UBS and Swisscom establish the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation

Zurich, 6 June 2024 – Switzerland is a world champion in innovation. It has a unique education system and excellent research facilities in which technological solutions to the challenges of our time are formed. There is however a lack of necessary venture capital, especially in the research-intensive deep tech sector, for these innovations to be better commercialized. Transformative start-ups in Switzerland need more financial support for further development and growth. In Switzerland today, just under CHF 3 billion per year flow into financing the growth of start-ups and scale-ups (companies in the growth phase). Leading nations for innovation that can be compared to Switzerland invest much more: Sweden, for example, invests at least CHF 5 billion per year; more than CHF 10 billion per year is invested in Israel on a regular basis.
This is where the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation comes into play: The aim is to mobilize 50 billion Swiss francs over the next 10 years for Swiss start-ups and scale-ups in the deep tech sector and with that indirectly creating up to 100,000 new jobs in Switzerland over the space of several years. The foundation wants to achieve this by advocating for an improvement in the framework conditions and to increase financing for the growth of start-ups and scale-ups in Switzerland and heighten their attractiveness for Swiss and international investors. Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation wants to position Switzerland internationally as the number 1 nation for deep tech-based innovations that make an active contribution to social issues such as nutrition, climate protection, energy supply, health, or education.

Sabine Keller-Busse, President UBS Switzerland: ”UBS has a long tradition of promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in Switzerland. With the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation, we want to improve framework conditions for the launch of visionary technology aimed at overcoming societal challenges.”

”Innovative technologies and entrepreneurship strengthen Switzerland's competitiveness,” says Christoph Aeschlimann, CEO of Swisscom. ”In order for more venture capital to be able to turn ingenious ideas into successful solutions, the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation is needed. We are tackling global challenges by building a dynamic ecosystem for start-ups and scale-ups that focus on social issues.”

Improved framework conditions and strengthening Switzerland as a business location

The foundation proposes four measures to sustainably change relevant framework conditions:

• For example, a Venture Hub Switzerland is to be created which will have internationally competitive financial and legal structures and offer attractive framework conditions for institutional and strategic investors.
• With a so-called Unicorn Factory, start-ups and scale-ups with particularly high potential will be supported even more in positioning themselves as an attractive investment for investors. With these two measures, Deep Tech Nation Switzerland is developing two platforms to bring together the necessary actors for an even more effective innovation ecosystem and to promote existing activities.
• Furthermore, a platform for information on the Swiss innovation ecosystem will be created offering investors a transparent and quick overview, as an example.
• International promotion ensures that Switzerland is recognized globally as a leading Deep Tech nation and that the Swiss innovation ecosystem receives the necessary visibility.

About Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation

Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation is an independent, non-profit foundation established by Swisscom and UBS in May 2024. Other partners such as Stadler Rail, SIX, Vaudoise Insurances, Rolex, Swiss Re, SICPA and the University of Zürich have already joined the foundation. The goal is to win even more partners by the end of 2024. Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation will not launch its own funds. The financial contributions of the partners flow into the foundation's assets, which are invested in the various programs to change the framework conditions in Switzerland in the long term and strengthen Switzerland's competitiveness in the global innovation race.

UBS Switzerland AG
 

*Deep Tech = research-intensive technological innovations that solve relevant societal problems
Source 3 billion: Swiss Venture Capital Report, 2022-2024
Source 5 billion: https://www.vinnova.se/en/news/2024/03/swedish-startups-attract-investments
Source 10 billion: Dealroom: Israel | Dealroom.co: