Innovation as a key driver of business per­for­mance

Innovation is central to the success of the company and to Swisscom’s strategic ambitions. Swisscom offers its cus­tomers the best customer experience by further developing products and improving customer journeys. With the help of analytical tools, artificial intelligence and automation, Swisscom designs processes to be even more efficient – and creates new growth by developing new products and business segments. Innovation also helps to differentiate the Swisscom brand, attract and retain top talent and counteract potential market disruptions at an early stage. To this end, Swisscom works closely with partners, universities, start-ups and es­tab­lished tech­nol­ogy com­pa­nies.

In its Silicon Valley office, Swisscom has been engaged in tech­nol­ogy scouting and transfer for over 20 years. The Swisscom Ventures division networks Swisscom’s business units with start-ups in order to stimulate innovation. Since 2007, Swisscom has invested in more than 70 young com­pa­nies – six to ten new start-ups every year with the volume of capital ex­pen­di­ture amounting to CHF 10 to 12 million per year. Swisscom also advises funds that invest an ad­di­tional CHF 30 to 40 million. In the year under review, Swisscom made in­vest­ments in nine new com­pa­nies and twelve follow-up in­vest­ments in existing holdings. SOPHiA GENETICS, another start-up funded by Swisscom, went public in 2021. This is the fourth IPO of a Swisscom Ventures start-up. Swisscom uses the Swisscom StartUp platform to support start-ups and entrepreneurs in Switzer­land through consulting, discounts on IT and cloud services, expert know-how, coaching programmes, financing and community events. The Swisscom StartUp Challenge 2021 focused on the topic of cyber security. More than 80 start-ups and research teams worldwide applied for the promotional programme available for the winners of the StartUp Challenge. By the end of the Challenge, five winners had secured their spots in the week-long exploration programme, which included an exchange of experiences with Swisscom’s cyber security community as well as valuable contacts with mentors, potential partners and cus­tomers. Swisscom strengthens the internal innovation process through the internal intrapreneurship programme Kickbox, which provides employees with tools, a clear process and resources for innovation projects. The programme is available to other com­pa­nies via the spin-off rready AG.