San Francisco, USA – June 27, 2023 – Swissnex in San Francisco selected six promising Swiss startups to explore and conquer the US market during a two week bootcamp. This bootcamp is part of the internationalization camps proposed by Innosuisse across the world to Swiss start-ups participating in its coaching, and the 14th edition of the bootcamp in San Francisco. Past participants include the well known doodle, Mindmaze, faceshift, Nexthink, and Ava Women. Swissnex in San Francisco has over two decades of experience in connecting Switzerland to the Western United States.

From June 19 to June 30, 2023, six Swiss startups traveled to San Francisco to explore and conquer the US market with their temporary base at Pier 17, home of Swissnex in San Francisco. Powered by Innosuisse, the Bootcamps provide Swiss founders with the tools, knowledge, and connections to establish their presence in the United States. This iteration of the 2-week bootcamp was tailored to Swiss startups in the Health, Food, & Wellbeing space. 

This cohort consisted of the following startups:

• Cellestia BioTech AG
• Magnes AG
• MindMetrix AG
• Rea Diagnostics
• SURI BioTech
• Zoundream

Adopting the San Francisco Mindset as a Key to Success

Swissnex in San Francisco provided training on how to pitch the American way, how to respond to challenging questions from local investors, as well as legal advice, expert sessions on establishing a digital marketing presence in the US, as well as fireside chats with local industry experts and further connected the startups with Bay Area mentors and coaches. One of the bootcamp highlights was the pitch night, where each member of the cohort channeled their newfound knowledge into a short, on-stage pitch, judged by renowned Bay Area investors, Maire P. Walsh, Co-Founder and CEO at Belayer, Santhi Analytis, Advisor and Angel Investor, and Sunil Maulik, Managing Partner at SunilM. 

ReaDiagnostics was announced the winner of the pitch night, after delivering a smooth pitch and answering the jury questions with confidence. CEO Loulia Kassem is well aware of the difference between pitching in Switzerland and pitching in San Francisco: “As a Swiss start-up, we’re used to pitching with precision. However, engaging with the American start-up scene introduces a unique dynamism to this process. This experience encourages us to constantly evolve our approach, blending Swiss precision with American energy to communicate our vision effectively.” 

Julia Bislin, Entrepreneurship Program Manager at Swissnex in San Francisco, knows that these bootcamps can be tremendous door openers to dedicated entrepreneurs: “I have witnessed firsthand the value that Swiss startups bring to the US market. Swiss founders possess a unique combination of expertise, precision, and a relentless pursuit of quality. If you mix that with American confidence, optimism, and perseverance, you have a recipe for success.” 

The next Bootcamp takes place in September and is open to startups of all industries. Bootcamps in 2024 will be focused on startups in the fields of Health, Trust in AI and ClimateTech. Registration opens soon. For more information about the bootcamps at Swissnex in San Francisco, please visit our startup page.