Deeplink: The Sword Startup Challenge finalist advancing AI integration for public and private sector

19.05.2025 10:00, Rita Longobardi

Meet Jérôme Berthier, CEO of Deeplink. The ICT startup delivers AI-powered solutions and remote access platforms for SMEs. Jérôme is one of the 5 finalists of the Sword Startup Challenge, competing for 500 hours of consulting services, tailored development support from Sword’s Swiss and international IT specialists, and a 12-month commercial follow-up.

Sword Group, a global technology transformation company, has partnered with Venturelab to launch the Sword Startup Challenge, an annual program designed to support startups in developing innovative technologies. The initiative reflects a shared dedication to helping startups grow and succeed in Switzerland's competitive ecosystem.

Name: Jérôme Berthier
Location: Lausanne
Nationality: Suisse
Job title: CEO
Number of employees: 5


Who benefits from your product or solution, and in what way?
Deeplink offers a secure Swiss AI platform for public and private sectors, streamlining tasks, info access, and communication.
Features include:

• Content creation from notes or audio
• Document editing and translation
• 24/7 multilingual chatbots
• Centralized knowledge with access controls

Custom solutions are available for police, retail, and social security services, enabling quick, practical AI adoption.

What market are you targeting, and what opportunities do you see for your startup in that space?
Our main clients are Swiss public and semi-public institutions—cantonal and city governments, police, social insurance, energy, education, and healthcare services. We also work with SMEs facing similar data challenges. More broadly, we serve organizations that view data as strategic and require it to remain in Switzerland for legal, ethical, or operational reasons. As trust in global cloud services wanes, Deeplink offers a secure, sovereign, and scalable alternative for AI-driven transformation.

What are some key milestones or accomplishments your team has reached?
• Self-financed from day one, ensuring full independence.
• Profitable since last year, with market-aligned salaries.
• BCorp certified for sustainability and social impact.
• Built a sovereign AI platform (voice, text, image, knowledge), fully hosted in Switzerland.
• Delivered 30+ AI projects in public, legal, energy, health, and education sectors.
• Strong R&D base, plus expert training to support digital transformation.
• Most notably — still alive after 6 years, without external funding.

What do you expect from the Sword Startup Challenge, and how do you see it contributing to your company’s development?
We are looking to connect with mentors, potential partners, and clients aligned with our values of sovereignty, responsibility, and sustainability. The Sword Startup Challenge can help accelerate our visibility, refine our go-to-market strategy, and open new business opportunities in Switzerland and beyond, especially in sectors where Sword is already active. We’re also open to strategic support around scaling, security, and infrastructure.

In what ways does Switzerland present an opportunity for your business?
Switzerland is a natural fit for Deeplink: innovative yet conservative, with strong data sovereignty and a highly skilled tech and AI talent pool. As a fully Swiss company with a mostly Swiss team, we align well with local needs. The country’s multilingual, multicultural landscape is ideal for developing and scaling multilingual AI solutions. While the market is small and fragmented—often a deterrent for big tech—it offers space for agile companies like ours to deliver tailored, high-impact solutions. Despite high salary costs, client proximity and meaningful local relationships provide lasting value.