Investing in Growth Opportunities for a modern Switzerland
We invest in startups in Switzerland and abroad. These investments are important because they allow us to understand market developments and emerging customer behaviors. Some startups will develop successfully in our core business and we will consider purchasing all of their shares. This was for example the case with Notime, which we have just acquired. This young tech company is based in Zurich and offers bicycle courier services.
Roberto Cirillo, Swiss Post CEO, in Bilan.ch Oct 2020
To startups, we can provide our infrastructure and our credibility. By combining these strengths with the technological innovations of startups (for example the development and manufacturing of drones), we can create innovative ecosystems with high added value.
I. Collaboration
Do you have an attractive start-up?
Is your business up and running and do you have at least a working prototype which you can demonstrate to Swiss Post employees and decision makers? We can initiate collaborations with the business directly or we set-up start-up pitching days regularly, where you will find opportunities to pitch to our business units and receive helpful feedback.
A different form of collaboration
Start-up pitches
On pitching days, selected start-ups present their business ideas to Swiss Post’s specialists. For each start-up, a short presentation is followed by an open discussion. This enables participants to offer a great deal of input in a short space of time and facilitates the evaluation and launch of joint projects.
Some of our most successful projects
Matternet
Swiss Post wants to be at the forefront of helping shape drone technology and delivery robots, and to identify at an early stage where it could improve efficiency by integrating these initiatives into its processes. Matternet was identified by our teams during a pitching session in Silicon Valley. Together, we launched the first urban drone logistics network in the world.
In March 2017, Matternet became the first company in the world to receive authorization for full operation of drone logistics networks over densely populated areas in Switzerland – thanks to the collaboration with Swiss Post and the open innovation initiative.
Profital
Profital is a Swiss Post Startup out of a collaboration with the German Group Offerista. Profital is a platform, which offers digital brochures to its customers.
Scandit
Swiss Post’s focus on user experience is key for its customers and employee. The barcode scanning software from Scandit for smart devices turns every smartphone into cost-effective data acquisition tool for high business demands.
II. Venture capital investment
The nature of our investment in start-ups
Swiss Post invests in early-stage companies that fit well with the Group’s business development areas and offer potential for Swiss Post’s core competencies to make a significant contribution to their success in the long-term future. In return, Swiss Post aims for a minority interest. This ensures that the start-up is agile and autonomous as it develops and goes to market.
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Stage: between Pre-Series A and B financing round
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First investment ticket size from $ 500,000 to $ 1,5 million
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Lean and fast investment decision process
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Active business development activities for our portfolio companies
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International focus
III. Partner network
Start-ups, universities, federal institutions, international postal companies and corporate groups: Swiss Post works in a targeted manner to maintain a network of external development partners. A good example of this is the mobility lab in Sion: the joint project between the city of Sion, the Canton of Valais, the EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne), HES-SO (the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland) and Swiss Post has rapidly developed into a testing environment for mobility-related growth topics. All participants benefit from the networking opportunities.
We support our business to achieve operational excellence as well as to identify and test growth opportunities. We develop the ideas, evaluate their business potential with the business units and define an appropriate strategy together. In addition, we cooperate with research partners like EPFL, ETHZ and UniFR to develop future technologies in untapped business areas.
Outpost China
China is becoming increasingly important to Switzerland. For this reason, Swiss Post set up an outpost in the Shanghai region for a two-year period. The outpost will complement our existing successful development activities abroad. Swiss Post wants to identify business and technology trends with wide-ranging structural impacts in the dynamic Chinese market, at an early stage.
Finally, ActionJam and Swissnex are other important partners that we manage for the Group to strengthen the ties between the core business and fast growing innovators outside our organisation.
We are particularly interested in start-ups and group-wide initiatives. We always seek cooperation with external partners when it comes to very advanced projects or other specific issues.
IV. Development areas
Swiss Post has locations in 15 countries and employs a total of 56’000 staff members, 7’000 of whom are based outside Switzerland. It operates in the communication, logistics, financial services, BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) and mobility markets.
Swiss Post in numbers: Key figures
Contact
Do you have any questions about Swiss Post’s innovations, or would you like to become an innovation partner? Are you interested in Swiss Post as an investor? Do you have any questions about start-up investments? If so, contact us. We would be happy to help.
Swiss Post Ltd
«Business Development» - CEO Stab
Wankdorfallee 4
3030 Berne
Switzerland
innovation@post.ch