From digital personalized learning and gamified digital therapeutics to authentication enabled by facial recognition as well as reduction of cement usage through CO2 capturing as a Circular Economy solution, Antimicrobial LED light technology and real time reporting in FinTech and Insurtech, Kickstart is engaging on different levels to drive innovation activities in Switzerland. Over 50 high growth startups from 11 countries are participating this year. Zurich, July 22, 2020 — ​Since it was founded five years ago, Kickstart has become one of the largest European innovation platforms and has in ..read more

Anne Nijs, Rare Conditions Transformation Leader at Roche, talks about her motivation to bring the best minds together to transform the future of healthcare by relentlessly focusing on patient outcomes. How can leaders show up to drive innovation in healthcare? Being part of the pharmaceutical industry, we are all experiencing some fundamental changes. Changes where systemic dynamics are shifting and the value we bring to patient communities, healthcare professionals and systems is what matters most. This value goes beyond the discovery and development of medicines to a more holistic ide ..read more

By guest author Ingeborg Gasser-Kriss, advisor at KICKSTART, owner and founder of Agent21. I have often argued over the last few years that there is no better time than now for breakthrough innovation in FoodTech and AgriTech, due to the crisis of our food system, and the urgency attached to improving the negative impact of our diet on human and planetary health. In recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic has elevated the meaning of “crisis” and “urgency” to a whole new level. On the one hand, the simple fact that food is on top of the list of critical goods has been highlighted dramati ..read more

By guest blogger Nico Bacharidis. Before founding www.growpal.ch, Nico has worked for Pfizer for over 13 years in various local, regional and global positions. He is an angel investor and board member of several start-ups. Nico is currently working with Roche and KICKSTART on a global project to find startups and partners that can help patients with SMA, Huntington’s disease and Neuromyelitis Optica. Have you ever asked yourself how you can win a Nobel prize? You should invent something that is of great benefit to humanity and changes the current paradigm. Eating heaps of Swiss choc ..read more

In 2020 KICKSTART is stepping into its fifth year, when bringing a new batch of entrepreneurs to Switzerland and fostering ecosystem innovation.  In the last four years, it has initiated more than 120 pilots and commercial projects between startups and established organizations from various industries. Through a collaboration with our research partner, ETH Zurich, we learned how collaboration between such different parties works. The research continued in 2019, and Dr. Jennifer Sparr, Nora Varesco Kager and Prof. Dr. Gudela Grote brought us new insights ..read more

In its fifth year, Kickstart’s initiative for later-stage tech startups takes a fresh look at the Circular Economy and expands into the Romandy. Since its launch in 2015, Kickstart has grown into one of the largest European innovation platforms, implementing open-innovation for later-stage startups with numerous leading Swiss and global companies. This year, it is expanding into Romandy. “We are increasingly expanding our network with our current and new partners across Switzerland  to grow the hub for deep technology and sustainability,” says Katka Letzing, Co-Lead of Kickstart Innovatio ..read more

In this article, Dr. Angela Beckenbauer and Dr. Matthias Filser from the ZHAW School of Management and Law, together with Kathrin Hoesli, Head of Exploration at Swisscom, introduce some essentials of ecosystem innovation: trust, goal alignment (or at least goal transparency) and success measures. This article by Angela Beckenbauer, Matthias Filser, and Kathrin Hoesli can be found in our book “Ecosystem Innovation”. Free download here. What is Ecosystem Innovation? Ecosystem innovation describes the collaboration of partners within a network with a common goal. This form of innovation differs f ..read more

What is ecosystem innovation? And what’s the difference between “open innovation” and “ecosystem innovation”? In this interview, Prof. Oliver Gassmann from University of St. Gallen, answers questions by Christoph Birkholz, Co-Founder Impact Hub Zurich and Kickstart Co-Lead, in order to illustrate the concept of ecosystem innovation, that lies at the heart of Kickstart. This interview can be found in our book “Ecosystem Innovation”. Free download here. Christoph Birkholz: Prof. Gassmann, what is ecosystem innovation? Prof. Oliver Gassmann: An ecosystem consists of a configuration of partners wh ..read more

To survive in the digital, fast-changing and often disruptive environment, companies need to acquire new skills and new working practices. They need to innovate constantly, and it is vital that they understand the new driving parameters of innovation and how to achieve them effectively. CEOs will play a leading role in this process: they have to define their company’s strategic positioning, and it is up to them to own the innovation process and to decide what cooperation and partnerships to forge. This article by Holger Greif, Peter Kasahara and Christoph Birkholz can be found in our book “Eco ..read more

Global markets and technological developments lead to the loss of monopolies and fiercer competition; radically new products, services and business models threaten the established ones – clearly, these are tough times for many organizations, not only in Switzerland. However, tough times also come with new opportunities. Organizations have begun to realize that to keep up with these developments and to strengthen the Swiss marketplace, they need to work together. This article by Jennifer L. Sparr, Nora Varesco Kager and Gudela Grote can be found in our book “Ecosystem Innovation”. Free download ..read more