When Raw Labs co-founder Anastasia Ailamaki and her team set out to win over new clients to the start-up’s pioneering data-management software platform, one of the greatest challenges was getting people to trust a small company and to choose them over a better-known brand. But the EPFL-spin-off is fast-becoming a major player in its own right thanks to its tools that help harness big data.
How Bond differs from other mobility-sharing apps
Bond Mobility is featured in the brand-new Startup Guide Switzerland. Co-founder and COO Corinne Vogel tells Tanya König how it differs from other bike- and scooter-sharing apps and what the next challenges are.
Medtech start-up: lack of EU framework agreement a threat
One of every 10 babies is born preterm, and Swiss medtech start-up Pregnolia wants to change that. The company has developed a device that may significantly lower premature births. However, founder Sabrina Badir is concerned that without a framework agreement between Switzerland and the EU, her company—and the Swiss tech sector overall—may be stifled.
Investors are missing an opportunity, says gender lens start-up
Gender lens investing has doubled in the past year, yet many are still unaware of what it is. Mette Rotbøll and Karina Storinggaard, co-founders of Think Yellow, believe that asset managers are partly to blame. They say investors could reap the benefits of a portfolio that includes companies that further gender equality. This September they are teaming up with Yova, a Zurich-based fintech impact investing firm, to help take gender lens investing from trend to mainstream.
Switzerland is perfect for start-ups, but…
Switzerland boasts some of the best skills in the world, according to Daniela Marino. The Cutiss CEO says Switzerland is also the “perfect place” to be an entrepreneur. So what’s the catch? When it comes to money, Swiss investors aren’t as willing to take risks as their American counterparts.
Small vegetables with a big impact
Umami grows microgreens in a sustainable way. Find out how these small veggies have a big impact.
The start-up that is literally breaking the mold
AgroSustain CEO Olga Dubey, recently ranked in Forbes’ 30 Under 30, is on a mission to beat back nature. Mold causes at least $30 billion of agricultural waste globally each year, and Dubey has developed a natural fungicide to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. AgroSustain’s solution has piqued the interest of a Swiss retail giant, giving an extra boost to the company’s latest funding round.
Apelab: magicians in the art of virtual storytelling
Apelab’s virtual reality studio works with the likes of Facebook, HTC and Google to create interactive storytelling adventures and Houdini-style illusions. Co-Founder and CEO Emilie Joly tells us how virtual reality is playing its part in revolutionizing sectors ranging from education to health care.
The Swiss app that wants to help us run the world
Share your favorite jogging trail or hiking path, or let people know the best drink to have at that undiscovered chic bar in town—Swiss app Snukr is banking on all of us inspiring one another to fully explore wherever we are in the world. Creator Chloé Saas swears it’s not just another travel or social app. “This is how you discover new places or experiences,” she says, adding that the Swiss tourism industry wholeheartedly agrees.
Basel start-up uses data to break into U.S. insurance industry
Insurtech start-up Luminant Analytics was founded in 2017 to improve insurance pricing by using data. Now with two bases in Switzerland and the U.S., founder Renu Ann Joseph explains how she’s trying to break into the highly-regulated industry and her plans to raise USD 1.5 million by 2020.
