Deadline: 1 March 2025
Venturelab is inviting applications for the Sword Startup Challenge 2025.
Why join the Sword Startup Challenge?
- This is more than just a competition; it’s an opportunity to collaborate with a global IT leader, gain access to expert guidance, and unlock opportunities to scale your solution with industry-leading support.
Target Sectors for the First Edition
- Digitalization of government activities
- Information sharing
- Human resources support
- Cyber security
- Green IT management
- Data management and quality
- Legal management
Benefits
- Winners of the Sword Startup Challenge will benefit from an exclusive 500-hour package of development and consulting services from Sword’s Swiss and international skilled professionals, empowering them to refine and scale their technology solutions and a 12-month commercial follow-up with introductions to potential customers and partners.
Eligibility Criteria
- Company registered in the Commercial Register for at least 1 year
- Sales of less than CHF 2 million, and cash-flow visibility over the next 12 months
- With an IT solution that has been implemented at least once with a customer
- Startups active in the public sector
Selection Criteria
- Technological innovation: Extent to which the start-up provides a new solution or a significant advance in its field.
- Market impact: The solution’s potential to transform its sector of activity or solve a real significant problem.
- Team and leadership: Skills, experience and of the founding team and management.
- User experience (UX) and accessibility: Ease of use of the solution, intuitiveness of the interface and accessibility for different types of users.
- Adaptability and agility: The ability to adapt to market developments, new technological trends and customer expectations.
- Contributing to sustainability and ethics: Responsible practices, ethical data management and a positive contribution to society.
For more information, visit Venturelab.
