Health Tech World reports from Switzerland’s vibrant healthcare innovation scene in conversation with Olivia Zollinger, CEO and board-member of Swiss Healthcare Startups.
Stable political and economic conditions, a strong financial climate and one of Europe’s highest living standards are among the many attractions of Switzerland to health tech entrepreneurs.
Other draws are the spirit of collaboration within its health tech community, and the clustering of innovators, investors and research bodies collectively making a significant global impact on healthcare’s advancement.
At the centre of this, representing and supporting fledgling firms in the sector, is Swiss Healthcare Startups.
This is a non-profit organisation which supports innovative startups with the potential to add value to Switzerland’s healthcare ecosystem.
It provides “meaningful exposure” and facilitates access to relevant stakeholders; operating as a “neutral platform” enabling dialogue, networking and exchange.
CEO Olivia Zollinger says: “We were formed in 2016 by a group of healthcare visionaries with the aim of connecting the Swiss health innovation ecosystem. We now work with over 500 startup members.
“In the last year alone, we had over 30 startups pitched at our events with a further 100 startups securing airtime with our investor community through our virtual office hours.”
At the core of its work is the ability to connect startups to partners with the power to help them scale up and avoid the notoriously high failure rate that comes with new enterprise. And timing is everything, says Zollinger.
“Connecting with the right partner is of utmost importance for the development and translation of value to the patient and or the health system.
“I’m sure you have experienced just how important it can be to meet the right person at the right time in everyday life. Be it the way you’ve met your wife, your boyfriend or how you found your way to your current job.
“We’ve identified that this is also true for startups that are aiming to add value to Swiss healthcare.
“They may not know where to start when they look for funding. They may not know who to contact when looking to be in exchange with an insurance company, who the right person is in a big pharma company or how to navigate a hospital; be it in a large academic or a smaller regional setting. This is where we come in and can really help.
“We connect startups with the right partners at the right time for any need they may have throughout their journey.
“We do this at events, through targeted connecting and using ‘cortex’, an interactive database that unifies all relevant information about our more than 505 SHS startup members.”
According to the Swiss Venture Capital Report, investment in Swiss start-ups has been on a growth trajectory for the last 10 years, with the increase accelerating significantly in recent years.
Last year saw £768.3m (CHF £935.3m) more invested in Swiss startups than in 2020, when the worst of the pandemic hit. ICT (information communication technology) start-ups, including those from the health tech sector, received £656m (CHF 799m) more investment than in the previous year.
Health innovation startups were well represented among the largest financing rounds in Switzerland in 2021. Immuno-oncology firm Anaveon completed the third largest round of the year with £90m (CHF110m).
Others in the top five financing rounds included insulin delivery innovator CeQur (£88.7m / CHF108.3m) and Numab Therapeutics (£82m / CHF100m), a cancer immunotherapy company. Incidentally, the largest round came from insurance firm wefox (£480m / CHF584.5m), far eclipsing other rounds.
As well as fostering valuable connections within Switzerland, Swiss Healthcare Startup also has a global outlook.
The group’s SHS Booster programme recently partnered with the Science and Technology Office in Seoul, Korea.
“Last year, three startups won the chance to enter the Korean market with tailored help from SHS. This included the company Vay which digitalises human movements through motion analysis to help products become more immersive or intelligent.
“It also included Clever Care which provides technology to health care professionals and caregivers.
“The third company, Limula, aims to make ex vivo gene-engineered cell therapies accessible to patients in need through a unique platform.”
Swiss Healthcare Startups is financed by subscriptions from institutional members from industry, healthcare providers and service providers.
“The SHS investor community is an important part of our network and actively engages at our events and the virtual office hours we offer our startup members twice a year.”
With this support, Zollinger plans more of the same in the months ahead.
“We plan to continue to grow our network and with that our nationwide impact on Swiss health innovation.
“Swiss Healthcare Startups is the heart of the Swiss health innovation ecosystem and plays a central role when moving towards the future of health.”
See more on the organisation here.
