Central Switzerland’s Startups Drive Jobs and Regional Value Creation
Lucerne - A new survey conducted by several organisations within Central Switzerland’s startup ecosystem provides initial insights into the economic impact of innovative young companies in the region. The findings point to strong growth in both employment and regional value creation, while access to funding remains a key challenge.
Together with partners including the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Technopark Lucerne and CSEM, the association InnovationsTransfer Zentralschweiz (ITZ) carried out its first survey among regional startups. The aim is to better understand the importance of the Central Swiss startup ecosystem and to provide a foundation for the further development of innovation support in the region.
A total of 76 technology-driven startups with scalable business models participated in the survey. The results reveal significant growth: the number of full-time jobs increased by 216% between 2021 and 2025. For the current year, participating companies expect to employ around 647 people, compared to 147 jobs in 2021.
Regional value creation has also increased substantially. According to the survey, the volume of contracts and investments within Switzerland is expected to rise from CHF 11.8 million in 2021 to CHF 64.5 million this year. At the same time, many startups are increasingly generating revenue outside the region, bringing additional purchasing power into Central Switzerland. Around 47% of surveyed companies already generate revenue in Europe, while some are also active in the United States and Asia.
The survey also highlights the strong dominance of business-to-business models. SMEs and larger corporations are among the most important customer groups. In addition, the findings underline the importance of first reference customers and strong regional networks for young companies.
Despite the positive momentum, financing remains a major concern. Many startups identified access to capital as their biggest obstacle — ahead of market expansion or the availability of skilled labour. The organisations behind the survey therefore plan to repeat the study annually in order to monitor the long-term development of the regional startup ecosystem.
Participate in the survey: Zentralschweizer Startup Ökosystem — Jetzt mitmachen
Source: Zentralschweizer Start-ups: Umsätze und Jobs im Fokus
ITZ InnovationsTransfer Zentralschweiz
