent press articles discuss this Swiss outcome in more detail, and, I believe, provide all the right reasons, why Switzerland is an innovation hotspot....maybe - in my personal view - increasingly so. https://lnkd.in/eMsXMhhE SWI swissinfo.ch https://lnkd.in/e6AynVmX Forbes https://lnkd.in/eee9DVSv The Economist Here’s a closer look at the winning formula: World-Class Universities Driving Breakthroughs: Switzerland’s top-ranked universities, such as ETH Zurich and EPFL, stand out as global research powerhouses. ETH Zurich, in particular, produces more spin-out companies than any other university worldwide - excelling in fields ranging from artificial intelligence and life sciences to advanced materials and quantum computing. A Magnet for Tech Giants and Multinational R&D Investment: Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem is bolstered by both domestic giants, like Nestlé, Roche, and Novartis, and global corporations that have chosen Switzerland as their R&D base. Google alone has 5,000 developers in Zurich, and other leaders such as Meta, Disney, Nvidia, Huawei, and Intel all maintain substantial Swiss R&D operations. Industry-Academia Collaboration: The Swiss government’s innovation agency, InnoSuisse, funds numerous industry-led projects that bring together companies and universities. This collaborative model—where two-thirds of Switzerland’s R&D funding comes from industry—has resulted in groundbreaking advances across biotech, robotics, and engineering. Startups and a Booming VC Ecosystem: Switzerland’s startup scene is supported by a maturing VC ecosystem. Over 500 new startups are launched in Switzerland annually, with unicorns like Scandit (logistics technology), Climeworks (carbon capture), Sonar Source (cybersecurity), On (sporting goods). Intellectual Property and High-Value Manufacturing: Switzerland leads in international patent filing, largely due to the strong bio-pharmaceutical and precision manufacturing industries. Scaling Impact Beyond Invention: Swiss tech entrepreneurs increasingly prioritize speed to market and product commercialization, especially in deep-tech. Switzerland’s startups continue to make a mark, with recent investments flowing into companies like Chiral Nano (silicon chip innovation), SAEKI Robotics (3D manufacturing), and Axmed Health (pharma access for developing economies). As global tech evolves, Switzerland is well-prepared to remain a #beacon of innovation.