I had a great pleasure to spend an exciting day together with the top FinTech representatives in the charming Swiss castel-hotel on the hill with amazing view over the city. All this due to the Swiss FinTech Awards Ceremony that took place in Zurich in The Dolder Grand Hotel this week.
The aim of the Swiss FinTech Award annual event is to promote local development, strengthening Swiss FinTech ecosystem and encourage founders to be more active on the market. The most interesting Swiss FinTech solution (already with some existing traction) were awarded by FinTech experts and local representatives of corporates.
If you are curious who was recognised as early stage startup of the year, growth stage startup of the year and FinTech influencer of the year, keep reading.
The event itself is well known and gathers specialists and entrepreneurs from different businesses but it’s however focused very much on Swiss market. The criteria for applications were as follows:
- Swiss company
- Target market in Switzerland
- Strong relation to Swiss market
Let me announced now the winners in each category!
1.Early Stage Start-up of the Year (younger than 2years or having less than CHF 2.5 million in funding)
2.Growth Stage Start-up of the Year (younger than two years or having more than CHF 2.5 million in funding)
3.FinTech Influencer of the Year
Schneider Amman. He is an ambitious economic promoter with an entrepreneurial eackground. He is a Federal Councillor Minister of Economic Affairs Education and Research. More info about his outstanding work to advanced the Swiss fintech ecosystem you can find here.
Additionally, the conference offered numerous inspiring workshops and talks.
The Amazon Effect: How a Traditional Business Transforms Into a Data Driven Company ? by Shallesh Prakash – The Washington Post
Challenger Banks: Building a Bank People Actually Want to Use? by Tristan Thomas – Monzo Bank
Blockchain Reality Check: After the Hype, Before the Breakthrough by Markus Infanger – Ripple, Stéphane Rey – Lombard Odier Investment Managers, Heinrich Zetlmeyer – Blockchain Valley Ventures
Social Media and the Future of Finance: What Incumbents Can Learn from Disruptors by David Dommel – Facebook
It was great to honour the most innovative FinTech startups and outstanding influencers gathered together to network, get to know each other and initiate new business relationships. It’s so inspiring to watch people who succeed following their own passion and going global with their business. The conference is really helpful platform to network, catching up with the latest news and enjoy the relaxing day while learning and making some business connections that may end up as a successful cross-companies partnerships.
*two remaining startups qualified to the finals are: Traxia and Sonect.
