Startup Nights Draw Thousands
“What our team in Winterthur has put together makes me proud,” said Gabriel Riedo, managing director of the Startup Nights.
The tenth edition of the Startup Nights drew more than 10,000 visitors to the sold-out Eulachhallen in Winterthur on November 5 and 6, punkt4.info reported. About 150 startup companies exhibited their work, supported by 83 volunteers who gave their free time to run the two-day event.
Exhibitors and Speakers in Winterthur
The conference featured more than 120 speakers across 40 workshops, punkt4.info reported. Attendees heard from Ledgy co-founder Yoko Spirig, former Formula 1 driver Nick Heidfeld, and Samuel Widmann, founder of Endoxon and former head of Google Maps. Arthur Rutishauser, editor-in-chief of the SonntagsZeitung, spoke about the successes and failures of startup businesses.
Notable figures mingled with founders on the exhibition floor as the event marked its milestone anniversary.
Three Innovation Prizes Awarded
Judges awarded three prizes during the event to recognize technical innovation, punkt4.info reported. The Swiss Startup Association and wirtschaftsbildung.ch gave the Youth Prize to Riverkin, a Zurich-based firm that built an artificial intelligence model to forecast flash floods in small streams.
The UBS Impact Tech Award went to WattAnyWhere for a fuel cell generator that converts ethanol into electricity. Meanwhile, DPhi Space won the Dual Use Tech Award, supported by RUAG and armasuisse.
Real-Time Satellite Data
DPhi Space, based in Lausanne, develops artificial intelligence platforms that allow satellites to process and transmit earth-observation data in real time, punkt4.info reported. The technology helps operators analyze orbital information faster without waiting for ground-station downlinks.
Exhibition Moves to Zurich
Organizers plan to move the event to the Messe Zürich exhibition halls for its next iteration, punkt4.info reported. The upcoming conference was scheduled for October 7 and 8, 2027.
“Now we take this momentum with us to Zurich,” Riedo said, according to the report.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people attended the event?
More than 10,000 visitors attended the tenth anniversary edition at the Eulachhallen in Winterthur.
When and where will the next conference take place?
The event moves to the Messe Zürich exhibition halls on October 7 and 8, 2027.
Who won the top technology awards?
Riverkin won the Youth Prize, WattAnyWhere took the UBS Impact Tech Award, and DPhi Space received the Dual Use Tech Award.
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