At the beginning of the week, there were still 70 start-ups competing but this Tuesday evening there are just eight left! The semi-finalists for the Prix Strategis, organized by HEC Espace Entreprise, were selected at the first meeting of the jury this Tuesday, November 20. The start-ups, from all over Switzerland, were chosen after a selection process based on the criteria of innovation, achievement and expansion.
Who are the semi-finalists?
The eight semi-finalist start-ups for the 2019 Prix Strategis are: Farmy, Ligentec, Loanboox, Nomoko, Parquery, Peripal, Rovenso and T3 Pharmaceutials.
This year’s competition has been enhanced by the diversity of entries in different fields such as MedTech, FinTech, HighTech, BioTech, FoodTech and digital. We will have the chance to discover new concepts and horizons with the innovative technologies of the start-ups chosen.
As well as the diverse range of entries, this year for the first time, 75% of the semi-finalists come from German-speaking Switzerland: an exceptional rate that shows the expansion of the Prix Strategis over the years.
More than 25 years of the Prix Strategis
The Prix Strategis has been awarded to dynamic, innovative young businesses for over 25 years. Awarded to the best start-ups, it gives the general public the opportunity to discover the fascinating and promising ideas being developed by Swiss entrepreneurs.
Most of the winning start-ups since the award was launched have gone on to become leading lights in the Swiss economy. Notable winners include Jobup.ch and LeShop.ch, as well as Bestmile (recently included in the Top 100 of Swiss start-ups) and the Digital Luxury Group. Last May, the Prix Strategis was awarded to Monito, a young Lausanne-based business launched in 2015 and founded by François Briod, a former student at HEC Lausanne.
Next steps in the selection process
Following the selection of the semi-finalists this week, the next critical date is March 27, when the jury will meet for a second time to select the five finalists from the semi-finalists. Then, on April 9, the final meeting of the jury will take place, with the award ceremony held on May 1, when the winning start-up will be unveiled. In the meantime, the school wishes the semi-finalists the best of luck!