“You benefit from the kindness of all the people that support you”
(Jensen Huang, Founder & CEO of Nvidia)
Asking successful entrepreneurs on how they scaled their companies to greatness, we hear a central message again and again: what mattered were the people they met, at the right time. For that, Switzerland forms an outstanding ecosystem, as many of the world’s most talented people study, innovate, and collaborate here to build high-impact ventures.
Venturelab teamed up with Innosuisse, University of Bern and sitem-insel to bring startup-minded people together. We invite you for our special Ecosystem Event, to facilitate exchange between entrepreneurs, corporate innovators, scientists, and students – focusing on three crucial challenges:
- Innovation with Corporates: initiate collaborations with market leaders that can provide budget and access to profitable markets
- Raise investments in Life Science: state of venture capital in the Swiss biotech and medtech ecosystem
- Grants for Growth: financing life science innovation with non-dilutive funding
At: sitem, Freiburgstrasse 3, 3010 Bern (https://maps.app.goo.gl/QzpCiPRa1apYrde16)
Brought to you by:
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Meet our Speakers
From Collaboration to Exit: Dr. Anne Schmidt
Anne is the Co-founder and CEO of Elthera AG developing antibody therapies in oncology with successful exit in Feb 2023. Today, she serves as Innosuisse Coach and Startup Advisor at the Innovation Office of Uni Bern. Prior to her entrepreneurial career, Anne had 24 years of experience in different management positions in Biotech and pharma companies. She holds a PhD in Immunology from University of Stuttgart and Master in Tumor Immunology.
The Swiss Life Science Ecosystem and working with Corporates: Dr. Michael Altorfer
About: Michael is the CEO of the Swiss Biotech Association. He has more than 20 years of experience in the life science industry comprising both big pharma and smaller biotech organizations. As a member of the Executive Committee he supported the build-up of Polyphor Ltd in Allschwil in many different roles (Head BD&L, CFO, COO and CEO). Michael started his career as a scientist in pharmaceutical research at Sandoz, Ciba-Geigy (Summit, NJ, USA), and Roche. From 1996 to 2001 he held program management and line management roles at the investment bank UBS Warburg. Michael studied Natural Sciences at the ETH and he obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry and holds an MBA degree from the University of Rochester, NY, USA.
Grants for Growth: Dr. Carlos Ciller
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About: Carlos is the Co-Founder & CEO of Ikerian and RetinAI, a Swiss & US-based software company improving decision-making for clinics and hospitals, medical device manufacturers, and pharma companies. The spin-off from Uni Bern attracted an 8-digit amount in venture capital (btov Partners, Verve Ventures, ZKB, THINC Ventures, Sanoptics, Venture Kick) and grants (Innosuisse, Eurostars, Swiss Personalized Health Project) and was acquired by EssilorLuxottica in October 2025. Prior to the exit, Carlos served in leading positions at Innovation Forum and Esteve Teijin Healthcare, and has been an Innosuisse Trainer since 2020. He holds a PhD in Machine Learning from University of Lausanne, and studied computer science, electrical engineering and telecommunications at EPFL, Imperial College London, and UPC Barcelona.
Program: What to Expect
- 17:00 – 17:15: Opening Doors, Welcoming by Uni Bern, sitem-insel, and Venturelab
- 17:15 – 18:00: Keynotes by Business Leaders
- 18:00 – 19:15: Roundtables per Topic
- 19:15 – 19:30: Wrap-up
- 19:30: Networking & Apero Riche
Who should participate:
- Entrepreneurs
- Corporate innovators
- Students, scientists, and professionals interested in joining a startup
Pre-requisites: a startup experience or participation in former entrepreneurship trainings is appreciated (but not mandatory)
How you benefit
- Build a network with corporate innovators and fellow entrepreneurs
- Learn from the best – business leaders who have built successful ventures
- Meet Innosuisse coaches and trainers who can help with raising capital and winning grants
- Have fun – this is a very interactive event and you will enjoy the roundtables!
Participation is free of charge (we thank Innosuisse – Swiss Innovation Agency - for the generous support!) - Sign-up here
Get Ready! Watch and Get Inspired
The sitem-insel ecosystem
