Dive into the World of Partnerships  

Date: Tuesday, September 12
Location: Rolex Forum, EPFL

Welcome to the immersive world of partnerships. This conference brings together innovators, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, venture funds, and academic researchers from all sectors to explore the crucial role of partnerships in scaling and innovating businesses.

Through captivating pair presentations by start-ups and corporates, gain valuable insights into company strategies, different forms of partnerships, challenges encountered, and successful approaches to implementing win-win alliances.

Why attend?

  • Learn and collaborate: exchange experiences and ideas, gain valuable insights about various strategies and forms of partnership, get practical suggestions to design win-win approaches for a successful implementation.

     

  • Connect with the most relevant attendees through our 1:1 meeting platform (accessible upon registration), powered by advanced AI matchmaking. Maximize your networking opportunities and forge valuable connections.
     

  • Discover new opportunities: Identify fresh perspectives, explore potential alliances, and unlock  new avenues for innovation. 

Don’t miss this opportunity to forge meaningful connections, gain insights, and unlock the potential for innovation and growth. Secure your spot at the EPFL Innovation Park 2023 Tech4Growth Partnering and Matchmaking Conference: 

SPEAKERS

AGENDA

        

Dive into the World of Partnership Speakers

09:00 – 09:10

Welcome Remarks Lan Zuo Gillet, Deputy Managing Director, EPFL Innovation Park

09:10 – 09:20

Welcome Canton Vaud Raphaël Conz, Managing Director, Office of Economic Affairs & Innovation (SPEI)

09:20 – 10:00

Logitech - Imverse: Technology partnership Lajla Aganovic, Head of Venture Engagement, Logitech, Brent Milliken, CEO, Imverse and Javier Bello Ruiz, Ex CEO & Co-Founder, Imverse | Moderator: Nicolas Loeillot, Expert, Innosuisse

10:00 – 10:30

Swisscom Ventures-Flyability: Corporate Venture Capital Investment Alexander Schlaepfer, Partner, Swisscom Ventures and Patrick Thevoz, CEO & Co-Founder, Flyability | Moderator: Raphael Rollier, Head of Innovation & Product Management, Swisstopo

10:30 – 11:00

Networking Coffee Break and 121 meetings /

11:00 – 11:30

UBS - Numarics: Commercial partnership for better service to customers Veronica Lange, Head of UBS Next Connect, Yin Yan, Executive Director, UBS Next, Christian Mähr, Transformation Manager and Head Ecosystems & Partnerships, UBS and Dominique Rey, CEO & Co-Founder, Numarics | Moderator: Lan Zuo Gillet, Deputy Managing Director, EPFL Innovation Park

11:30 – 12:00

Insolight’s multiple partnerships with Corporates Luiggino Torrigiani, Head of Marketing & Partnerships, Insolight | Moderator: Nicolas Loeillot, Expert, Innosuisse

12:00 – 12:30

CSS - Longevity Hub: A corporate accelerator for individual partnerships Torsten Butz, CSS and Uliana Shchelgacheva, Co-Founder, Longevity Hub | Moderator: Raphael Rollier, Head of Innovation & Product Management, Swisstopo

12:30 – 13:30

Networking lunch Supported by Cleantech Alps

13:30 – 14:15

Roundtable discussion with alumni of Tech4Growth workshop series: implementation of partnerships in Geneva Airport, Maxon, GSK/Haleon and AELERClotilde Aubertin, External Innovation Direction, Haleon – GSK Consumer Healthcare, Hamidul Huq, Innovation Coach & Innovation Project Manager, Geneva Airport, David Baur, Co-CEO & Co-Founder, AELER and Olivier Chappuis, Innovation Lab Manager, Maxon | Moderator: Lan Zuo Gillet, Deputy Managing Director, EPFL Innovation Park

14:15 – 16:30

Networking Coffee & Drinks and 121 meetings /
 

Alexander Schlaepfer

Partner, Swisscom Ventures

Alexander joined Swisscom Ventures in 2016 as a partner and focuses on investments in the fields of robotics, enterprise software applications, and education technology. Prior to Swisscom, Alexander was Co-Founder and partner at Paris-based Aster Capital.

Before becoming a VC, Alexander headed up Strategy, M&A, Sales, and Marketing at Alstom’s €5bn Power Service sector and, prior to that, held several operational management positions with ABB in the Middle East. He also co-founded and chaired a robotics start-up at ETH Zürich.

He holds a BA from the University of Applied Sciences in St. Gallen and a Master in Finance (M.Sc.) from London Business School.

Alexander is a board member in Swiss companies Anybotics, Flyability, Yokoy, xFarm and has led venture investments in the US, Israel, and Europe.

Brent Milliken

CEO, IMVERSE

Brent Milliken has a long history of professional experience in various roles across many companies. In 1987, they began their career as an Officer Army (Infantry) Seaforth Highlanders with the Canadian Armed Forces. From 1996 to 2003, they worked as an Enterprise Architect and Technology Consultant at Atos Origin/BSO Origin and Co-Founder and Managing Director of Asentus Europe at GP Strategies Corporation. In 2001, they Co-Founded and became Managing Partner of Qurus | Management Consultants. From 2009 to 2017, they held various roles at Microsoft, including Director Channel Sales, Senior Sales Account Executive (HP EMEA), and Business Development Manager (HP Middle East & Africa). From 2017 to 2020, they served as Global Large Account Director (PMI) at Orange Business Services. In 2021, they became Head of Business Development / Enterprise (EMEA) at Chainlink Labs. Finally, in 2023, they took on the role of Head of Partnerships and Business Development and then CEO at IMVERSE.

Clotilde Aubertin

External Innovation Direction, Haleon – GSK Consumer Healthcare

Clotilde Aubertin Jordan has a double education background (PhD Information Technology and engineer in Pharmacy and Nutrition). Working in multi-disciplinary international teams and has over 20 years of experience in academia, national institutes (CNRS, Inserm) and industry (Nestlé, GSK), she establishes collaborations and partnerships with researchers, healthcare entrepreneurs and life science companies to nurture innovation pipeline dedicated to Consumer healthcare areas for Haleon.

She also advises startups, and is member of the selection board of Mass Challenge and Health TechTour. She leads Haleon STEM initiative for Switzerland and is lecturer for two decades the technologies of innovation (HEC, HES-SO).

Christian Mähr

Head Ecosystems, Partnerships & Corporate Hybrid Bank

Christian Mähr emerges as a pioneering figure in banking innovation. Currently holding pivotal positions at UBS Switzerland AG, including the dual roles of Head of Ecosystems, Partnerships & Corporate Hybrid Bank Head Bancassurance CH, Christian’s leadership shapes the fusion of finance and technology. With a substantial history at Commerzbank AG, where he led Corporate Banking Switzerland and fostered lasting client relationships as Senior Relationship Manager, Christian’s expertise extends worldwide.

Christian’s academic pursuits are equally impressive, marked by an MBA from the University of St. Gallen and continuous learning through Executive Education at INSEAD, EPFL, and Swiss Board School.

Beyond his professional journey, Christian propels innovation as a Member of the Foundation Board and the Board Committee of Switzerland Innovation. He also serves as a Jury Member for the SEIF Award for Tech4Impact, acknowledging transformative tech contributions.

David Baur

David Baur earned his Bachelor’s degree in Microengineering in 2015, followed by the attainment of his Master’s degree in Microengineering and a Minor in Management from EPFL as well in 2017. The same year, he embarked on an internship focused on quality improvement at Jaeger-LeCoultre, a Swiss luxury watchmaking which has played a significant role in the development of horological technology and precision instruments.
In 2018, David Baur, in collaboration with Naïk Londono, co-founded AELER Technologies SA. Their partnership was forged with the shared commitment to realizing AELER’s vision of a sustainable, efficient, and transparent logistics ecosystem.

Dominique Rey

CEO & Co-Founder, Numarics

Dominique Olivier Rey is the Co-Founder and CEO of Numarics. He is a Swiss-certified public accountant, certified banking expert, and certified business economist. He is also recognised by the Swiss Federal Audit Oversight Authority (FAOA) as a certified audit expert and secretary of the commission for bank audits of EXPERTsuisse.

His remarkable expertise lies in the transition from the old to the new economy. He understands the limitations of both systems and actively advocates for a better future for the new, technology-based economy. Dominique strongly believes that automation of repetitive tasks enables humans to do what they do best: Focus on their business, their customers and their success.

His passion is Blockchain and crypto assets and the future of how we pay, store and manage value. Dominique enthusiastically compares blockchain to fully automated high-security accounting programs.

Numarics users benefit from the seamless integration of cryptocurrencies that Dominique has enabled from the start.

Hamidul Huq

Innovation Coach & Innovation Project Manager, Geneva Airport

Hamidul Huq possesses two decades of enriching and advantageous experience as an intrapreneur, project manager, and innovator across companies of varying sizes. He has an ardent passion for sharing knowledge, continuous learning, and turning ideas into reality. Presently, Hamidul serves as the innovation coach and innovation project manager in the Technology department at Geneva Airport. He’s also a certified Strategyzer Innovation Coach.

His responsibilities are primarily divided into two main categories. Firstly, he adeptly coaches business unit leaders, equipping them with the best innovation tools and frameworks available in the market. Secondly, he spearheads the management of innovation initiatives, which includes cultivating and nurturing a local and international innovation network comprising startups and innovators within established companies. Additionally, he diligently explores emerging trends and technologies while fostering a culture of innovation.

Hamidul’s extensive experience makes him a valuable asset in driving the spirit of innovation at Geneva Airport and beyond.

Javier Bello Ruiz

CEO & Co-Founder, Imverse

Previously, XR Engineer and Tech Manager at the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience (LNCO) from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), working on mixed reality solutions targeting the research of brain mechanisms of body perception, body awareness and self-consciousness. Since 2017, CEO & Co-Founder at IMVERSE, a 3D graphics company with the vision of bringing reality live into the Metaverse with real-time volumetric capture, editing, streaming, and rendering of human holograms that enable authentic holoportation in real-time and at-scale for enterprise and creators, powered by voxels.

Imverse’s holographic telepresence and volumetric video allow a person to perform actions in a distant or virtual location and participate in enterprise virtual events, meetings, corporate keynote presentations, remote training and videoconferencing as if they were physically present.

Lajla Aganovic

Head of Venture Engagement, Logitech

Lajla graduated from the EPFL with a MSc in cryptography and security of systems, but her passion for interacting with people worldwide diverted her from the pure scientific career to embrace the world of asset management and venture capital. She started her professional path in Lombard Odier (equities portfolio management), obtained the CFA certification, and then moved to private investments in Freemont Management. Subsequently, Lajla joined Swisscom Ventures in order to fully use her technological and financial skills in a Venture Capital fund before joining Logitech as Head of Venture Engagement last year. Her goal is to support Logitech’s innovation initiatives by leveraging external talent and cutting-edge technologies. She compares her role to a playmaker in a basketball team, coordinating Logitech’s and selected startups’ efforts, for the best common outcome.

Lan Zuo Gillet

Deputy Managing Director, EIP

Lan Zuo Gillet is the Deputy Managing Director and Head of start-up training, incubation, acceleration and expert program of EPFL Innovation Park. She is also an Expert of Innosuisse – the Swiss Innovation Agency.  She is the founder of several flagship programs at EPFl Innovation Park (Tech4Growth, Tech4Eva, Tech4trust etc.) in partnership with large corporates. She is the Program Chair of the current conference.

Prior to the current position, Lan worked in the watch and banking industries in various leadership positions and developed expertise in R&D, business development, operational controls, and in general management She was instrumental in setting up swissnex China, Geneva Creativity Center and other innovation entities. She has a Ph.D. from EPFL and Postdoc experience at Stanford University

  

Luiggino Torrigiani

Head of Marketing & Partnerships, Insolight

Luiggino is responsible for Marketing and Partnerships at Insolight. He brings extensive international management and entrepreneurship experience. He designed innovative marketing strategies and signed and implemented major sponsorship deals.
He co-founded Solar Impulse SA, “Flying around the world with a solar airplane”, as Director and Board member, developing successful marketing, communication, and partnership programs.
He worked at Caterpillar and Logitech, then in two Sport International Federations (UCI and FIVB) as Marketing Director, becoming a recognized sports marketing expert. He co-founded, consulted and managed various innovative companies. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering (EPFL), Business Administration (HEC UNIL) and Sports Management (IDHEAP).

Nicolas Loeillot

Expert, Innosuisse

Nicolas Loeillot is a seasoned technology entrepreneur. He has over two decades of experience in the field of computer vision, machine learning, technology innovation and international company management. 

Back in 2003, after a career in companies like Accenture, Nortel or Gartner, he founded a computer vision company in Tokyo that provided A.I. applications to large companies across Asia, the US, and Japan. His company was eventually acquired by Amazon AWS in 2017.

In 2018, he joined the Swiss health insurer Groupe Mutuel as their Chief Innovation Officer. In this role, he formulated an innovation strategy, accelerated the use of Artificial Intelligence in the company, and developed a data-driven approach to preventive healthcare while opening the company to partners like EPFL thru programs like Tech4Growth.

He has joined CSS in 2022 to help supporting the adoption of digital health in Western Switzerland. 

Since 2021, Nicolas Loeillot contributes to InnoSuisse as an Expert in the domains of Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence.

Olivier Chappuis

Innovation Lab Manager

Olivier Chappuis manages the maxon innovation Lab at the EPFL Innovation Park. The objective is to interface and collaborate with the EPFL research labs, startups and the whole rich ecosystem of the EPFL Innovation Park and beyond.

Olivier has 20+ years of experience in business development and sales of high-tech B2B products on international markets. He is passionate about open innovation and management of innovation.

He holds a Master in Microtechnology from EPFL and an Exec. MBA from HEC – Lausanne University.

Patrick Thévoz

CEO & Co-Founder, Flyability

Patrick Thévoz is the Co-Founder and CEO of Flyability, the pioneer and market leader in indoor drones for professional use, devices designed to enhance efficiency while also improving the safety of workers when carrying out inspections on industrial sites. The company’s vision is simple: no more humans doing dangerous jobs. Under Patrick’s management, Flyability has grown from a staff of two to over 130 on three continents and has acquired in excess of 1’000 clients. Among a dozen international awards, Patrick was recognized as the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year in Switzerland by EY in 2019. Prior to founding Flyability, Patrick Thévoz, a biomedical engineer by training, was a strategy consultant specializing in the launch of products for the life sciences sector.

Raphaël Conz

Managing Director (SPEI), State of Vaud

Raphaël Conz, after studying business administration at the University of Neuchâtel, began his career as a marketing specialist at the Federal Office for Agriculture. He then joined FELCO SA, where he held various marketing and sales positions, including involvement in the launch of an Australian subsidiary. In 2002, he joined the Vaud Economic Development Agency as a project manager, eventually becoming the head of a unit focused on supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry. He also served as deputy director for an organization responsible for attracting foreign companies in French-speaking Switzerland. Mr. Conz, with a DAS in entrepreneurship and business development, briefly assumed the position of head of the Department for the Promotion of the Economy and Innovation in 2018. Additionally, he represents the State of Vaud in various entities within the Vaud economic promotion network. Recently, the State Council of the Canton of Vaud appointed Raphaël Conz as the Head of the Department for the Promotion of the Economy and Innovation, effective from April 1, 2023.

Raphael Rollier

Head of Innovation & Product Management, Swisstopo

Raphael Rollier develops and promotes digital innovation and transformation. He is currently in charge of Innovation and Product Management at swisstopo, working on topics such as geolocalisation and data science in the field of geoinformation. Previously, in co-creation with several cities, he created a “Smart Data” tool, which turns billions of data generated by the mobile phone network into anonymized and aggregated traffic indicators. Raphael has 13 years of international marketing&sales and general management experience, having worked for Nokia. Member of the Venture Kick jury, Raphael has developed a mentoring program for start-ups at the EPFL, where he obtained a master’s in micro engineering. He also writes about the digital economy at LeTemps.

Torsten Butz

Head Corporate Development, CSS

Torsten Butz leads the Corporate Innovation, Investment, and M&A activities of CSS Insurance, the leading Health Insurance in Switzerland. In this role, he is responsible for major innovation initiatives, such as the “CSS Health Lab” with ETHZ and the University of St. Gallen, the “Swiss HealthVentures,” a CHF 50 Mio. A corporate venture fund for investments in digital health startups, or the “Future of Health Grant”, is an initiative to support early-stage startups which have started in September 2022 in collaboration with the “EPFL Innovation Park.”

Prior to joining CSS, Torsten worked at Cisco Systems and Mobiliar Insurance in the fields of Corporate Innovation, Technology Management, and Strategy.

Torsten graduated in Physics at EPFL in 2000. He also holds a Ph.D. in signal processing and an MBA in “Management of Technology,” both from EPFL.

Uliana Shchelgacheva

Co-Founder, Longevity Hub

Uliana Shchelgacheva is the CEO and Co-Founder of Longevity Hub, a startup developing a digital companion that will support and develop healthy lifestyles among people 50+. Uliana’s professional experience spans 5 countries, in such companies as KPMG, Parker Hannifin, Switzerland – Global Enterprise, primarily focusing on corporate finance and business development. In recent years Uliana has been actively supporting startup teams and executives as a coach, including experiences as a judge and mentor in Mass Challenge, in Lausanne.

Uliana holds a Master’s degree in Behavioral Science from the London School of Economics, and she is also a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA), and a certified coach (ICF).

Veronica Lange

Head of UBS Next Connect

Experienced manager with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services and electronics industry. Strong business development skills in Innovation Management, Digital Strategy, Payments, Customer Experience, and Financial Services Ecosystem – with a passion for digital assets, new emerging tech, and sustainability.

Yin Yan

Executive Director, UBS Next

Yin is a senior investor with UBS Next, the innovation and venture unit of UBS. Based out of Zurich, she is focused on making strategic investments in fintech and tech companies. She has over 12 years of experience in VC and tech M&A. Yin holds an MBA from INSEAD and an MA from Cambridge University.

TESTIMONIALS

“I was thrilled to join the #Tech4Growth Energy workshop recently with my colleagues Anna Contaxaki and Andreea LAPLACE. The event gathered together a fantastic range of energy sector participants —from tech start-up founders to corporate senior executives and university academics. I was delighted to share our learnings and best practices from the acquisition and integration of Green Motion’s #ElectricVehicle charging business with this diverse group.”

François Randin, Energy

Former CEO & Founder, Green Motion

“The Tech4Growth Finance conference stood out with a focus on hands-on discussion. I very much liked the openness and interest in what needs to be addressed to make startup-corporate collaboration work. Really enjoyed the format, openness, and discussions!”   

Marc Hauser, Finance

Head of Europe, F10 accelerator

I really enjoyed having invested – not spent – 6 hours of my time in person at EPFL Bois Chamblard Buchillon premises. The plenary session followed with informal small break-out workshops contributed to fruitful interactions and qualitative networking between attendees. I will certainly attend the next Tech4Growth Industry 4.0 as well as recommend it to Innovative-thinking peers. Innovative Sustainable Resilience we built!                                                       

Jean-Luc Bazin, Industry 4.0

CEO, Head of Technology Scouting, Swatch Group

“The workshops highlight the problem we have today with collaborating with start-ups as a corporate. The session allowed me to exchange with a lot of start-ups and other corporates, reminding me that we need to do more for the community and collaboration.”
Rana Lonnen, Health

Managing Director, dRx Capital @Novartis

PARTNERS

Host & Economic Development Partner

Head of Venture Engagement (CTO office), Logitech

Ecosystem Partners

Head of Venture Engagement (CTO office), Logitech
Head of Venture Engagement (CTO office), Logitech
Head of Venture Engagement (CTO office), Logitech

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

Lan Zuo Gillet

Deputy managing Director EPFL Innovation Park

Program Chair

Simone Theiss

EPFL Innovation Park

Program Manager

POWERED BY

Head of Venture Engagement (CTO office), Logitech
Head of Venture Engagement (CTO office), Logitech
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