Boom in start-ups due to AI

Around 27,329 new companies were entered in the commercial register across Switzerland in the first half of 2024, an increase of 3% compared to the same period last year. This was determined by the online platform startups.ch in a new analysis.

Significant growth in French-speaking Switzerland

Growth was then seen across almost all regions. The French-speaking part of Switzerland (number of new registrations compared to the same period of the previous year: +5.9%) developed particularly strongly. The front-runner in the region is the canton of Vaud (+13.9%). For years, it has established itself as an extremely attractive location for start-ups. The economically strong and broadly based canton of Zurich recorded an increase of 2.9%.

More young founders

"Young entrepreneurs found companies from a position of strength. If the economic engine is humming, this has a correspondingly positive effect on the start-up sector. This is currently the case," comments Michele Blasucci, founder and CEO of Startups.ch. The boom in artificial intelligence in particular is providing a boost. Companies have recognized the need to invest in AI and are seeking external advice. "This is where young entrepreneurs come in. They support established companies to automate their accounting, for example, or to implement AI-based applications such as the programming of bots that provide initial advice to customers, for example. Or they show how a young audience can be reached efficiently in terms of marketing with AI via Tiktok and other platformers," says Blasucci.

The younger generation is close to these new technologies. This is probably one of the reasons why they account for a large number of newly founded companies. As the data analyzed by Startups.ch shows, the proportion of 18- to 27-year-old founders has risen by 1 percentage point to 20.8%, while that of 28- to 37-year-olds - who account for the largest proportion of founders - has fallen significantly from 39.4% to 32.8%.

Vehicle and bodywork industry likely to benefit from camper boom

Another driver for the increase in newly founded companies is the moderate interest rates. "Demand is high in the real estate, construction and trades sectors, which many tradespeople have taken advantage of to become self-employed, a professional category that can hardly be displaced by AI," says Michele Blasucci.

This is also evident in the vehicle and bodywork sector. An increasing number of start-ups have also been founded here, which is probably due not least to the camping boom of recent years. Craftsmen are also in demand here. Michele Blasucci is confident about the second half of the year. He expects the momentum to continue and anticipates a record number of newly founded companies in 2024.