Sword Group on supporting Swiss startups: An interview with COO Nicolas Pougnet

16.04.2025 15:00, Rita Longobardi

Earlier this year, global tech transformation company Sword Group partnered with Venturelab to launch the Sword Startup Challenge—an annual program designed to help startups grow and succeed in Switzerland's competitive landscape. With the five finalists now announced, the race continues until June, when one winner will receive a 500-hour package of development and consulting services from Sword's experienced professionals. We spoke with Nicolas Pougnet, COO Financial Services at Sword Group, about the motivation behind the initiative and how Sword is working to boost innovation in the startup ecosystem.

Nicolas Pougnet joined the company's Swiss team in 2015 as a Project Manager, leading assignments for UEFA and the International Red Cross. In 2021, he stepped into a management role as Business Unit Director, and today oversees a team of fifty consultants while managing commercial relations across a broad client portfolio and developing innovation.


 

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Nicolas, could you briefly introduce the Sword Group, its Swiss subsidiary, Sword Switzerland, and yourself?
Sword Group is an international leader in consulting, IT services, and software development, operating in over 50 countries. For more than 20 years, we've been supporting clients through their digital transformation journeys, Sword Switzerland is the local subsidiary of the group, with strong roots in the Swiss market particularly in the sport, finance, public sector, and luxury markets. As for myself, I have a strong interest in innovation and entrepreneurship. This entrepreneurial spirit has been part of Sword's DNA since the beginning.

What inspired Sword to launch the Startup Challenge, and what are its primary objectives?
The idea came from a clear desire to connect the agility of startups with the strength of our IT expertise and client network. By partnering with Venturelab, we wanted to create a hands-on, business-oriented collaboration platform.

The goals of the Startup Challenge are twofold:

• For Sword: To identify relevant innovations and co-develop solutions that solve real business challenges for our clients.
• For startups: To gain privileged access to our ecosystem, validate their product in real-world conditions, and accelerate market entry through concrete pilot projects.

What qualities or characteristics does Sword particularly value in potential startup partners?
We value startups that combine technological innovation, a clear business vision, and a strong willingness to collaborate.
Key traits we look for include:

• A mature solution or one at least in the pre-commercialization phase.
• A team with a strong execution capacity.
• A product or service that addresses real challenges in our target sectors (banking, luxury, sports, and public sector).
• And above all, a readiness to adapt their offer to meet real client use cases.
 

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How exactly does Sword envision collaborating with the startups during the challenge, and what kind of support will continue after the program concludes?
During the challenge, we host thematic workshops with our experts, pitch sessions with a jury made up of clients and partners, and co-creation workshops focused on real-world use cases.

• The winning startups will benefit from a dedicated project team from Sword, to develop proofs of concept (POCs) or even pilot projects directly with our clients.
• After the program, we aim to build long-term collaborations, whether through client integration, co-development, or international scaling via our global network.

What specific value does Sword hope to derive from these startup collaborations, and what benefits can the participating startups expect in return?
For Sword, these partnerships are a powerful form of open innovation and a way to enrich our offering with innovative technologies. It also helps us respond more quickly to market needs. For startups, it's a unique opportunity to validate their solution in real conditions, receive feedback from large enterprise clients, and accelerate their commercial development with a well-established partner.

How does the Sword Startup Challenge align with the group's broader innovation strategy and long-term business vision?
The Startup Challenge is a key part of our collaborative innovation strategy. Sword aims to be not just a solution integrator but a technology accelerator. In the future, we want to build an ecosystem where startups, our clients, and our teams co-create the solutions of tomorrow. This program is a real growth driver and a strategic differentiator for our group in an ever-evolving IT market.

From your perspective, what role do corporate-startup partnerships play in fostering innovation within the technology industry today?
They play a crucial role. Large companies bring robustness, industry knowledge, and resources. Startups bring agility, creativity, and disruptive tech. By combining these strengths, we can accelerate innovation cycles and turn ideas into working solutions faster. It’s a win-win: large companies stay competitive, and startups scale faster.

What advice would you offer to startups looking to effectively collaborate with large technology companies such as Sword?
Three main tips:
• Understand the business challenges of the companies you want to work with. Innovation for innovation's sake doesn't work—it needs to solve a real problem.
• Be ready to adapt your solution and co-build with field teams.
• Be clear and concise in your messaging—large companies get a lot of requests, so grab attention with a sharp, impactful value proposition.