96 start-up companies were founded in Basel in one year. A trend that is not limited to north-western Switzerland.
In 2022, Basel-Stadt achieved a record: almost 100 startups were founded. The number comes from the Basel Area business organization, which supports people who want to set up a company in Basel or start a startup.
The Basel figures stand out, but they are not atypical: “In Switzerland we see a high level of dynamism in start-ups,” says start-up expert Stefan Kyora. He is editor-in-chief of “Startupticker”, a news platform for young Swiss companies. “In Europe, Switzerland occupies a top position and is around fifth place.” In comparable countries, only Sweden would invest even more in startups. The other top spots are occupied by the much larger places like the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Startup makes packaging out of mushrooms
Colleges and professionals who have worked in high-tech companies are important factors in starting new businesses, Kyora said. In the past five to six years, Switzerland has strengthened its position as a center of innovation and is popular with investors and financiers because of its stability and political neutrality. “Startupticker” also registered a particularly large number of start-ups in the Basel region.
Other figures show that founding a start-up requires not only commitment but also tolerance for frustration. “Most people fail at the first attempt,” says Anja Nieveler. She advises startups at the “Impact Hub” in Basel.
Only about 10 percent are successful on the first try, according to Nieveler. Not infrequently, however, these innovative people would dare to start a second time and then be successful: “They have drive, ideas and can work on many things at the same time.”
Stefan Kyora also observes that many startups fail. However, he does not see the situation as dramatically as Nieveler. The fact that different numbers are circulating is, among other things, an expression of the fact that the term startup is not clearly defined and can therefore be interpreted differently, he says.
Fight cancer, save oceans
People who found a startup often have more than just their wallets in mind. Examples are “Tide Ocean” and “Mycrobez”. The latter turns mushrooms into a Styrofoam-like material, which can be used for packaging, for example. If the packaging ends up in the sea, it dissolves instead of polluting the environment. At the moment, however, many manual steps are still required and “Mycrobez” is in the process of automating the process.
The variety of startups
“Tide Ocean” is one step further. The Basel-based company collects single-use plastic that ends up as garbage in the sea and processes it into a new material. The company has already developed a mechanical recycling process, which it is now using.
We genetically modify living bacteria so that they grow specifically in tumors and fight the cancer there directly.
A new cancer drug that the startup “T3 Pharma” is working on is just emerging. “We genetically modify living bacteria so that they grow specifically in tumors,” says Simon Ittig. In the cancer cells, the bacteria are supposed to attack the tumor and thus heal the sick.
It is not unusual for start-ups to be concentrated in one region, such as in Basel, says Basel Area boss Christof Klöpper. “First of all, good examples are needed.” If a start-up were to settle down, others would often join them – not infrequently those who are active in a similar area.