Kickstart combines the strengths of academia, global corporations, and many successful local startups to deliver an internationally recognized startup program aimed at giving access to promising startups to Switzerland’s hub of tech and innovation. This year, Kickstart is focusing on four verticals in which Switzerland shows a competitive advantage: fintech, smart and connected machines, future and emerging technology and food. All verticals will be running at the same time from the end of August until the beginning of November 2016. Startups from the 4 different verticals will be working in the same office space enabling them to benefit from interdisciplinary exchanges going beyond their vertical.
30 finalists to join the 2016 Kickstart program have been selected across all the verticals. Among them are eight Swiss startups; two in Food, three in Future and Emerging technology and three in Fintech.
Below are the ten Swiss startups in their corresponding verticals.
Future and Emerging Technology
Piomic: the Zurich based startup has developed a non-invasive electroceutical wound care device. The patient benefits from a faster healing process, reduced pain and inflammation as well as an improved treatment outcome. The devices are wearable, cost -efficient and easy to use in stationary and ambulant health care.
BioWatch: the Geneva headquartered startup has developed the world’s first wearable wrist vein recognition solution first for authentication purposes. The startup transforms watches into a secure source of identification using the unique pattern of the user’s veins. The biowatch buckle, a biometric identification system is integrated into a watch, smart-band or bracelet.
Modum: established in Zurich, the startup is devoting itself to ensuring drug safety with blockchain technology. Modum creates sensor devices leveraging blockchain technology to assert data immutability and public accessibility while saving costs in the pharma supply chain. The product monitors the temperature of each parcel during the shipment to fully ensure GDP regulations. All data is transferred to the blockchain where a smart contract assesses against the product attributes.
Fintech:
Veezoo: Founded in 2015, Veezoo is a Swiss startup based in Zurich that provides a tool for people to allow them explore and visualize stock market data efficiently. Veezoo is supported by SIX.
Gatechain: is a Zurich-based startup that uses blockchain technology providing solutions for trade finance on a decentralised network which allows to seamlessly connect all participants in the trade ecosystem. This allows for the reduction of processing time and the lowering of costs while improving cash-flow in trade.
Zoa: a solution developed by Zurich-based Company MyDataMint. Zoa is an application and a platform for exchanging personal data between consumers and companies. On the platform, companies can buy personal data directly from users in exchange for cash.
Food
Faitron: Faitron enables customers to eat healthier while saving time and money whilst increasing their well-being and minimizing food waste. The company has developed the HeatsBox, an electric lunchbox that enables customers to heat up their food anywhere and anytime within minutes, increasing well-being, convenience and a healthy lifestyle.
Project-Aqua: a Ticino-based aims to give access to drinking water to the 663 million people who do not have it by offering optimized CSR solutions to retailers and leveraging a digital and innovative concept: the micro-sharing.
Smart and connected machines
Smart Home Technology: The spinoff of ETH Zurich creates easy to use appliances to make homes smarter and is also a specialist in custom hardware and software development. The product portfolio includes home automation gateways like a SMS Switch allowing to control the shutters or heating using SMS or an automated SOS caller for cases of emergencies.
(RAN)