“AI services such as ChatGPT are making progress, but there is often a shortfall of company-specific solutions based on self-trained models and proprietary data,” explains Co-Founder and CEO Katka Letzing. According to an ETH-survey of 200 Swiss tech companies, only one in ten is currently using or piloting AI. The study shows that a lack of access to AI expertise is currently the biggest obstacle facing the Swiss tech industry.

Companies and startups alike can benefit from the new Kickstart Innovation Program, whose application phase starts today. During the nine-week programme in Zurich this year, selected startups from five verticals will meet leading companies, organisations, and institutions to collaboratively work on new ideas, technologies, as well as creative business approaches aimed at strengthening their innovation capabilities and unlocking new growth opportunities.

Last year, 95% of the participating startups had already integrated AI into their solutions. The programme’s partner companies include AXA, Coop, Swisscom, la Mobilière, MSD, PostFinance, Romande Energie, Sanitas, The City of Zurich, Innovaud, and others.

Since 2015, Kickstart has supported more than 490 startups and intrapreneurship teams, facilitating over 340 deals, proof of concepts, and other commercial deals. Former participants such as Planted, Neustark and KernTec have successfully turned their ideas into market-leading companies. Planted is revolutionising the market for plant-based meat alternatives; Neustark is making an active contribution to climate protection with its CO2-binding concrete solution, and KernTec transforms fruit pit waste into sustainable raw materials. In total, Kickstart alumni have raised over CHF 2.8 billion in capital and successfully scaled their products.

According to a recent evaluation of last year's Kickstart program, AI applications were at the heart of the solutions of 95% of the 41 participating startups and were increasingly in demand by the participating companies for commercial deals. For example the startups hypt and Multimodal were able to conclude several deals with leading Swiss companies, including la Mobilère, Swisscom, PostFinance and Sanitas, with their data-based solutions.

The Kickstart innovation programme covers five vertical areas: Health & Wellbeing, Finance & Insurance (including Cybersecurity), Food & Retail, New Work & Learning, and Smart Cities. Next to the Open Innovation Program, Kickstart also runs the project Mission 2030 which focuses on specific initiatives supporting long-term sustainability goals as well as topics such as AI implementations for impact, circular economy initiatives, inclusion, and others.

The application phase officially starts on 3 April 2025, and invites ambitious startups and companies dedicated to innovation to apply and become part of the Kickstart Innovation ecosystem. “We have successfully connected with great startups in recent years, resulting in collaborations and investments with companies like Labster and Pricehubble. I look forward to more such collaborations this year in areas such as Health, Finance, Cybersecurity, Smart Cities, and others.” said Paloma Bosco, Head of Group Innovation and New Business, Swisscom.

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