Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The largest Swiss bank UBS and the largest telecom provider Swisscom have founded the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland foundation. It aims to increase the capital flow into the deep tech sector of Switzerland. Deep Tech describes research-intensive technological innovations that solve relevant societal problems.
UBS, the largest Swiss bank, here its Basel building, co-founded the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland foundation with the telecom provider Swisscom (© UBS).
Number 1 nation for deep tech
In Switzerland today, just under 3 billion Swiss francs per year flow into financing the growth of start-ups and scale-ups, companies in the growth phase. Leading nations for innovation that can be compared to Switzerland invest much more: Sweden, for example, invests at least 5 billion francs per year, and Israel more than 10 billion francs per year.
This is where the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation comes into play: It wants to mobilize 50 billion Swiss francs over the next 10 years for Swiss start-ups and scale-ups in the deep tech sector and with that indirectly create up to 100,000 new jobs in Switzerland.
Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation aspires to position Switzerland internationally as the number 1 nation for deep tech-based innovations that actively contribute to social issues such as nutrition, climate protection, energy supply, health, or education.
Better framework conditions
The foundation plans to achieve this by pushing for better framework conditions and increased financing of the growth of start-ups and scale-ups in Switzerland, thus heightening their attractiveness for Swiss and international investors.
Sabine Keller-Busse, President of UBS Switzerland, says: ”UBS has a long tradition of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Switzerland.” ”Innovative technologies and entrepreneurship strengthen Switzerland’s competitiveness,” adds Christoph Aeschlimann, CEO of Swisscom.
Various initiatives
The foundation proposes several measures to change relevant framework conditions sustainably: For example, the creation of a Venture Hub Switzerland which will have internationally competitive financial and legal structures and offer attractive framework conditions for institutional and strategic investors.
A Unicorn Factory will support start-ups and scale-ups with particularly high potential even more in positioning themselves as an attractive investment for investors. With these two measures, Deep Tech Nation Switzerland is developing two platforms to bring together the necessary actors for an even more effective innovation ecosystem and to promote existing activities.
Furthermore, a new information platform will offer investors a transparent and quick overview of Swiss innovation. The founding partners UBS and Swisscom have already brought on board other companies and organizations such as Stadler Rail, the Swiss stock exchange SIX, the insurer Vaudoise Versicherungen, the watchmaker Rolex, the airline Swiss, the security printing company SICPA, and the University of Zurich.
Text: UBS (Editing by SCCIJ)
