"Innovation is a people’s business" — Interview with Sebastien Hug of the Innovation Office at UNIBE
During the summer months, we ask people who stimulate the Swiss startup ecosystem to provide the Venturelab community with food for thought, inspiration, and recommendations. For this year's Summer Series, we’ll be interviewing personnel from the country's leading higher education institutions about the diverse and unique programs available to support rising entrepreneurs across Switzerland. This week, we speak to Sebastien Hug of the Innovation Office at the University of Bern.
Name: Sebastien HugJob title: Head of the Innovation Office, University of Bern
City: Bern
What I do: I help entrepreneurial scientists and students succeed with their innovation projects.
How would you summarize the mission of the Innovation Office?
We are the central point of contact for all questions related to innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Bern and the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital.
Our mission is to support entrepreneurial scientists and students at an early stage; To foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship; And to proactively position the university in Switzerland’s innovation and startup ecosystem.
What are the main programs/resources offered by the Innovation Office?We offer advice to anyone with an idea, on how to further develop and sharpen their idea and inform the about the appropriate support instruments. In particular, we advise researchers with an innovation project on Innosuisse and other Innovation-related funding schemes and provide feedback on their proposals.
Most importantly, we also offer our own funding program, the UNIBE Venture Fellowship. The fellowship supports four young researchers every year with a non-dilutive grant worth CHF 100,000, allowing them to further develop their research to a proof-of-concept stage.
Lastly, we connect our community with the larger Bernese and Swiss startup ecosystem and enhance the visibility of UNIBE spinoffs.
Who are the people behind the Innovation Office? What makes you all excited about supporting entrepreneurs?
We’re a team of five people, with a diverse set of backgrounds in Medtech, physics, chemistry, life sciences, business, communication, humanities, and public policy, with lots of industry and international experience. We’re all passionate about helping entrepreneurially-minded students and researchers take their idea to the next step and making a positive impact on society by better translating the enormous potential of academic knowledge into innovative solutions.
How can startup founders best benefit from the support of the Innovation Office?We all love to drink coffee! So, our advice is to simply contact us by e-mail, phone, or social media (such as LinkedIn) and we’ll arrange for a meeting over coffee, during which we’ll determine how we best can help you with your specific needs.
Could you please share two or three success stories from UNIBE that you are especially proud of?
The University of Bern has several success stories. Most recently, Alveolix, a spinoff from the ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research that develops a lung-on-chip technology, has been awarded the Swiss Medtech Award in 2022. Last year, Arctos Medical, which came out of the Institute of Physiology, was acquired by Novartis. Synendos Therapeutics, which develops novel therapies in neuropsychiatric disorders and is a result of a successful technology transfer coming out of the NCCR Transcure, is yet another success story.
What are the key strengths of UNIBE that make it a great place for entrepreneurs? Over the last decade, the Canton of Bern, together with the University of Bern and the Inselspital have invested heavily in the vision of being the leading location for innovation in medicine and medtech. The Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine (Sitem-insel) is a testament to this vision. That said, the University has further key strengths with lots of potential for innovation and entrepreneurial minds in biotech & life sciences, space technologies, digital education, physics, online psychology, and sports, among others.
Which fields of technology are the startups from UNIBE especially strong in?
As mentioned, the medtech location in Bern builds on a long tradition of bridging medical needs and innovative solutions. The proximity of the Bern University Hospital to the University of Bern and UNIBE’s strengths in the life sciences has led to many startups in the medtech and biotech fields. In fact, since the initiation of the Swiss Medtech Award (previously known as CTI Medtech Award) in 2005, Bern has produced six winning medtech startups, more than any other university in Switzerland. Most of them are a spinoff of the ARTORG. Can you share a surprising moment observed during your work at the Innovation Office and what you learned from it?
Not really a surprise, but my first ten months at the Innovation Office confirmed: Innovation is a people’s business. The success of a startup project depends to a large degree on how social networks are being navigated, how entrepreneurs communicate, how they build a team, how resilient they are, and how they deal with conflict.
Which book would you recommend as a must-read for any aspiring entrepreneur?The success of entrepreneurs depends a lot on your ability to connect with others and develop a strong social network. Give and Take by Adam Grant is a book that I can recommend not only to entrepreneurs but to anyone who works collaboratively and believes in the positive and productive force of giving— rather than taking— in his or her daily interactions with others.
What is a piece of key advice that you’d like to share with every new founder?
Surround yourself with the right people, who share the same values as you, and complement your expertise, skills, and network.
Finally, what is your vision/prediction for the startup community in Switzerland?
The Swiss startup ecosystem has matured a lot over the last 20 years, with a concentration of startups in Zurich, the Lake Geneva Area, and Basel. Going forward, I believe that other local ecosystems such as Bern, Ticino, or Valais will grow stronger and offer an interesting alternative to the established hubs.
Anything else you’d like our readers to know?
Things are happening in the Bernese startup ecosystem!
Available support for UNIBE spin-offs:
Innovation Office of the University of Bern
Entrepreneurship Center
Sitem Startup Club
Be-Advanced Startup Support
Bern Economic Development Agency
Venture Kick
Innosuisse Start-up Trainings
Connect with and follow UNIBE:
Connect with and follow Venturelab:
Notable startups founded by UNIBE alumni:
AlveoliX AG: In-vitro lung model for drug testing
AlveoliX provides in-vitro solutions based on proprietary and unique organ-on-chip technologies aimed at improving preclinical decision-making and thus reducing drug development costs. Read more
Boum AG: Boum develops innovative, smart urban gardening solutions
Boum leverages modern IoT technology and plant biology to create a revolutionary outdoor urban gardening solution which enables everybody to successfully grow and enjoy plants in urban outdoor spaces.... Read more
Brixel AG: Brixel - end-to-end transaction platform for real estate
Brixel has established a new standard to sell & buy real estate for homeowners in Switzerland and Portugal (DIY platform combined with expert services). We are also providing our (white label) platfor... Read more
Ceidos SA: Monitoring cell cultures to save lives
Biopharmaceuticals are medicines that are produced by cells in culture, including cell therapies, gene therapies, monoclonal antibodies, proteins and even vaccines. They are revolutionizing medicine, ... Read more
Certus Molecular Diagnostics AG: Tests for on-site microorganisms' genes detection
We provide reliable rapid tests for the on-site detection of specific genes in a variety of microorganisms. Because of the increasing demand for quick and dependable results for the diagnosis of infec... Read more
Cleverclip GmbH: Explaining the world
The world is complicated. At Cleverclip we try to make the world a bit more simple by helping our customers explain complex topics in a way that everyone understands. We produce explainer videos, info... Read more
Coat-X SA: Innovative encapsulation technology
The protection of electronics, sensors, microsystems or implantable devices against physicochemical influences from the environment represents a major challenge. Coat-X has developed and industrialize... Read more
dloop AG:
dloop provides all you need to buy, sell and exhibut digital artworks. With a click collectors can securely invest in curated and limited digital art. What was once impossible to authenticate is now a... Read more
ender diagnostics AG: Rapid COVID19 test for humans
Erib AG: Paving the way for a new era of eating habit and cancer
BioStom® - Technology - Patent and pat.pendings.... We have a Mission that enables people to make their own choices about their health with WeLoxx. The Vision convinces customer with a long-term trust... Read more
GDBspace AG: The google map of molecules
GDBspace provides chemical-based companies in the pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, cosmetics, material sciences industries with easy and reliable orientation within the space of molecules. We help our ... Read more
Ikerian AG (RetinAI US Inc.): We enable the right decisions sooner in healthcare
RetinAI develops certified software solutions to enable the right decisions sooner in clinics and pharma, making institutions more efficient with insights and knowledge from data. Our software collect... Read more
Intueri AG: Constant training for call center agents
Employees learn from experience and thus become competent and efficient. This results in higher levels of customer satisfaction and shorter calls. Read more
LiVET AG: A healthier world for animals through modern diagnostics
We develop and produce rapid molecular point-of-care diagnostic tests for veterinary use. Based on our proprietary platform technology, veterinarians are able to diagnose infectious disease on-site an... Read more
machineMD AG: Diagnostic medical device to assess the neurology of vision
machineMD is a medical device company founded via the Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine (SITEM). Their team of experienced professionals is radically improving the measure... Read more
Medicosearch AG: Find and book an appointment with a nearby doctor or dentist
Medicosearch provides an online service that allows patient to find & book an appointment with a nearby doctor or dentist. Using the service, patients don’t need to go through the hassle of waiting on... Read more
Ocumeda AG: Telemedicine network to provide easy access eye screening
Ocumeda preserves human eyesight through excellent telemedical eye care - low-barrier, technology driven and based on strong partnerships. Early detection could prevent 75% of blindness worldwide. ... Read more
Optical Additives GmbH: Convert any surface into a solar cell
Optical Additives plans to further accelerate the resounding success of solar cells. The company has an additive that is mixed into plastics and acts as a light harvester. With it, the size of solar c... Read more
Parashift AG: Parashift makes autonomous document processing a reality.
Companies - from SMBs to large enterprises - use Parashift to configure, classify and extract their business documents. The platform comes with more and more document types from industries like FSI, L... Read more
Pessoss Services AG: Pessoss applications designed for aid organisations
Pessoss Services Ltd. develops web-based software focusing on the needs and the working environment of aid organizations. We strive for lean and transparent projects at low cost with maximized impact.... Read more
Relai AG: Relai is Europe's leading Bitcoin App - made in Switzerland!
Relai's Bitcoin-only app is designed to be simple and intuitive, allowing anyone to buy and sell Bitcoin within minutes. Relai stands out in the crowded cryptocurrency market with its unique approach ... Read more
Risklick AG: AI solutions enabling clinical trial risk analysis
Clinical trials (CTs) are used to determine whether an experimental treatment works well. Risklick AG is tackling the problem of high clinical trial failure (90%) which impose huge financial and ethic... Read more
SHUBiDU AG: Family calendar app with appointment-sharing
Family organization in a modern family can be quite chaotic. We have developed a family calendar app called SHUBiDU to bring more lightness, efficency and equality to family life. The special thing ab... Read more
SurgeonsLab AG: Patient specific microsurgical model-Train and validate
SurgeonsLab develops and produces patient-specific training models for training surgical procedures and validating new medical devices. Everybody knows resuscitation dolls that are used in emergency c... Read more
Synendos Therapeutics AG: Developing therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders.
Synendos is a clinical stage neuroscience company developing breakthrough safe and effective therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders such as PTSD, through modulation of a new drug target that enables... Read more
tilbago AG: Enabling creditors to handle full debt collection process electronically
As a FinTech Startup we are enabling creditors to handle the full debt collection process electronically by their own. We are offering a Software as a Service solution with a complete new approach. As... Read more
UMS AG: Switzerland's No. 1 in Temporary Housing.
The Swiss portal for Temporary Housing in Switzerland. Private homes for busy people. Rent or let your apartment for 1 month to 2 years. Are you coming to Switzerland for professional reasons or d... Read more
V12media-productions: We make pictures move for you
We successfully produce TV, image and advertisement films. We have great know-how and continue to invest in the latest digital image and sound technology as well cater superb customer support. Read more
Wingtra AG: Fly like an airplane, take-off and land like a helicopter
Wingtra is the world's leading VTOL (vertical take off and landing) drone producer, headquartered in Switzerland. Since its market entry in early 2017, Wingtra has partnered with more than 50 of the b... Read more
Zumedo AG: We want customers to find and book their tailored local services online
We enable customers to find and book their tailored local dentist services online. On www.zumedo.ch you have your services at your fingertips. With a booking platform, similar to booking.com for the h... Read more
Related articles
Guardians of Tomorrow: securing a sustainable future — Interview with Christoph Gebald, CEO and founder of Climeworks
read more
Innovation unleashed: inspiring entrepreneurs in the technological era — Interview with Christian Peterhans, Head of Development at Helbling Technik
read more
Green Visions: inspiring entrepreneurs in the cleantech era — Interview with Margaux Peltier, Co-founder and CEO of Enerdrape
read more
Finding the right productivity tool for you startup: Startup community feedback
read more
"You cannot do it alone" — Interview with Christian Elias Schneider of the Innovation Office at the University of Basel
read more
"Innovation needs diversity" — Interview with Maria Olivares of the Innovation Hub at the University of Zürich
read more
"Linger on the idea" — Interview with Valeria Mozzetti Rohrseitz of the Knowledge and Technology Transfer at UNIFR
read more
"If not you, then who?" — Interview with Maria Luisa Fuchs of Startup@HSG at the University of St. Gallen
read more
"Find a problem to solve and get passionate about it" — Interview with Emanuele Laurenzi of ImpactLab FHNW
read more
"No matter what happens ... learn as much as possible" — Interview with Caroline Widmer of -Pulse at HES-SO Geneva
read more
"Don’t hesitate to pivot and adapt your idea" — Interview with Christian Hohmann of Smart-up HSLU
read more
"Serve them, not you" — Interview with Anne Headon of the HUB Entrepreneurship and Innovation UNIL
read more
#SummerSeries: 5 questions for Bertrand Piccard—explorer, visionary, inspioneer
read more
#SummerSeries: 5 questions for André Borschberg—entrepreneur, explorer, speaker
read more
#SummerSeries: 5 questions for Monique Morrow—chief technology strategist, technologist, and innovator
read more
#SummerSeries: 5 questions for Rasmus Nutzhorn Viemose—radical innovator, transformation expert, and outdoor enthusiast
read more
#SummerSeries: 5 questions for Martin Vetterli—educator, researcher, and innovator
read more
#SummerSeries: 5 questions for Estelle Métayer—entrepreneur, trend spotter, and public speaker
read more