May 9, 2014
Six ways to expand your network
Dear reader
Good contacts with potential customers, investors and business partners are crucial for young companies. That’s why it is a good development if more and more competitions are also seen as a door-opener for founders. A classic example of this is the business plan competition Venture, which links young companies with experienced coaches and representatives from large companies. At the awards ceremony of venture 2014, which took place on Wednesday in the main auditorium at ETH Zurich, Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez not only made the keynote speech, he also awarded a prize and listened attentively to the short presentations of the 10 best teams.
Network expansion is also the focus of the second Swisscom StartUp Challenge. Young companies from ICT, media and cleantech can win a trip to Silicon Valley and participate in a business acceleration programme, where they will be able to foster contacts with international partners and experienced investors. At the same time, start-ups can of course establish excellent contacts with Swisscom.
Next week, 10 young Swiss companies will appear in New York. At the event, Zurich Meets New York: A Festival of Swiss Ingenuity, the start-ups will be able to present Zurich’s strength in innovation to the New Yorkers.
Networking is also a key element of the Swiss Energy and Climate Summit. Young entrepreneurs who want to use this opportunity to attract the attention of investors and industry representatives can apply for a free booth now.
The Zurich Climate Prize is also addressed to innovators in the climate sector, and young cleantech firms have the chance to win a special prize.
However, contests and events are not the only ways to establish new contacts. A proven method is participation in research projects as part of the European research programmes; these projects are also financially very interesting for young companies. In our exclusive article on the topic, we outline the benefits, using the examples of InSphero and SwissLitho, and explain the currently rather confused situation.
Like last week, I would like to conclude by highlighting the numerous start-up events taking place in May and June, including Google Startup Day, the Swiss Nano Convention, the second Swiss Venture Day in Lausanne, with the Seed Night, and several Startup Weekends. Register now if you want to attend any of these events.
Have a relaxing weekend.
Stefan Kyora
Managing Editor, startupticker.ch
News
The new Swiss Venture Capital Report was published on 26 January. It analyses 304 financing rounds closed in 2020 and includes further article such as an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, and a list of Swiss "soonicorns". 
