The Swisscom Startup Challenge is aimed at startups from all over the world for the first time in 2020. We are looking for 5G use cases and prototypes. In the first round, the jury selected the ten finalists from 125 applications from 30 countries - from China to Argentina. On 17 December, the start-ups will face the jury in the online final. Until then, the public can vote for their favourites from the finalists. The companies HEGIAS AG and Somniacs AG, both of which work with virtual reality, are also taking part.
At the end of August 2020, Swisscom and its partners Ericsson and Qualcomm CDMA Technologies launched the 5G Startup Challenge for the first time. While the previous Swisscom Startup Challenge was aimed exclusively at young companies from Switzerland, this year startups from all over the world were invited to take part.
A total of 125 start-ups from 30 countries applied. The top 10 have now been chosen. They will have to work hard at the final on 17 December, which will take place online this year. Only the best five start-ups will travel to Switzerland in March 2021 to test their 5G use cases and prototypes for a week in the Swisscom 5G Lab and live network at various locations and in entire regions. They will be supported by experts and mentors from Ericsson, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies and Swisscom.
The fact that 5G is a driver of innovative technologies was first demonstrated in the Report seen the day before yesterday. Almost half of the finalists are working on applications that rely on autonomous drones and robots. The areas of application are broad: from protection and rescue to tourism and agriculture. The other start-ups are developing applications and prototypes in the fields of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and the Internet of Things. Around 80 per cent of the applications come from Switzerland, while 20 per cent come from all over the world - from China to Argentina. Accordingly, eight of the top 10 start-ups are from Switzerland, plus one each from Germany and the USA.
Internal jury has selected ten finalists
A jury consisting of 5G experts, innovation and product managers and top management representatives from the partner companies selected the top 10 start-ups. The jury scrutinised the general potential of the start-ups and checked whether the use cases are actually based on 5G technology. It also evaluated the opportunity for collaboration with the organisers of the Startup Challenge or the implementation of the relevant technologies. The jury was particularly impressed by the submissions from the following ten startups: Aero41, Perspective Robotics, HEGIASMorphean, qiio, Rigi Technologies, Robotic Systems, Smart Mobile Labs, Somniacs (Birdly)ZaiNar (more information on the start-ups can be found at here). It's exciting that, according to the statements in the videos, the Somniacs want to democratise travel and HEGIAS wants to democratise VR.
This means that 2 companies involved in virtual reality have made it into the top 10. I would suggest that this should be supported.
Public voting and final on 17 December 2020
From today, the general public can also choose their favourite startup in a public vote. The startup or research team that secures the audience award will travel to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the invitation of the programme partners - if the situation allows in summer 2021.
On 17 December, the top 10 start-ups will compete in the final of the Swisscom 5G Startup Challenge. In short pitch presentations, they will have to convince the highly endowed jury of experts, including Martin Bürki (Managing Director Ericsson Switzerland), Enrico Salvatori (Senior Vice President & President Qualcomm EMEA), Christoph Aeschlimann (Chief Technology Officer Swisscom) and Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler (Chief Digital Officer Swisscom).
Source: MM
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