Ibrahim Racaj lives in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. He started his professional career as a customer consultant at Swisscom, Switzerland's largest telecommunications company, before taking on the role of Territory Manager Retail and then Key Account Manager Retail and Public Vending at Selecta, a group of companies in the catering and vending sector. Since February 2023, Ibrahim Racaj has been Key Account Manager for Austria and parts of Switzerland (zip codes 3,5,8 and 9) in the Victorinox Corporate Business division.

Frank Wenning from Münster (Germany) has been "Area Manager Corporate Business" since April 2023 and is responsible for Victorinox Corporate Business customers in northern Germany (zip codes 0-5). The goal is to further develop and expand the Corporate Business market in Germany. Frank Wenning has many years of experience in sales: he was first Area Sales Manager at Lite Structures Germany, a manufacturer of system building components, and most recently Account Manager at BiC Graphic Europe, a leading manufacturer of consumer goods and personalized advertising materials.

André Fässler, Head of Sales Corporate Business for the DACH market at Victorinox, comments on the reinforcement in his area as follows: "We are very pleased to have gained two sales talents for the corporate business channel in the DACH region with Ibrahim Racaj and Frank Wenning. We are convinced that we will be able to serve our customers even better with the expanded team and successfully drive the business forward."

Source: Victorinox

In the age of smartphones and artificial intelligence, it's no surprise that the stock market in 2023 will be dominated by technology. Seven technology companies, including Apple, Amazon and Tesla, occupy the top 10. According to data from the trading platform City Index, Apple is the most valuable company in history with a market capitalization of 2.82 trillion euros. Apple was founded in 1976 and went public in 1980. It was only in 2011 that it became the most valuable company in the world for the first time, with a value of 326.6 billion euros. It thus replaced ExxonMobil at the top. For most of the 2010s, it was the largest company in the world, and in 2018 it became the first U.S. company to exceed $1 trillion (933.2 billion euros) in value. Two years later, it surpassed $2 trillion (1.866 trillion euros).

The 10 largest companies today:

Microsoft is the second-largest company in 2023, with a market capitalization of €2.34 trillion, thanks to its market-leading cloud computing services Microsoft Azure and its stake in OpenAI. However, the products that gave the company supremacy in 2000 - including Windows and Office - still account for a large portion of its revenue. Microsoft was already the most valuable company in the world in 2000; adjusted for inflation, it is worth more than three times as much today (2.34 trillion euros).

The year 2000: technology companies in the fast lane

Similar to today, technology companies were very present on the stock market in 2000. Companies such as Microsoft, Cisco and Intel occupied half of the top 10, compared with only one (IBM) 20 years earlier. Only two oil and gas companies were in the top 10 in 2000: ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell. In 2000, Microsoft topped the stock market with a value of €546 billion (€967.51 billion today), but was hit hard by the dot-com crash. By March 2001, the company's value had fallen to $258 billion (€240.7 billion), less than half its peak. This was partly due to the verdict in United States v. Microsoft, in which MSFT was found guilty of monopolization. In 2003, however, MSFT became the world's largest company again and was the world's largest technology company until the rise of Apple in the early 2010s.

The largest companies of the year 2000:

The world of 1980 was still another

The world's most valuable companies from 40 years ago look very different from those of 2000 and today, although they include many familiar names. In 1980, technology companies did not yet dominate the stock market; instead, the oil and gas sector was a major force, with six oil and gas companies in the top 10. Nevertheless, IBM was the largest company in the world in 1980, with a market capitalization of 32.29 billion euros (119.55 billion euros today). However, at that time IBM faced serious competition in the personal and business computing space. New entrants were challenging the company's crown, and by 1981 the company was no longer at the top of the stock markets. By the mid-1980s, "Big Blue" was leading again. However, with a current value of $130 billion (€121.3 billion), which is roughly the same as in 1980 when adjusted for inflation, the stock has underperformed the market as a whole.

The largest companies of 1980:

Source: City Index

The shortage of skilled workers is a concern for SMEs. Jan Riss, Chief Economist of the St.Gallen-Appenzell Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has also commented on this topic: "In view of demographic change, it is essential for SMEs in eastern Switzerland to position themselves as attractive employers. In this way, we can proactively address the growing shortage of skilled workers," was his assessment.

Accordingly, the shortage of qualified specialists is becoming even more acute. Annina Fitzian and Nico Dudli have recognized that the new generation not only expects digital interactions, but also brings different values with them. That's why it's more important than ever for SMEs to present themselves effectively and authentically in the digital world. "Our agency combines expertise in online marketing with a deep understanding of current job market trends," says Annina Fitzian. Nico Dudli adds, "The digital world is changing rapidly. Our agency offers SMEs the opportunity to jump on this bandwagon and present themselves optimally to potential employees."

The founding duo sees its mission as helping SMEs to take full advantage of the digital age and thus position themselves better on the labor market: "We make SMEs attractive to skilled workers."

More information

Signing an employment contract is by no means the end of the process: According to a study by Softgarden, one in ten jobseekers has signed an employment contract but then failed to take up the job. In addition, there are also the 21.0% employees who quit again within 100 days. Softgarden has now proven with their "Candidate Experience 2023" study that this percentage has doubled. 3,811 job applicants were surveyed. Softgarden is a self-reported leader in HR technology in Europe and was recognized as one of the top Talent Acquisition Suites providers in Europe in the Fosway 9-Grid™ Recruiting Report 2022 and 2023.

The "Candidate Experience" study was published in two parts. The first part was published in June 2023 and focused on the job search, employers' own media, and the application process. The second part focuses on the onboarding phase, the emotions in the application and the job interview.

Ghosting in the workplace

The "ghosting" phenomenon is heard more and more often when job applicants or job seekers sign the contract but then do not come to work (4.2%). Such a situation leads to a structural problem in the company or with the employer. Now the employer has to convince the jobseeker and not the other way around. The integration of new employees quickly becomes a challenge. 6.0% of the respondents have already cancelled the signed employment contract before starting the job. "A better job offer" was the most important reason for termination with 41.3%.

Ever quit your job during the first 100 days?

In 2018, respondents answered "yes" to this question by 11.6%, and in 2023, a disturbing trend has been observed: Because in 2023, respondents answered "yes" to the same question 21.0%. Softgarden has described the first few months as a "probationary period for employers." 15.7% have been on the verge of quitting their new job. The problem is the onboarding phase. Incidentally, for people with a simple school-leaving qualification (Hauptschule or Realschule), the proportion of those who have already quit their job once during the first 100 days is much higher than for academics, at 30.8%. Here it is 16.8%.

What are the reasons for leaving a job early?

The majority mentioned three factors on the subject:

1. The difference between application stage promises and job reality (70.5%)
2. Incompetent managers (71.3% for women) and (63.2% men).
3. Lack of plan during induction (60.3% for women) and (54.0% men).

Based on the study results, Kiril Mankovski, managing director of Softgarden, believes that onboarding needs to be improved and that employers need to be more structured in supporting employees throughout the integration phase.

Source: Softgarden. Study Information: softgarden.com/en/study/

Borobotics has developed an autonomous and energy-efficient solution, namely a drilling robot that, together with the additional equipment, requires up to 90% less space compared to conventional machines, while reducing costs, noise pollution and CO2 emissions from drilling. Revenue is generated through a leasing model in which drilling contractors would pay per meter drilled. In Switzerland and Germany, only 1.7 million additional geothermal probes are planned by 2035. Borobotics offers a solution for both with its autonomous and space-saving robots and aims to capture a significant market share.

The company emerged from a research project at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and plans to invest the 150,000 Swiss francs awarded by Venture Kick in several drilling tests of its robot. The initiator and driving force behind the project is Dr. Hans-Jörg Dennig, a mechanical engineer, lecturer and experienced founder. He is assisted by two co-founders: Philipp Ganz (engineering) and Moritz Pill (commercialization and development opportunities). "We were very pleased with our experience with Venture Kick. The program has proven to be very helpful, not only in terms of providing funding, but especially in terms of the inputs we received during the Kickers Camp sessions," said the Borobotics founders.

The Venture Kick foundation initiative offers Swiss startups up to CHF 150,000 in seed capital and provides a well-structured entrepreneurial path to building a successful business. Since its launch in 2007, Venture Kick has supported 917 Swiss startup projects with CHF 44.85 million. The financial support, training and networking programs have created 718 companies and 11,362 jobs.

Further information can be found on the Borobotics profile on VentureKick.ch

Thanks to the advancing digitalization and a variety of tools offered by the modern email platform, it is now much easier to offer products to customers via newsletters or to present the company's services.

Email marketing and its undeniable advantages

By using email marketing, companies can minimize their costs, and the most important thing is that this method is timely, highly effective and more personal. In order to have successful email marketing, it first requires careful organization, the creation of appealing texts and the integration of various images, as well as the development of a well thought-out plan.

Email marketing enables extended reach in customer acquisition. It also helps protect the environment by reducing the need for physical mail, thus reducing waste. The content of emails and campaigns remains up to date, resulting in greater readability and effectiveness.

Pro Tip: 62% of marketers consider personalization the most effective email marketing tactic in 2019/2020 (Ascend2 2019). According to our experience, this would still require the Target group segmented shipping, the Email Automation and the use of interactive content add( https://www.riegg.com).

The "prime time" for newsletters and email marketing

 Careful analysis of recipients' reading habits can be critical to determining the best possible time to send marketing emails or newsletters. Considering factors such as recipients' professional activities and their typical times for checking their emails is essential.

Diverse research has shown that the best time to open emails is usually about an hour after they have been sent. This highlights the fact that the target audience prefers to read emails while they are fresh and up to date. However, if marketing emails get lost in a crowded inbox, there is a significant risk that they will go unnoticed.

The best times to read newsletters are typically in the first hour after they are sent, or between 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Another factor influencing whether or not newsletters are read is where the target audience is at a given time. Another study has shown that recipients often read newsletters in the car, in the office or comfortably at home on the sofa.

Email marketing in the corporate world

Recently, companies have been making increasing use of email marketing, especially those that need to stay constantly up to date. These include online stores, media companies, agencies, banks, insurance companies and tourism businesses.

Online stores, for example, can use e-mail marketing to create and send individual newsletters and product recommendations directly based on customer data. Media companies also benefit significantly from newsletters and can serve their customers professionally.

Agencies, banks and insurance companies are also active in constantly presenting new offers to their customers. In the tourism industry, travel tips and vacation offers are no longer only distributed in travel agencies, but also regularly by e-mail. This means that everyone can now receive travel offers from the comfort of their own home and obtain additional information for the trip they are planning.

In summary, email marketing continues to occupy an important place in the marketing mix. As already mentioned, it undoubtedly offers numerous advantages, but there are also disadvantages to consider that come with the entire digital world.

Author:
Adelisa Salaji Kalajdzini is a trainee editor at Galledia Fachmedien AG.

The Swiss national team participated with a total of 16 different trades and won 15 medals, including twelve gold medals and three silver medals. Thus, the Swiss national team has impressively underlined its dominance in the international comparison. Martin Erlacher, the Technical Delegate, expressed his joy and satisfaction on the occasion of this victory. When asked about the recipe for success, Martin Erlacher said: "The dedication and support among each other were exemplary, and the outstanding results are the result of that."

Compared to two years ago in Graz (Ö), the result was even surpassed. The number of twelve gold medals outshines everything. The other nations were Austria with seven European Championship titles, France with their five. What is particularly convincing: There were an impressive 94% of the SwissSkills delegation on the podium and provided an incredible track record.

The Swiss results at a glance

Gold:

• Ariane Aeschlimann (meat specialist from Münchenbuchsee BE)
• Iwan Arnold (plasterer-dryer from Haldi UR)
• Giorgio Besomi (floor parquet layer from Bellinzona TI)
• Ralf Boltshauser (Fehraltorf ZH) & Raymond Tea (Gundetswil ZH) together in the "Entrepreneurship" Skill
• Antoine Cottens (construction machinery mechanic from Rances VD)
• Sven Fellmann (electrician from Triengen LU)
• Nicola Krause (bricklayer from Schüpfheim LU)
• Celine Maier (cook from Meinisberg BE)
• Michael Schmucki (electrician from Uerikon ZH)
• Marlena Senne (stonemason from Affoltern am Albis ZH)
• Carmen Többen (hotel communication specialist from Oberhofen BE)
• William Zahler (tinsmith from Lenk BE)

Silver:

• Michael Bieri (carpenter from Wachseldorn BE)
• Fabio Bossart (automotive mechatronics technician from Schötz LU)
• Sabrina Bosshard (painter from Illnau ZH)

6th rank: 

• Sascha Künzi (refrigeration system fitter from Zwieselberg, BE)

Best of Nation:

• Giorgio Besomi (floor parquet layer from Bellinzona TI)

After the return of the SwissSkills team to Switzerland, the vocational champions and the entire Swiss team were warmly welcomed and greeted at a Welcome Event in the Stadtsaal of Kloten, Zurich.

Source and further information: www.swiss-skills.ch

Siemens today inaugurated its new research and development (R&D) building in the presence of Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, Landammann Silvia Thalmann-Gut and Roland Busch, Chairman of the Managing Board of Siemens AG. This means that after a seven-year construction phase and investments of CHF 250 million, the climate-neutral Siemens campus in Zug is officially complete. "Technology is the key to sustainability," Roland Busch commented. "With buildings accounting for 40% of the world's energy demand, climate-neutral buildings are an important lever for companies and for entire countries to become more sustainable. To keep the complex processes under control, we use artificial intelligence to orchestrate the necessary hardware and software. Switzerland, with its high environmental standards and world-class universities, is the perfect place to drive this technology. And Siemens Xcelerator, our new digital business platform, makes it easier for customers to implement efficiently thanks to the modular design of our solution."

Leading by example with Smart Infrastructure

As the global headquarters of Siemens Smart Infrastructure, Zug is an important location for the development of building technologies. Every year, the company registers around 80 new patents from here. The 25000 m2 campus consists of a main building, a factory building and the modernized R&D building. Climate neutrality is achieved through a combination of different measures. "Siemens uniquely connects the real and digital worlds, enabling us to create a better future. The new Siemens Campus in Zug is an excellent example of this," says Matthias Rebellius, member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Smart Infrastructure. "Using the latest technologies from our portfolio to improve building operations and achieve maximum efficiency, the campus will be operated in a completely climate-neutral manner. This means we are already achieving the goal to which we committed two years ago."

Heat pumps and water from Lake Zug are used for heating and cooling, and photovoltaic systems on the roof produce electricity. Green flat roofs provide additional insulation. The Desigo CC building automation system, as part of Siemens Xcelerator, ensures optimal room climate control as well as energy efficiency and, together with LED lighting, provides the best possible indoor comfort. In addition, more than 50 Siemens-owned charging stations support sustainable mobility. The office building has received platinum certification according to the LEED standard, while the factory and R&D building each achieve the gold standard.

Digital building platform in action

Building Information Modeling (BIM) was used in the design of the campus. With BIM, a building is constructed twice: First as a digital twin and then as a physical object. Thus, electricity, heating, cooling and water consumption can be documented, measured and adjusted via various applications. A room reservation system is linked to Siport access control and Desigo CC for on-demand room control and digital signage. In addition, a variety of IoT functions have already been implemented to increase building efficiency, improve comfort and optimize the user experience.

At the opening ceremony, participants had the opportunity to see Building X, Siemens' scalable digital building platform, in action during a campus tour. Also part of Siemens Xcelerator, Building X helps to digitize, manage and optimize building operations, resulting in improved user experience, higher performance and greater sustainability.

Continuing a tradition with research campus

The R&D building, which was modernized at a cost of around 70 million Swiss francs, is the latest chapter in a long tradition of Siemens investments in Switzerland. More than 70 years ago, Siemens was already working closely with the then fire alarm company Cerberus. In 1998, Siemens took over the industrial activities of Elektrowatt, which in addition to Cerberus also included the Zug-based company Landis & Gyr, and from this formed the new Building Technologies business unit. Since then, the Siemens Building Technologies division, known as Siemens Smart Infrastructure since 2019, has been based in Zug and makes an important contribution to value creation in the region and throughout Switzerland.

Now completed, the research campus provides a carbon-neutral work environment for more than 1700 employees driving technology development for critical infrastructure worldwide.

Source: Siemens

This time, the KMU Swiss Symposium started a little earlier than usual: In the run-up to the event, two prologues were offered on the topics of "Darknet" and "Artificial Intelligence", which were attended by around half of the participants. In total, more than 300 participants paid their respects to the symposium. Delegates from Taiwan, Hungary and Croatia were also present.

Wrong approaches in the world of work

In his welcoming speech, Armin Baumann, initiator of KMU Swiss, mentioned that even small changes could have a big impact on the economy. Dr. David. W.F. Huang, representing Taiwan, pointed out that his country has many structural and geographical parallels to Switzerland. With 70% world market share in semiconductor manufacturing, a loss of Taiwanese production or a supply stoppage would have a devastating effect on the global economy. JANZZ Ltd. founder Stefan Winzenried summed it up with a concentrated load of information on the labor market situation: "Either we reduce economic output and accept minus growth - or we have to open the borders more for the right workers." Among other things, he also mentioned mistakes (such as the 4-day work week), which politicians commit in the integral world and thus tend to exacerbate the problem. And more and more young people are studying and therefore manual jobs can no longer be filled. One should nevertheless make the entrance to universities more difficult and motivate again to handicraft jobs, so his conclusion. His basic approach is based on a depoliticization of the situation and a fact-based search for solutions. And such a solution cannot consist solely in the demand for home offices, because according to a study from the USA, productivity has fallen by 44 percent in home offices.

What if the water stops flowing?

The second block of presentations was opened by Jürg Brand. He showed how vonRoll Hydro is massively committed to reducing water loss from infrastructures. This has transformed the business from a foundry to a water technology company. The fact that the problem of water supplies is not increasingly being addressed is mainly due to the fact that water simply flows in Switzerland and is basically far too cheap. If the loss of water in Switzerland were eliminated, this would correspond to an energy equivalent that could supply 15,000 households. Then transport entrepreneur Daniel Schöni opened his presentation with the remark that he is a patron, not a CEO, and that he learned his trade from scratch. In the course of his sympathetic presentation, he let the audience know that politics has to approach transport differently, but that there are still too many vested interests. It happens too often that they do something and say: "We will start with this, after which time will surely judge it...". This also applies to energy policy, where electric drives are demanded but energy production is difficult.

"Fiery" entertainment

Dr. Martin Keller, Chairman of the Board of Fenaco AG, then lit the fire to his company: "Switzerland has a self-sufficiency rate of 50% and with the compulsory stocks, price fluctuations and supply bottlenecks can currently be compensated." With the Fenaco Group would be committed to strive whenever possible regional suppliers and optimally sustainable production in agriculture.

Speaking of fire: The fire artist JennyFire impressed the crowd on stage and included the initiator of KMU Swiss, Armin Baumann, in her show: Accompanying the concluding aperitif, she showed her skills among the 35 or so exhibitors. The strong mood among the participants was visibly palpable, their exchange familiar and the feedback received was exceptionally positive, according to the organizer.

Source and further information: SME Swiss

With Cedric Hauser and Roman Marty, OBT AG appoints two new members to its Executive Board. Cedric Hauser joined the OBT team in 2014 as a fiduciary with a federal certificate. In 2017, he completed his training as a certified fiduciary expert and was appointed team leader fiduciary. Since May 2014 he has been working as mandate manager fiduciary and since 2021 he is responsible for the entire management of the fiduciary division in Lachen. This was also accompanied by his promotion to partner at OBT. Cedric Hauser has also been contributing his in-depth knowledge to the specialist area management of fiduciary services since 2019.

Roman Marty has been working in the fiduciary and auditing industry since 2006. In 2010, OBT AG took over his then employer INTERTEST Revisions- und Wirtschaftsprüfungs AG and Roman Marty joined OBT in Brugg. In 2012, he completed his training to become a certified public accountant. Two years later, he moved from Brugg to Zurich, where he was promoted to team leader in 2016. In 2018, he was appointed local partner and since 2022, Roman Marty has held the position of Head of Audit Zurich.

The management is convinced that Cedric Hauser and Roman Marty will decisively and successfully shape the future of the OBT Group. Due to their many years of experience, they know the challenges and opportunities in the industry. This will further strengthen the OBT Group, the company further announces.

Source

Achieving net zero by 2050 is emerging as a driver of business and policy. Much is being done in the meantime. However, it still seems that much of this is being done in the form of individual initiatives. Seen in this light, the motto of this year's Swiss Green Economy Symposium was to be understood as a call to join forces in order to achieve more impact together. In 9 keynotes, in 16 innovation forums on different topics and in an innovation exhibition, "Green Economy" was brought closer to the audience with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals as the basic pillars.

Nimby, Banana, Cave: How impact is prevented

The fact that upcoming problems - and there are many of them - can only be solved together is something that those present - according to the organizers, around 2,000 participants and 250 speakers - are likely to have agreed on. There are still different positions on the "how": While some are in favor of more self-responsibility, others would like to see more intervention by the state. An example of this is the discussion on the topic of energy, where a trilemma exists that is difficult to solve: Achieving a net-zero target while maintaining security of supply at the lowest possible cost. Adrian Stiefel, Head of the Office for Environmental Protection of the City of Bern, shows that, on the one hand, it is not possible without clear regulations, but on the other hand, all players must be involved. And this seems to be working: in 2021, Bern was already supplying 85 percent of its energy from renewable sources.

But many hurdles remain. Christoph Brand, CEO of Axpo, described these with three acronyms: "Nimby" (not in my backyard), "Banana" (build absolutely nothing anywhere near anybody) and "Cave" (citizens against virtually everything), with which he easily took aim at what he saw as the rampant objection policy against the construction of wind turbines. An accusation that SP National Councilor Martina Munz did not want to let stand: "We are doing a lot in Bern," she said, referring to the recently adopted Solar and Wind Express, a package of measures for accelerated construction of solar and wind power plants with only a one-time opportunity to file an objection. Will this make the energy turnaround possible? Alexander Keberle of economiesuisse was skeptical in this regard: "It's not enough at the back and front". He emphasized the need to continue operating nuclear power plants for as long as possible and not to make the same mistake as Germany, which now has to produce more electricity from coal due to the shutdown of nuclear power plants and is even dependent on imports.

The panel discussion, however, showed that the positions are also converging. There is a broad consensus that we must move forward with the construction of solar plants and electricity storage systems so that a looming electricity shortfall can be avoided in the short term. "We must now move forward where there is agreement, and not discuss differences," concludes Christoph Brand. Or just: Achieve more impact together...

Achieving sustainability goals: It doesn't work without data

Large companies such as BASF are known to be under close scrutiny when it comes to climate protection. Lars Kissau, who is responsible for the "Net Zero Accelerator" at BASF, made it clear that large economic players cannot achieve their net zero goals without cooperation with partners. In this regard, he also appealed to international politics: He would like to see improved cooperation between Switzerland and the EU, but also a dismantling of barriers within Europe, for example in energy supply and research and development. Tanja Zimmermann, director of Empa, for example, mentioned how fruitful such cooperation across national borders can be. "Thanks to companies like BASF, we now have twice as many projects at Empa." The will of the companies to move forward is therefore there, she said. Technology-open framework conditions are a prerequisite for this, as Franziska Ryser, National Councillor of the Green Party, admitted. Internationally differing CO2 laws could have the effect of hindering competition.

Openness to technology can also be read as a prerequisite for achieving sustainability goals. The only thing is that the panel discussion on this topic showed that many diffuse fears - of artificial intelligence, for example - still have to be dispelled first. "The challenge is not on the technological side, but on the social side," said Prof. Matthias Sulzer, senior scientist at Empa's Urban Energy System Lab. However, data is now necessary to measure the impact of ESG measures, for example, emphasized Christian Keller, Chairman of the Executive Board of IBM Switzerland.

Much concrete at SGES 2023

Away from the fundamental discussions that were held and still need to be held, there were again many examples at SGES 2023 of how sustainable business works in concrete terms. For example, solutions made of bioplastics (Kuori) were presented at the exhibition, or a circular economy concept for baby carriages (loopi). And also this year, the SDG Award for companies was presented. With the SDG Award, the Swiss Green Economy Symposium honors solutions and projects that implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in a trend-setting way. The award is intended to inspire players to make a courageous commitment and to promote innovative projects that serve as role models. This year's prize was awarded to the Zurich-based design company Circleg. Circleg has developed a cost-effective prosthetic leg system that is tailored to the needs of people in developing countries. This is because most of the 65 million people worldwide with amputated legs live in countries of the South. 55 million do not have prostheses because they are too expensive. Thanks to Circleg's use of recycled plastic waste in combination with on-site production in the countries of the South, leg prostheses can be manufactured locally and cost-effectively. The company thus combines social, economic and environmental goals: Integrating people with impairments into society, creating jobs, protecting the environment by using plastic waste as a basic raw material.

Still several questions open

The "green economy" has undoubtedly arrived in people's minds. Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered, as the SGES 2023 also showed, such as: How can nutrition become more sustainable when, paradoxically, food that is not (yet) produced sustainably is cheaper? Or: How do sustainable financing instruments work and with which sustainable investments can returns be achieved without having to resort to non-transparent structured financial products? And what can SMEs actually do to achieve the climate targets? Answers to these questions can be provided at least by the Swiss Climate Action Initiative (SCAI)a joint platform of large companies, SMEs and other organizations. The community aims to support and encourage SMEs in particular in their first steps towards CO2 reduction. Through dialog and the use of synergies between the participants, both company-owned and joint projects are to be created, which will help to achieve the CO2 reduction targets. This platform - also an example of "achieving an effect together" - certainly deserves a little more resonance.

More information

The presentation of the Swiss Startup Award 2023 took place on September 6 at Startup Space in Schlieren. A selected audience including startup founders , investors and key partners of the TOP 100 attended . In addition, the award ceremony was broadcast live to a global audience. The 13th edition of the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Awards was organized by Venturelab in collaboration with presenting partners Credit Suisse and the Swiss Venture Club. The award has become the ultimate benchmark for startups in Switzerland.
develops and fosters a dynamic community of innovators. Over the past 13 years, a total of 553 startups have been ranked. These award-winning startups have created 17,955 jobs and raised CHF 12.7 billion to date. 79 exits and 9 IPOs crown the achievements of these entrepreneurs.

Swiss Startup Ranking 2023: HAYA Therapeutics, Planted and Yokoy

A jury of one hundred startup investors and experts selects the 100 startups that are no older than five years. The podium places in the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Ranking 2023 come from three
various industries: Biotechnology, Food Technology and Financial Technology. "The ranking reflects the strength of the Swiss startup ecosystem and shows the diversity and strong technical base," says Stefan Steiner, TOP 100 program manager. "Startups remain true drivers of innovation. They contribute both directly and indirectly to the prosperity and future of our country, especially in this rapidly accelerating world. In cleantech, for example, there are 17 representatives in the TOP 100 (including 3 in the TOP 10), confirming a positive momentum that started several years ago and is even stronger in 2023."

Another example of innovation concerns the emergence of artificial intelligence in our daily lives and in the business world beyond ChatGPT. The new ranking also introduces 41 new nominees and offers an exclusive look at this pioneering ecosystem that is among the best in the world. HAYA Therapeutics, Planted Foods and Yokoy are on average four years old, have created over 520 new jobs and raised a total of CHF 237 million in investments.

First place: HAYA Therapeutics

The biotech startup HAYA Therapeutics (www.hayatx.com) is developing precision drugs. Its lead candidate for the treatment of heart cancer is currently in the preclinical phase. The startup, based in Epalinges in the canton of Vaud, was founded in 2019 by Samir Ounzain and Daniel Blessing and ranked 8th in 2022.

Second place: Planted Foods

Planted Foods (www.eatplanted.com) is revolutionizing the food industry by making plant-based proteins from 100% animal-free ingredients. The vegan meat alternatives contain no additives. Planted Foods, based in Kemptthal ZH, was founded in 2019 by Christoph Jenny, Eric Stirnemann, Lukas Böni and Pascal Bieri and also already took 2nd place in 2022.

Third place: Yokoy Group

Fintech company Yokoy Group (www.yokoy.ai) uses artificial intelligence to automate the entire corporate spend and c redit card process. The startup, based in Canton Zurich, was founded in 2019 by Melanie Gabriel, Devis Lussi, Thomas Inhelder, Philippe Sahli, Lars Mangelsdorf and ranked 1st in 2022.

The list with all the top 100 startups can be found here.