Impressora in Desafía Switzerland 2025: Exploring the Swiss market
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In Spring 2025, the Swiss edition of the Desafía program brought nine Spanish scaleups to Switzerland for an intensive two-week roadshow. Designed to accelerate international expansion and test the competitiveness of innovative deeptech solutions on a global scale, the program was supported by ICEX and Red.es in collaboration with Venturelab and the Economic and Trade Office of the Spanish Embassy in Bern. Participants benefited from tailored meetings with investors, corporates, and ecosystem leaders, as well as mentorship, networking, pitching opportunities, and company visits.
Following its 2024 launch, the 2025 edition welcomed a second cohort of deeptech companies, including Impressora, led by Daniel Denes, which leveraged the program to explore potential collaborations and refine its international expansion strategy.
Company name: ImpressoraLocation: Santa Cruz de Tenerife
What was the most surprising difference you noticed between the Swiss startup ecosystem and the Spanish one?
One of the most surprising differences was the level of specialization and deep-tech focus in the Swiss ecosystem. Switzerland places a strong emphasis on research-driven innovation and close collaboration with universities, while the Spanish ecosystem feels more diverse and commercially oriented, with faster go-to-market approaches.
What are the biggest challenges you faced when exploring the Swiss market for your product or technology?
The main challenges were understanding the regulatory environment and navigating a highly competitive, quality-driven market. Swiss clients and partners have very high expectations, so adapting our value proposition to meet those standards required careful positioning and validation.
Which part of the Desafía Switzerland program (mentorship, networking, pitching, company visits) was most valuable for your startup and why?
The most valuable parts were mentorship and networking. The mentorship provided highly tailored guidance from experienced professionals who understand the Swiss ecosystem, helping us refine our strategy and positioning. At the same time, the networking opportunities gave us direct access to key stakeholders—partners, investors, and industry experts, creating connections that would have been very difficult to establish on our own.
Did you identify any concrete collaboration opportunities with Swiss companies, investors, or research institutions during the program? If yes, which type of collaboration?
Yes, we identified concrete collaboration opportunities with ETH Zurich and Amberg Engineering AG (Hagerbach). These include potential partnerships for technology validation, pilot projects, and joint development initiatives leveraging their research and testing infrastructure.
How did participating in Desafía influence your international expansion strategy?
Desafía helped us refine our internationalization strategy by highlighting the importance of market-specific adaptation. It also pushed us to go further beyond our limits through repeated exposure to international pitching and presentation environments, allowing us to strengthen our communication and align with global standards. This experience reinforced the value of entering new markets through strong local partnerships, especially in highly specialized ecosystems like Switzerland.
What advice would you give to startups considering applying to Desafía Switzerland in the future?
Come well-prepared with a clear value proposition and specific goals for the program. Take full advantage of both the mentorship and networking opportunities, be proactive in meetings, and remain open to feedback—this is key to making the most out of the experience.
Describe Desafía in one word.
Transformative.
