The economic rise of China has been accompanied by a rise in quality of its overall scientific institutes. In Q2 2018, the US National Science Foundation reported that the number of scientific publications from China outnumbered those from the US. And it is not only in quantity but also in quality, where Chinese innovation power is catching up relentlessly.
Today the resources available to China’s top scientists are enviable to many of their western counterparts. Whereas once the best Chinese scientists would pack their bags for greener pastures abroad, today it’s common for Chinese postdoctoral researchers to get experience in a leading lab in the west and then head home where the Chinese government will help them set up a lab that will eclipse their western competitors.
Moreover, venture capital deals in China led global investment activity in Q2 2018 for the first time (KPMG).Chinese venture capital funds have so far performed better than their global peers, delivering a ROI (return on investment) of 1.72 times, compared to their U.S. peers’ 1.59 times, according to eFront, which analyses around 4,000 funds.
«Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity», said the famous economist Michael E. Porter. If this is true, Switzerland should be the center of the world economy. Switzerland is to be found on top of all rankings, measuring innovative strength or economic competitiveness. It leads the Global Innovation Index (GII) issued by WIPO and INSEAD since many years and it ranks number one in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) by the World Economic Forum in the eighth consecutive year. Besides political stability, strong institutions and a well-developed infrastructure, a high density of world-leading large companies and a strong financing sector contribute largely to the success. Mainly in the orbit of the Swiss federal institutes of technology, ETH Zürich and EPFL Lausanne, which are toping most university rankings in Europe, the highly innovative and vibrant ecosystems have evolved over the centuries.
With the Swiss Innovation Road Show, we would like to present some of the most promising examples of Swiss innovation power, in an attractive Roadshow format compiled for international economic leaders and investors.
At the «Swiss Innovation Road Shows,» you will meet not only early.stage start-up companies, but a selection of SMEs throughout the innovation cycles. Most of these companies are seeking funds to fuel the further development of their technologies and businesses.
These companies are in various stages of financing, offering from seed or Series A through Series B or C, on to trade sale, pre-IPO, and even M&A opportunities. Others are just looking for distribution partners or are planning a JV for manufacturing or R&D in China. However, they all hinave a high potential to take a significant stake in of or even disrupt the markets they are targeting.
We carefully select the candidates presenting on our Roadshows, always keeping the strategic investor’s perspective in mind. Our main criteria for choosing the companies are:
- Small to medium size technology-driven, growth-oriented companies
- Focus on companies with solutions in the medical fields, such as medtech, biotech, healthcare, but also in F&B, cleantech, energy, robotics, micro- and nano-technologies, and other innovation-driven sectors
- Companies targeting market segments which are suitable, so that their innovation can lead them to get No. 1 to 3 within the targeted segment
- Companies targeting market segments with sufficient potential
- Companies with a professional and success-oriented management
- Companies with a substantial need for capital and/or with a declared strategy for global expansion.
The «Swiss Innovation Roadshow» comes together with a comprehensive support of your individual evaluation process from pre-event (matchmaking) through one-on-one meetings during the event on to post-event coordination of further meetings and other communication with your chosen investment targets.
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