With brewbee, Locher Brewery has founded Switzerland's first food upcycling brand, which transforms brewery byproducts such as malt spent grains and brewer's yeast into sustainable foods and meat alternatives. "We stop the waste of valuable resources and use them to develop high-quality, sustainable foods," says brewery owner Karl Locher. "We are currently building Europe's largest spent grains upcycling plant for protein recovery with the Swiss startup upgrain here in Appenzell. It cannot be that the good nutrients and fiber are not utilized as they deserve. For decades, therefore, we have been working tirelessly to develop new ways of turning brewery by-products such as spent grains or brewer's yeast into high-quality food."

Barley malt snack "Trellini

The company's efforts to combat food waste are now beginning to bear fruit: Trellini, which is now available, makes snacking hearts beat faster. The malt spent grain and lentil snack contains hardly any fat, but plenty of vegetable proteins and valuable dietary fiber. Trellini" contain 56 percent fresh spent grains and are now available in the flavors "Salt & Vinegar" and "Tomato & Basil.

brewbee "Plant-based" line

In the search for sustainable and alternative sources of protein, there is no getting around brewbee spent grain. The malt spent grain is processed into meat alternatives that have incredible potential: brewbee "Ghackets" and brewbee "Gschnetzlets". These are just the beginning of the vegan brewbee "Plant-based" line. From bolognese to dessert: there are no limits to the creative cuisine. For some time now, several restaurateurs and butchers throughout the country have been working with these products. From now on, "Ghackets" and "Gschnetzlets" are also available for private customers in the brewery's online store, complete with preparation tips and recipe suggestions.

Source and further information: www.brewbee.ch

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The fact that one of their own machines could come to a standstill and costs explode as a result is a primeval fear of every industrial company. No one can afford - with high Swiss prices and the ever stronger Swiss franc anyway - delayed deliveries, poor service and customer frustration. How welcome would a reliable, smooth aftermarket service be here? This is exactly where Sebastian Beetschen's innovation comes in. When he founded the startup Almer Technologies two years ago, he dreamed of developing augmented reality glasses for Swiss industrial companies that were much more user-friendly and compact than existing solutions, and could be worn comfortably throughout the workday.

Of all things, to develop a product in a market in which well-known companies like Microsoft and Google have already tried their hand? A bold idea, said some. Almost cheeky, others thought, and advised him against the project.

Like a Terminator: Remote collaboration at the next level

The vision remained and the conviction rock solid: they wanted to give industrial companies a tool that would revolutionize professional collaboration. Not just with a copy of the Hololens, but through an intuitive, compact ecosystem of hardware and software. One that employees could wear comfortably and allow them to work hands-free while simultaneously using information superimposed on the augmented reality glasses.

With a team of hand-picked members, he came up with a business plan and a development goal that suddenly found approval. His company, Almer Technologies, won one entrepreneurial award after another and reinvested the money in research and development. In record time and with a fraction of the innovation budget of the competition, Almer developed a market-ready product.

Even interrupted supply chains during and after Corona could not harm the young Swiss startup. After a year of development, Almer started production - not just anywhere, but right in its offices in the Swiss capital.

New augmented reality glasses meet with enthusiasm

The result: augmented reality glasses that industrial companies have long longed for - and a game-changer for industrial collaboration, because they add a new dimension to communication between different sites.

The glasses are more compact, lighter and easier to use than comparable products, according to Almer. Customers who received the Almer glasses in September would also confirm this in the meantime, according to the statement. For example, Jürg Schneider, head of sales and customer service at Loepfe, a supplier to the textile industry, says: "The user-friendliness of the Almer glasses is a very valuable advantage for us and our partners. It allows us to offer our services faster anywhere in the world and strengthens the recognition value of the Loepfe brand."

Founder Sebastian Beetschen is overjoyed that the product launch of the first series is so successful and proudly says: "My team has achieved in one year and with two million Swiss francs what Microsoft has achieved in four years with four billion Swiss francs."

Source and further information: Almer Technologies

Leonardo Reinhard and Sven Affeltranger from Küsnacht in Zurich kicked off the third show of the current season of "Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz" with their "InClub" experience app. Whether it's a barbecue, game night or ski day, the "InClub" app allows users to organize and find private events. Users meet in real life. In this way, the founders want to combat the often-cited loneliness of Generation Z. According to the two founders, 60 percent of this generation feels lonely at least once a week. Despite many likes and followers on today's social media channels, this problem is even intensifying, they say. With their experience app - "the Airbnb for experiences" - the two have already taken first place in the app store charts several times. 15,000 users, 450 experiences, support from Swisscom and Oracle, and a highly motivated team behind the two founders should help the app achieve further success. In order to close the current financing round, Leonardo and Sven would like to convince the lions to invest 155,000 Swiss francs in exchange for five percent company shares. First came the usual questions about sales and positioning. How, for example, can "hanging out" be commercialized? The two did not tire of emphasizing the uniqueness and the focus on the young target group from 14/15 years. Bettina Hein jumped right in and offered the desired investment, Roland Brack also offered 155,000, Tobias Reichmuth was also convinced and made the same offer. The two also inspired Lukas Speiser with their energy. They were then spoilt for choice and decided on Bettina Hein and Lukas Speiser. The young entrepreneurs thus left the studio with twice what they had aimed for.

A lot of goodwill, but still no deal

Marcel Roesch from Thun entered "help2type", a typing aid for the visually impaired. His startup enables blind and visually impaired people to type on their smartphones. Founder Marcel Roesch is almost blind himself. He has developed a tactile keyboard that can be attached to any smartphone. It connects via Bluetooth and works for both iOS and Android. The product sounds promising. His goal: to find a strategic partner in the "Höhle der Löwen": 20 percent for 280,000 Swiss francs was Marcel Roesch's idea. And the potential he explained in his pitch seems great: in Switzerland alone, there are 300,000 people affected. At a selling price of 200 francs, this would result in a volume of 60 million francs. Marcel Roesch put the cost price at just over 70 francs. As is so often the case, it was Tobias Reichmuth who put the fine figures to the test. What struck him a bit was the relatively low number of units sold within the last two years. The high price also caused question marks. Or is the need within the target group not so high after all? Lukas Speiser praised the product, but did not see it as an investment case for himself. Tobias Reichmuth was of the same opinion. Anja Graf said she would buy the product, but the financial proportions were not right for her to invest in it either. Jürg Schwarzenbach at least made himself available to make an assessment with the founder. But there was no investment from him either, nor from Roland Brack. Conclusion: Many words of praise, and one or the other investor's heart bled at having to turn down a project because the sales figures were not convincing.

A trendy idea finds favor with the lionesses and lions

Sarah von Aesch and Raphaell Schär from Brugg (AG) then presented the online garden "MyFeld". It works like this: The start-up sells garden plots every season, where customers determine online what should be planted. They then get the vegetables delivered to their homes - even the crooked ones not just the straight carrots. The target group: anyone who likes to eat home-grown vegetables but doesn't have their own garden. And last but not least, "MyFeld" wants to help reduce foodwaste. Their capital requirements, with which they confronted the lioness and lions: 375,000 for five percent company shares. With this, they want to achieve a 1 percent market share of the entire vegetable market in Switzerland.

For their concept, the two earned praise from the lionesses and lions. Since 2020, the founding year, sales of 120,000 francs have been achieved (2021 season). Then came the critical questions from the investors: Jürg Schwarzenbach, for example, questioned the high valuation. And the sales development also caused some frowning. Anja Graf doubted the scalability and dropped out. Lukas Speiser took the same line and also refrained from investing. Tobias Reichmuth, on the other hand, made an offer: 375,000, but against a 10 percent stake. Roland Brack and Jürg Schwarzenbach were also prepared to make the same offer. But Sarah and Raphaell preferred Roland Brack together with Tobias Reichmuth. Jürg Schwarzenbach then withdrew and let the other two lions go first. That's how a deal was made.

And once again a "Unfortunately no

"SavaSano Natur Pur" - Sandro Savastano from Zug is behind this line of natural cosmetics. The young entrepreneur produces high-quality natural cosmetics and natural oils: from organic ingredients, by hand, without water and preservatives. In the future, the founder wants to produce without electricity, obtain a pharmaceutical approval - and become a business unicorn. To achieve this, Sandro, who abandoned his pharmaceutical studies in favor of his business idea, wants an investment of 250,000 Swiss francs in exchange for ten percent company shares. The lionesses and lions then immediately put the product to the test: How does it feel on the skin? But the investors were much more interested in the cost structure. The manufacturing costs range from 33 to 56 Swiss francs, and the price range between the cheapest and most expensive product is between 88 and 216 Swiss francs. Considering the size - or should we rather say "smallness" - of the boxes on display, this is quite a large sum, as the lionesses and lions had to admit. When asked about the future and the exact purpose of the investment, Sandro's answers seemed a bit vague. And then the vision of a business unicorn? Jürg Schwarzenbach recommended to first look for a suitable team. Despite praise for the high quality of the products, in the end no one was willing to invest. Especially since the actual company had only recently been founded by Sandro Savastano. The timing and the difficult scalability probably proved to be too "investment-hostile".

Met the taste

Swiss hummus from fabas: Behind it are Anik Thaler and Tobias Vogel from Dietikon (ZH). "Radically local" is the motto of the start-up, which produces hummus from Swiss legumes. The founding duo know all the farmers personally and think "the grow must go on." 100,000 Swiss francs against ten percent company shares: That was the capital requirement with which the two ventured into the lion's den. With this investment, they want to make the brand and the product better known in Switzerland. During the tasting, the lions were surprised at how good the hummus tasted to them. But then it was back to the numbers. Anja Graf asked about pricing. It turned out that the margins are still a bit low. The turnover was stated by Anik and Tobias at 75,000 Swiss francs, with an upward trend after Alnatura, among others, added the product to their range. In order to be able to refinance the whole team and the overhead, it would need a turnover of 800,000 francs up to 1 million.

The evaluation round followed: Lukas Speiser saw problems with scalability and stated that the product was primarily limited to a niche. He therefore dropped out. Patrick Mollet thinks the product is great, but did not want to invest. Roland Brack also dropped out due to a lack of expertise in the food sector. Anja Graf, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic and offered the required 100,000 francs. Jürg Schwarzenbach would probably also have been prepared to make an offer. This is how the deal between the lioness Anja Graf and the young entrepreneurs came about.

Save the best for last: When lionesses and lions almost fight over an investment

"Re-Zen" is the brand name for the portable sparkling water bottle developed by Christian Kaeser and Linus Lingg from Aarau (AG). The former ETH students have developed a bottle that allows you to make your own sparkling water on the go - completely without PET and disposable plastic. Self-confident and with a valuation - which they themselves admitted was high - they entered the lion's den: 100,000 francs in exchange for a company share of 1.6 percent. Roland Brack's forehead was already wrinkling... The product literally has it all: A bottle with modules or adapters for fizz, taste or even water purification was presented to the lions. But do Mr. or Mrs. Swiss want to drink sparkling water on the go? At first, the lionesses and lions were skeptical. But Tobias Reichmuth had to admit that the pricing was quite attractive compared to sparkling water from the retailer. After all, 15 centimes for 3 or 5 dl is quite reasonable, as Christian and Linus calculated. And another highlight: To produce sparkling water, the two also rely on commercially available CO2 capsules, such as those from Sodastream. But the price of a bottle is still 100 francs. Tobias Reichmuth, however, praised the high quality. "A brilliant idea," he noted. Then, however, still follows the question about the high valuation. This was based on the potential and the expected revenues, he said. "We always hear that from all the startups here," was Bettina Hein's scathing reply. But then Christian and Linus delivered figures: 1 million by the end of 2022, 3 million by the end of 2023, and by 2025 they want to have sold 115,000 units with 20.5 million in revenue. Tobias Reichmuth then asked: Why only 100,000 francs capital requirement? He therefore made an offer: 200,000 francs against a 3.2 percent share in the company. Bettina Hein and Roland Brack were even prepared to join in with 300,000 for 4.8 percent. In the end, because Lukas Speiser did not want to participate, Jürg Schwarzenbach was left. Tobias Reichmuth immediately offered to join forces with him for an offer of 500,000 francs. It developed almost like an "offer battle", which happens quite rarely on the show. In the end, two offers were on the table: 400,000 at 6.4 percent "flat" from Bettina Hein and Roland Brack against another 400,000 francs at 6.4 percent, intended as a "convertible loan" from Tobias Reichmuth and Jürg Schwarzenbach. But the two founders saw an opportunity: Why not secure the literal lion's share for a large financing round today? And that's how it happened: the four lionesses and lions mentioned above joined forces and jointly donated 800,000 Swiss francs of capital in exchange for a 14 percent share in the company. Thus the deal of the evening was perfect.

Update October 22, 2022:

After the broadcast, however, the two company founders turned down the offer from the four lions. It was learned that the young company had found another investor who was better suited to their ideas.

More information on upcoming shows: https://www.oneplus.ch/detail/1000604

Go to At the beginning of the year, Lyreco reported for the first time about the construction of its own photovoltaic plant. Since then, a lot has happened on the roofs in Dintikon: On October 11, 2022, the plant was ceremoniously inaugurated and from now on generates around 1 million kWh per year of green, climate-neutral electricity for logistics.

Solar power plant with over 5400 m2 area

The inauguration ceremony was held with Erwin Fries, COO of Lyreco Switzerland AG, and Peter Dietiker, Head of Solar Business Development at Romande Energie, as well as all those involved in the project. "We are pleased that from now on we will be able to cover 40 % of our energy needs ourselves, with the remaining 60 % flowing directly into Romande Energie's local power grid," said Erwin Fries. The newly constructed plant, consisting of around 3000 solar panels on a total surface area of 5424 m2, can generate 1.1 gigawatt hours of electricity per year, which is equivalent to the demand of around 450 homes. Lyreco is thus making a decisive contribution to reducing its ecological footprint and cutting climate-damaging CO₂-emissions from energy generation.

In line with the sustainability strategy

"Sustainability is firmly anchored in our corporate philosophy," Lyreco writes in this regard. That is why the company is consistently committed to further minimizing its ecological footprint and reducing its CO2 emissions. For example, with environmentally friendly transport by rail with SBB Cargo, by e-van or cargo bike - as well as with the robust and climate-neutral reusable boxes made of recycled material, which are used up to five times on average. "Our goal by 2026 is for our company vehicles, business trips and company facilities to be climate-neutral. With ecologically produced electricity from solar energy, we are a significant step closer to this goal," it continues.

Source: Lyreco

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According to management and technology consultancy BearingPoint, the following 5 tech trends will be particularly in the focus of companies next year: Generative AI, Metaverse, Cloud-native Platforms, Embedded Data & Analytics, and Zero Trust at Scale. To find out these trends, more than 1200 technology consultants were surveyed.

AI still No. 1 in tech trends

According to survey participants, artificial intelligence (AI) is still the top trend, just with a new focus than the year before. Metaverse is a new addition to the list of top tech trends this year - this trend is also seen as playing an important role in making businesses more sustainable. Embedded Data & Analytics is ranked 4th for the second year in a row.

Commenting on the findings, Stefan Pechardscheck, Global Head of Technology at BearingPoint, said: "Our new technology trends provide answers to the most pressing challenges for businesses. Our top 5 technology trends for 2023 are real game-changers and can be the basis for new business models. New trends like the metaverse - where digital and real merge - will play a big role in society, as will sustainability through substitution or optimization. Our customers can benefit from all these technologies. Digital tools are getting better, opportunities are more diverse, and companies have more potential to create value."

1. generative AI - accelerated innovation through new data

Generative AI is a broad term that describes any type of Artificial Intelligence that uses learning algorithms to generate new digital objects such as images, videos, audio, text, and code. The purpose of a generative AI model is to generate synthetic data and train the model to make inferences about the most relevant training data.

While generative AI is often associated with deep fakes, the technology is playing an increasingly important role in automating the repetitive processes used in digital image and audio correction. Generative AI is also being used experimentally in manufacturing as a tool for rapid prototyping and in business to improve data augmentation for process automation (RPA).

Tomas Chroust, Partner at BearingPoint: "AI solutions not only make predictions, but can generate new ideas based on existing data. Artificial intelligence thus opens up new dimensions of innovation."

2. metaverse - merging the digital and the real

The Metaverse blurs the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds, between actual and virtual reality - a network of 3D virtual worlds where VR and AR headsets enable social connections. The Metaverse is a persistent, living digital universe that offers individuals a sense of agency, social presence, shared spatial awareness, and the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive virtual economy with profound social impact.

In addition, the Metaverse can help with environmental transformation by helping to reduce CO2 emissions - whether by replacing physical goods and meetings with digital solutions, by replacing real presence with virtual interactions, or by digital twins that will help us optimize the physical world.

3. cloud-native platforms - new ways in product development

As most public and private organizations have migrated their legacy information systems to the cloud using the 6R (Rehost, Replatform, Repurchase, Rearchitecting, Retire and Retain) model, development teams are now using cloud frameworks and platforms to develop new applications. This new approach to product development is driven by traditional cloud promises such as accelerated product development cycles, scalable managed services, innovative cloud capabilities (serverless, machine learning, advanced analytics), and sustainable, resilient, and highly automated technologies.

This revolution in new application development brings challenges in change, vendor and cost management, and has a major impact on how IT organizations manage talent and corporate culture.

4. embedded data & analytics - no success without actionable use cases

Successful companies take a holistic approach and continuously incorporate data and analytics into their business. They also keep an eye on new trends and adapt accordingly. However, they always move along a roadmap with initiatives and use cases that lead them to their goals. Companies need to define and prioritize actionable use cases and work with a holistic plan. Without such use cases and a corresponding plan, data analytics will not go far.

5. zero trust at scale - cybersecurity at the core of the information security architecture

Enterprises increasingly operate in complex business ecosystems. These require connections to IT resources from a multitude of users from different organizations, connecting from any location and from any device. All of this is happening against a backdrop of an explosion in cyber threats that necessitates the promotion of Zero Trust as a core architectural principle. Therefore, Chief Information Security Officers need to implement comprehensive, dynamic and granular identity and access control solutions on a large scale.

Source: BearingPoint

The consulting and auditing firm Deloitte has published a major study on the Swiss watch industry for the ninth time. It is based on an online survey of 70 senior executives in the industry conducted between mid-August and mid-September 2022, supplemented by interviews with industry experts. At the same time, Deloitte conducted an online survey of 5,579 consumers in Switzerland and in the Swiss watch industry's largest export markets: China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. According to the company, the study follows an independent approach and is also based on internal research by Deloitte.

Swiss watch industry between growth and uncertainty

The majority (57%) of watch industry executives surveyed in the study view the outlook for the industry over the next year as positive, despite rising inflation and geopolitical turmoil. This is a significant drop from last year, when more than three-quarters (77%) were positive about the outlook. In addition, nearly 80 percent of watch industry executives say that geopolitical uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine and tensions between China and the U.S. is significantly impacting their company's outlook.

In terms of growth, most industry executives consider the USA, which is already the most important market for the Swiss watch industry in terms of export volume, to be the next big growth market, followed by India and China. However, growth expectations vary greatly depending on the region: For Hong Kong, for example, a further decline or stagnation is expected, and only 57 percent expect the Chinese market to grow. By contrast, more than three quarters (77%) expect the market in North America to continue growing.

Watches are increasingly purchased on the Internet

According to this study on the Swiss watch industry, 40 percent of all consumers and 45 percent of respondents under the age of 40 would be most likely to purchase a new watch from online retailers. Nevertheless, most watch industry executives are convinced that traditional watch stores will remain the most important sales platform in the near future.
"Two out of five consumers prefer to buy their watches online. To meet the expectations of their clientele, it is therefore essential that the watch industry significantly expands its online offering and complements its already rich offline offering," stresses Karine Szegedi, Head of Consumer Goods Industry and Member of the Executive Board at Deloitte Switzerland. "According to our estimates, the share of watches purchased online is likely to double to 30 percent by 2030."

Watches are increasingly seen as an investment

Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) buy watches for investment purposes, with a view to subsequently reselling them. Singapore (33%), Hong Kong (32%) and China (29%) lead the way. This may also explain why consumers in some Asian markets are more willing to spend more money on new watches. In China, for example, over a third (35%) are willing to pay CHF 5,000 or more for a new watch, compared to 8 percent in Switzerland and just 2 percent in France. 36 percent of respondents who buy watches as an investment say they intend to resell them at a higher price. 33 percent would like to diversify their investment portfolio as a result. Consumers in China are particularly interested in diversifying their portfolios by purchasing watches (55%). "Especially in a volatile market environment with high inflationary pressures, luxury watches are seen as reliable value investments," explains Karine Szegedi. "The shortage of luxury watches caused by supply chain issues and the current economic environment attracts a clientele that invests in the hope of reselling the watches at a higher price."

The secondhand market continues to grow

With almost a third of the customers surveyed (31%) planning to buy a second-hand watch in the coming year and companies setting up their own sales channels for used watches, the segment is visibly gaining in importance. Second-hand watches are becoming increasingly popular, especially among millennials and Generation Z: 48 percent of them say they are interested in such a watch. Most respondents are motivated in particular by the opportunity to buy a luxury watch at a lower price (44%). Others take the opportunity to buy a watch that is no longer manufactured (29%) or opt for a second-hand watch for reasons of sustainability (21%).

The executives surveyed have an even more positive view of the secondary market than last year. More than 70 percent believe that the secondhand market has a positive impact on brand value and perception, and welcome the side effect it has on the awareness and visibility of the watch industry as a whole. "The secondhand watch market has enormous growth potential," says Karine Szegedi. "Looking at current trends and the fact that brands continue to invest in this area, we expect the market volume to increase significantly in the coming years from its current 20 billion Swiss francs. By the end of the decade, it should reach 35 billion Swiss francs, which would represent more than half of the primary market."

Swiss watch industry does more for brand image or sustainability

For a quarter of respondents, owning a wristwatch has become more important in the last five years. This proportion is even higher among Millennials (35%) and Generation Z (33%). With more younger people showing an interest in watches, it seems reasonable to assume that the aspect of sustainability is gaining in importance. However, only 32 percent of respondents state that they consider sustainability to be more important than brand image. The same proportion state that sustainability is not important to them if they like the watch. Over one-fifth (21%) state that brand image is more important than sustainability.

Nevertheless, there is a clear consensus in the watch industry that it must make its contribution to a more sustainable future. Many brands have already taken steps in this direction. For most executives (64%), ethical raw material sourcing and human rights are the most important sustainability issues, followed by reporting and compliance (21%) and packaging (12%). "While the Swiss watch industry is rooted in tradition, it is still one of the most innovative industries," said Karine Szegedi. "This spirit of innovation has been crucial to finding new materials that are more recyclable, sustainable and have a better environmental footprint."

Source and further information: Deloitte

The Swiss Pension Finance Watch examines the impact of capital market developments on the financing of pension plans in Switzerland on a quarterly basis. This study is part of the WTW published Global Pension Finance Watchwhich contains all results of the most important bond markets from the year 2000 onwards. The study results are published quarterly. Their focus is on investment assets and liabilities. The survey covers pension plans in Brazil, Canada, the euro zone, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The survey is based on International Accounting Standard 19 (IAS 19) and US GAAP FASB ASC 715. The index represents the quarterly development of the funding ratio under these accounting standards instead of reporting the otherwise typical funding ratio of Swiss pension plans.

Assets decline by 3.3 percent

In the first half of 2022, the significant and steady increase in discount rates offset the declining plan assets, resulting in a further net improvement in the pension obligations on the corporate balance sheets. In the third quarter, bond yields, on which the discount rate is based, were very volatile but closed only slightly higher than in the previous quarter. Compared with the end of the second quarter, pension obligations remained relatively stable overall. Corporate pension obligations under international accounting standards still remain around 20 % lower than at the beginning of the year, close to their lowest level in nine years. Plan assets declined by another 3.3 % in the third quarter, causing the WTW Pension Index to plunge by 4.4 %. As shown in the WTW Pension Index, the illustrative funded ratio (i.e., the ratio of plan assets to pension liabilities) fell from 129.7 % as of June 30, 2022, to 125.3 % as of September 30, 2022.

Negative investment returns: What they mean

For the first time in over ten years, bonds with the most important maturities for pension funds are recording negative investment returns. For pension plans with a term of more than ten years, this means under current conditions that the discount rate falls as the term of the plan increases (possibly by as much as 5 to 10 basis points). Under "normal" circumstances, the opposite is true, in which case a debt holder demands a higher yield as compensation for interest rate change and default risks the longer a bond's maturity is. "Despite volatile market conditions, very poor investment returns so far this year, and the unusual inversion of the corporate bond yield curve, companies can still expect to see an improvement in net pension liabilities on their balance sheets compared to the beginning of the year. On the other hand, the funding ratios of local pension plans are likely to have deteriorated significantly, as the technical interest rate underlying local obligations has remained much more stable," explains Adam Casey, Head of Corporate Retirement Consulting at WTW in Zurich.

For plans with durations up to 16 years, the discount rate improved in the third quarter, while the discount rate for plans with longer durations declined during the quarter. "The shape of the yield curve makes it difficult for companies that report their pension obligations on a quarterly basis to make a rough estimate of whether their obligations increased or decreased during the quarter, as this depends on the duration of the pension plan," explains Adam Casey. When there is an inversion of the yield curve, investors who buy bonds with longer durations are willing to accept lower compensation for their risk exposure than they would receive for exposure with a shorter duration. As a rule, the inversion of the yield curve is therefore seen as an indication that the market is rather pessimistic about the economic outlook for the near future.

Peak inflation soon or already reached - possible opportunities for investing in bonds

For pension funds, the 3rd quarter was again a negative one, although the brief respite in July somewhat offset the particularly poor September. The assets of a typical Swiss pension fund slumped by around 3 % in this quarter. The annual return is currently around -13 %.

As inflation continued to rise, the central banks had to respond with hefty interest rate hikes. It can be assumed that inflation in the USA has already peaked and will now slowly level off. In Europe, the peak is expected in the 4th quarter or at the latest in the 1st quarter of 2023. In Switzerland, inflation was still lower than in its neighboring countries at 3.5 % in August. "The expectation that interest rates will peak in the short to medium term makes an investment in bonds attractive again compared to equities," expresses Alexandra Tischendorf, Head of Investment at WTW.

Real interest rates are showing an increase, albeit still in negative territory. Within the bond segment, opportunities appear to be emerging in the area of investment-grade corporate bonds, as credit valuations have declined from their highs and default rates on high-yield bonds are rising.

It is important that pension fund boards of trustees do not lose sight of their long-term investment horizon and goals despite the challenges presented by the current environment, according to WTW experts. "Pension fund boards of trustees must continue to focus on the long-term, sustainable direction of their investment strategy. This includes aspects such as diversification of risk premiums, consideration of sustainable investment principles, and improvement of risk management and governance," advises Alexandra Tischendorf.

Source and further information: wtwco.com.

Hannes is asking himself the same question. The 49-year-old graduate in business administration is a production manager and member of the management team of an international industrial group. He provides an insight into what is actually thought and done on the management floor. By the way: A smile is definitely allowed due to this business satire...

Correlations and probability calculations, statistics and feasibility arithmetic have replaced discussions about pros and cons. People don't just want to do anything on instinct, but everything should have a solid basis. It would be even nicer if the choice of the color of the new logo, for example, were simply made on the basis of "I like it more" or "I like it less.

Today, psychological reports are used to describe which emotions are triggered by which colors in whom and on what occasion. Data outline which of the colors are already most common among competitors who are also really successful (which can also be substantiated in itself with figures) and then you can no longer stand out.

Now the Executive Committee has decided to continue on this path, the success of which can of course also be proven by a ten-page report with about five tables each, 18 pie charts and recounted about 100 figures.

In-depth analyses for soft factors

As head of production, which is in itself predestined to make calculations, Hannes is allowed to illuminate and scrutinize the internal market. In terms of production, it has long been clear how many IT breakdowns the relevant department has to solve per day, and on which days of the week the focus is. It is also clear after which holidays the most absences due to illness are recorded. It has also long been known how long the average visit to the company canteen, smoking area and toilets lasts. The evaluation shows columns for employees, age and hierarchy groups separately.

Hannes isn't quite sure what to do with all the Big and Small Data stuff, but it's certainly good to know... Now it's all about satisfaction and the soft factors. The idea is not just to know how long the average small talk lasts while waiting by the elevators to the staff restaurant, but how satisfied waiting in front of the coffee machine has made you, watching the medium, dark or light mocha blend combine with the milk for the cappuccino.

Now people are voting for all they're worth

So Hannes begins to systematically designate places where an evaluation box should be placed immediately. The evaluation box "Votix" is a self-produced small voting apparatus on a tripod support and the popular, large buttons with the three smileys "smile", "neutral", "angry". Alternatively, there will also be a smartphone app where the same can be rated.

The process is thus described in concrete terms: Anyone who removes the coffee cup from the machine again is immediately prompted via app (or does it manually on the Votix) to rate the satisfaction of the coffee output. This is how it continues. You can vote on how clean you thought the toilets were, how competently the IT support staff solved the problem, how quickly the receptionist filled out the visitor cards, how satisfied you are with the scent of the new cleaning agent in the underground parking garage, and what you think of the start-up time for the new air conditioning system in the meeting room.

Between Votix, WhatsApp and 4.316 minutes of going to the toilet

Of course, Hannes also builds in a safety loop in the process and the corresponding control programs. Since all voting stations recognize the personnel badge, they also know who has forgotten to vote. Accordingly, this person receives a WhatsApp and an email one hour after going to the toilet with the text: "A short while ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming you to our toilets. Your visit lasted 4,316 minutes and the water consumption was average. We will be glad if you still evaluate us. Thank you, your house service".

Hannes is reassured to have achieved by relatively simple means what people have been worrying about for a long time. Are the employees really satisfied with the peripheral, internal services? Filtering out what the figures really say is a project for the next year, and what the consequences of this might be is also enough if it can still mature into the year after next. There's no need to rush things, especially with such strategically important digital concepts...

Professional conclusion

"Counting and measuring are the basis of the most fruitful, reliable and accurate scientific methods," wrote Hermann von Helmholtz in 1879. Who would have thought how right the physiologist and physicist of old would get it? At the time when Thomas A. Edison brought the first light bulb to light and the Saltpetre War was raging in South America, he anticipated what has become a mantra in companies 140 years later: Only what can be measured in numbers exists. In the wake of balanced scorecards and similar aspects, actual controller thinking has become a statement of reason. Even what is not actually measurable, such as "motivation" or "satisfaction," is squeezed into a scale.

The desire for objectivity is one thing, hiding behind numbers is another. If you deliver bad numbers, you don't have to explain to them why you don't like their efforts. You let the numbers do the talking, and that absolves the manager of today that he should articulate "himself" what he would have to give as feedback. Any kind of performance appraisal is beaten over the bar of what can be measured in numbers.

Now, neither numbers nor measuring are bad, but dealing with the measured actually leaves some room for improvement. The reference point is missing, and then you take it from next door and christen it Benchmark. "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." That's how Albert Einstein put it.

As an effect of this measurement mania, good sense of proportion is readily lost. A so-called pseudo-objectivity often serves as a cover for subjectivity and clear expectations. Protagoras' famous sentence "Man is the measure of all things" gives us the direction. He places man as interpreter before things. Every perception is dependent on perspective.

To the author:
Stefan Häseli is an expert in credible communication, keynote speaker, moderator and author of several books. As a trained actor with years of stage experience, he writes entire evening programs himself. In addition, he has engagements in feature films, TV series, TV commercials and training films. He runs a training company in Switzerland. Here is a video about his new book and the accompanying stage program:
https://vimeo.com/727264868/743d56ee23

The New Work Platform Flesk offers a nationwide network of Workspaces and gives companies access to well-equipped flexible workstations and meeting rooms for their employees. During the pilot phase from March to early October this year, medium and large companies in the private and public sectors - including the canton of St. Gallen, Bison, DEPT, GoBeyond and Ubique - were able to test the system. More than a hundred Swiss Workspaces are already participating, forming a dense network of workplaces that allow employees to work quickly and flexibly in the Flesk app (iOS and Android) can book. Because Flesk takes care of the accounting of the bookings, the companies have no additional administrative effort.

Implementation of self-determined and flexible forms of work

Flesk describes itself as a possible answer to the changing values of the working world, in which flexible, self-determined and team-oriented work are new standards. The shortage of skilled workers and the high level of networking mean that employees and teams want to decide for themselves how, where and when they work. Companies can, for example, use Flesk to give employees the option of using professional work settings throughout Switzerland, such as close to home for less commuting or close to a client for meetings and presentations. Employees can freely choose their workplace in the app to work where they are - the "office GA" for Switzerland, so to speak. All workstations in the network have a high-quality infrastructure that allows various settings such as individual work, video calls or meetings. This not only creates a supplement to the home office, but also an opportunity to bring teams together at inspiring workplaces and promote creative, cooperative forms of work.

Efficient use of resources

Since the Corona pandemic, politics and business have become aware of the relevance of location-independent working. The climate crisis also demands a rethinking of mobility, with the commute playing a central role. With its network of workplaces, the new-work platform Flesk can contribute to a sustainable reduction in commuter flows. Unnecessary vacancies can be avoided and fluctuations in capacity can be better absorbed. This form of flexible workplace management can help companies both increase the satisfaction of employees, who have a diverse choice of settings, and use resources more efficiently and reduce costs. Variable distribution of employee workloads across different, off-site locations can save on rent and energy costs. This model can also be a sensible alternative or addition for companies in view of rising energy costs.

More info: 

• On the web: https://flesk.ch 
• iOS App: https://apps.apple.com/ch/app/flesk/id1605931325
• Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.flesk.app

After the first show, which immediately brought a record deal, somewhat smaller rolls were baked again in the second episode of the fourth season of "Die Höhle der Löwen Schweiz," which was broadcast on October 11, 2022. The first appearance belonged to the founders of "Dancing Queens": There was dancing - which literally swept one of the lions off their feet. Bettina Gimenez from Pfäffikon (ZH) and her business partner Sophie Witte from Germany skillfully promoted their dance online store. This not only offers dance shoes and fitness clothing, but also aims to help find dance schools and dance partners. In short: a one-stop store for dance enthusiasts. What sounds good at first glance, Bettina Gimenez and Sophie Witte could not immediately back up with figures: The targeted turnover of 450,000 Swiss francs for 2022 seemed too low, especially in the eyes of lion Tobias Reichmuth, especially since behind the capital requirement of 500,000 Swiss francs against a ten percent stake stood a relatively high company valuation. Lioness Bettina Hein conceded that the goals could certainly be set higher here. But she was enthusiastic about the business model and was considering an offer - in combination with e-commerce expertise. She, Lukas Speiser and Roland Brack exchanged meaningful glances: Will one of them get on board? Finally, two offers were on the table: Lukas Speiser offered 500,000 Swiss francs, but wanted a 40 percent stake. Bettina Hein and Roland Brack together also offered 500,000 Swiss francs in exchange for a 30 percent stake in the company. After a brief consideration, Bettina Gimenez and Sophie Witte accepted the offer.

Self-made woman with heart for rodents

But the next young entrepreneur wins the sympathy of investors in no time. After she took in two rabbits and couldn't find any natural food for them, she decided to make it herself. This is how "Nager's Wiesenbackstube" was born. Founder Manuela Schläfli from Lützelflüh (BE) produces everything by hand - under difficult conditions. Because when the lionesses and lions ask her what she needs the money for, she answers, "For a heater." And machines. The investors are impressed by her passion and commitment. But when it came to the bare figures and further plans, the enthusiasm gave way rather quickly, especially in Tobias Reichmuth's case. In particular, he missed online distribution. Roland Brack stepped into the breach here and offered the entrepreneur to include her products in his range. Jürg Schwarzenbach also agreed to support Manuela Schläfli with know-how. But in the end, it was not enough for a deal. However, this business case shows how a self-made woman can achieve success through persistent work and sustainability, even without investors.

Million dollar deal for convertible sofa

The dating platform "Noii" with founders Thomas Kuschel and Laura Matter from Dinhard (ZH) enables speed dating from the couch. The start-up from Dinhard (ZH) has even created a dating profile of one of the lions - he becomes a woman on it. This is more or less proof of how much "fake" there is now on conventional dating platforms. "Noii" wants to do a lot of things differently, though: Short videos instead of photos and curated speed dating sessions every Monday evening via Zoom. That also seems to work. In any case, 3000 singles are said to be registered already, 40 percent also in the paid premium area. For the further development of the enterprise the two young entrepreneurs would like an investment of 150'000 francs against 5 per cent company participation. While Tobias Reichmuth, Jürg Schwarzenbach and Lukas Speiser decline, Anja Graf and Roland Brack make a counteroffer: 200,000 Swiss francs in exchange for a 10 percent stake. Thomas Kuschel and Laura Matter say "yes," and the deal is done.

The lionesses and lions were then enthusiastic about the changeability of the sofas from livom möbel GmbH. They were also amazed at the development of sales: from 12,000 Swiss francs in the first year to eight million in the second. And the margins are also impressive: The sofa shown in the show costs 800 francs to produce, and is sold for 2400 francs. It quickly becomes clear: the lionesses and lions want in. But they are not happy with the conditions that the Thurgau-based founding couple Sandra and Tamara Haag have in mind: 600,000 francs in exchange for a 3 percent stake. Again, a very high valuation, which then leads to a counter-offer: 1 million against 10 percent company shares. Tamara and Sandro Haag initially tried to increase the price to 1.5 million, but then settled for one million, because Lukas Speiser clearly explained that this was the only realistic company valuation at the time. Thus, the deal of the evening, again a million-dollar deal, was perfect.

Good ideas, but no more deals

Because no deal was struck with the other startups. The lions were quite enthusiastic about the admittedly cute baby monitor "Sandy" from the company "Dokoki". However, they had reservations about the (too) many functionalities of the device, including the possible monitoring of babies' vital functions. They were shocked to learn how many shares founder Marc Zinner still held in his company: Namely, just nine percent. So it quickly became clear that these could not be ideal conditions for a deal. It should be noted, however, that Jürg Schwarzenbach already holds a stake in Dokoki himself, and therefore took a stand in the evaluation of the company.

The lionesses and lions also didn't want to get in on "Green Leaf. This refreshing drink made from apple juice, elderflower and mint was tasty and in line with current food trends: local ingredients and no artificial additives. However, the growth plans of the young Bernese Marco Henri, Aline Bot and Ismael Seck still seemed a little underdeveloped to the investors. And the concept with decentralized suppliers also seemed too risky to them. Instead of a deal, the founders took many good tips and goodwill with them from the show. Maybe an investment will work out when the brand promise and the brand core are more sharply contoured.

Conclusion of the show: More and more business ideas are now based on the idea of sustainability. However, this does not always seem to go well with the growth targets sought by many investors and the dictates of classic marketing.

More information on upcoming shows: https://www.oneplus.ch/detail/1000604

Business associations were emphatic in warning of an increase in bottlenecks on the labor market. A study now reveals what the flip side of the shortage of skilled workers and the war of talent looks like. 250 HR managers and executives from a wide range of industrial companies in Germany and Austria were surveyed on the subject: "While companies are well aware of the skills a new employee should bring with him, their own existing employee is a rather unknown entity," analyzes Markus Skergeth, publisher of the study "Industriereport Fachkräftemangel 2022" and managing director of Skilltree, a European human resources software. Only six percent of bosses know between 75 and 100 percent of an employee's skills, 28 percent between 50 and 75 percent - and another 37 percent only between 25 and 50 percent. Twenty percent know no more than a quarter of an employee's skills. "This is frightening. While HR departments are profiling and spending tens of thousands of euros on external headhunters, their own employees obviously only regain value when they want to change companies and the red carpet is rolled out at a competitor," says Skergeth.

Parship for employee skills

The study proves what Skergeth and his team use as the basis for their business model: Bringing employees and the company together. With a software platform, both parties find each other - employees can maintain and add to their own skills in the database, and managers can match talent and technical skills with upcoming projects and tasks in a much more targeted way. "Basically, we have applied intelligent mechanisms that have long been used on singles exchanges to the job market. Only instead of character traits, we use professional qualities to do the matching," explains Markus Skergeth of Skilltree. In fact, according to the study, bosses don't even know all the previous knowledge an employee brings with them from a previous job: Only just under 30 percent know roughly, 31 percent have only a selective knowledge of skills from previous jobs, and for 16 percent, an employee's history is completely unknown.

HR planning with obstacles

Another complicating factor in companies is that different departments and functions are responsible for setting up and assembling project teams: In 24 percent of the 250 company representatives surveyed, responsibility lies with the HR department, in 38 percent with the team leaders - and in only 22 percent do team leadership and HR make joint decisions. "Such decisions - the competency-based formation of powerful teams - must be clearly regulated and structured internally. This requires a basis that must not gather dust in folders like a resume. We close this gap with Skilltree," explains software entrepreneur Markus Skergeth. A pleasant side effect for companies that already rely on Skilltree's software-based solution: The churn of dissatisfied and underchallenged employees is significantly reduced. "The interest in leaving a company is often driven by the subjective feeling of a lack of appreciation. However, when employers and employees work together to cultivate the skillset and desired capabilities, take advantage of internal training, and thus address the shortage of skilled workers from within, the satisfaction of individual employees also grows," according to the analysis by study editor Skergeth.

Source and further information: Skilltree

The recruitment process is becoming increasingly complex, the battle for skilled workers tougher. The quality of applications has declined significantly in recent years - across all industries
across. SMEs process an average of 25 dossiers per month. In order to access these, the classic ways of job advertising have long since ceased to be sufficient. Nevertheless, SMEs are still very much in the comfort zone: around 96 % advertise jobs via their own website, 74 % via national job portals. Only 30 % SMEs are exploiting the potential offered by social media recruiting - despite the fact that around 9 out of 10 young professionals (James study 2020) use social media. Many opportunities are still being missed here, write the authors of the HRPuls study, which professional.ch conducted among HR professionals in collaboration with ZHAW (Department of Applied Psychology). TikTok, for example, is the least used in recruiting despite its steadily increasing popularity among the younger generation. A full 99.3 % of SMEs are not yet benefiting from the opportunities the platform offers in recruitment.

HR professionals: Dissatisfied with the state of digitization

HR professionals estimate the status of their digitization at exactly 50 %. This means that SMEs have only tapped half of the potential. Although over 85 % of HR professionals are generally satisfied with their work, the picture is different with regard to digitization. 76 % would like to see more or even much more digitization. This should primarily relieve them so that they have more time for direct contact with employees. Only 18 % state that they are satisfied with the status of digitization.

Tight budget stands in the way of digitization

But what are the hurdles standing in the way of digitization progress in HR departments? The challenge lies in the tight budget. Around 56 % see the biggest problems there. At
Second place with 47 % is the lack of time to deal with new tools and processes. It is striking: HR departments that can rely on more internal support tend to be further along in the digitization of their HR.

Digitization offers many opportunities

The study shows: Digitization brings opportunities and possibilities for HR in SMEs in all corners. However, the greatest potential is seen in three areas: Social media recruiting as well as digital personnel dossiers and employee appraisals. At the same time, the processes should be as cost-effective, user-friendly and efficient as possible. Efficiency is a good keyword here: What do HR professionals want to do with the time gained through digitization? This time should be invested in personnel development, employee concerns, and the social media presence.

Source: HRpuls - so digital rekrutieren KMU (2022), conducted by Michael Burtscher (ZHAW | Department of Applied Psychology) on behalf of professional.ch