swissnex San Francisco | Annual Report 2013

2013 Initiative of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI Annex of the Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco Outposts in Bangalore, Boston, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Shanghai, and Singapore

2013

swissnex San Francisco Annual Report

2013 was big. Come in and explore the highlights with us.

ta b l e o f c o n t e n t s

2 3

foreword

2013 by the numbers

4

mandates & initiatives

5

swiss game design

The Book Lab (Oct).

6

green cities

visiting startups

7

study tours & delegations, residents

8

visions of the future

10 14 11 15 12

financials

events

Read the annual report online at SW I S S N E X S F.OR G /AN N UAL R E P ORT

now trending

partners & sponsors, media mentions

13 16 people

outlook

/ 1

foreword

The swissnex San Francisco network is imagining the future and helping to create it.

In honor of our 10th anniversary in 2013, we looked ahead to the next decade with programming and interactive projects that envisioned the world that will be.

c h ri st i an si m m — Founder and CEO, swissnex San Francisco

Our work paved the way for Swiss game designers to flourish in the years to come (Page 5). By bringing experts from Switzerland and North America together to share lessons and best practices for green roofs and urban gardening, we help shape the sustainable cities of tomorrow (Page 10).

The Book Lab exhibit explored reading and writing in the digital age. And we encouraged cities to open their data for community problem solving through the Urban Data Challenge (Page 11).

Projects like the transmedia competition STORY2023, myfuturevision.org, and Tales of the Future (Page 8) truly showcased the bright ideas and visionary thinking within our network. So here’s to the future— keep creating and keep dreaming! swissnexsf.org

/ 2

2013 by the numbers contacts in network

23,849

youtube subscribers

swissnex residents

time spent watching our youtube videos to date

1,536 33 days, 12 hours (48,274 minutes)

swiss universities served

100% business trips

32

30 + 423 new subscribers to newsletters

study tours & delegations

18

(~88/month)

meters of yarn in “tales of the future� anniversary celebration labyrinth

23% from Switzerland views on busiest day

November 5 / 1,593

51%

49%

outside venues

at swissnex SF

115 attendees to our exhibits, conferences, and panels

53,639 veggies grown in lobby

200

mostly > lettuce

hours artist grrrr spent painting the event space

Followers gained: 1,066

401 134 (total)

(from Switzerland)

2,400 243

fifty

(made into a 2 min, 7 sec time-lapse video)

visitors to website

partners & sponsors

71,042 total

espressos consumed

four thousand eight hundred

views of blog, nextrends

30,500

event speakers

Retweets: 1,133

visiting startups

events

interns

new fora.tv videos

twitter Followers: 4,100

12

14

staff

swissnex sf alumni

153

notable press mentions

169

mandates and initiatives

sixteen web traffic from social media

15%

13,417

19% increase over 2012

from mobile devices

website visits from switzerland

iOS

29,000

Other

Android

70% 27% 3%

And within iOS: iPhone iPad Other

46% 23% 31% / 3

16

m a n dat e s & i n i t i at i v e s

> Canton

Special projects and service agreements signed with outside partners in 2013.

of Vaud Support internationalization efforts of the Swiss canton’s educational institutions and collaborators, and facilitate partnerships with West Coast universities.

CTI Start-up Share Silicon Valley entrepreneurial expertise, accelerate privileged access to a broad network of contacts, and provide a home base for startups. >

Digital Campus Enable Swiss higher education to leverage new technologies for the benefits of their institutions and students. >

EPFL ** Conduct university outreach, promotion, and media relations in North America on behalf of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). >

ETH Zurich Support West Coast programming for the delegations from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) and promote the university on the West Coast. >

Gebert Rüf Stiftung: Market Entry Camp USA ** Assist Swiss startups in the accelerator program. >

** two separate mandates for both EPFL and Gebert Rüf Stiftung *** three separate mandates for ZHAW

/ 4

Eduardo Coutinho, of the NCCR Affective Sciences at the University of Geneva, interacts with the crowd at Feel the Music: NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences (May).

HWZ – Silicon Valley Innovation Provide a comprehensive perspective on innovation, entrepreneurship, and communication in the San Francisco Bay Area for graduates of the Social Media Management diploma of the University of Applied Science in Business Administration Zurich (HWZ). >

Logrr – Startup Booster Coaching, connecting, and facilitating the startup; assistance gaining market feedback. >

>

Pro Helvetia

Develop a presence on the West Coast of North America for cuttingedge Swiss artists and projects fusing art and technology.

>

UNIGE

Support internationalization efforts and facilitate partnerships with West Coast universities for the University of Geneva (UNIGE). >

UZH

Support alumni network efforts, host occasional interns and sabbaticals, receive delegations, and contribute to University of Zurich (UZH) visibility and internationalization in the US. >

ZHAW ***

Receive delegations from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and support research on teaching, nursing and midwifery, and the future of leadership.

swiss game design

“Attendance [at GDC] not only helps give the Swiss games community a voice in our industry, but it helps them get better connected, drive important deals, get strong partnerships, and push Swiss

In March, swissnex collaborated with partners including Pro Helvetia the Swiss Arts Council to grow Swiss game design through a bold presence at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. Students from Switzerland (HEAD, ZHdK) and the UCLA Game Lab showed off projects in our Game Gazer exhibit and later at the Hammer Museum and MOCA in Los Angeles, and then in India, while up-and-coming studios pitched to industry insiders, scored publishing deals, and expanded their US base.

product into the mainstream on a much larger scale.” chris bergstresser

— Executive Vice President & Commercial Director, Miniclip Switzerland and San Francisco

/ 5

v i s i t i n g s ta r t u p s

CTI Market Entry Camp USA Participants

Flatev

Carlos Ruiz Sebastien Kulling MAY–JUN, OCT

Atizo

Christian Hirsig Bettina Hirsig AUG

Faceshift

Brian Amberg Doug Griffin SEP–JUN (‘14)

KNIME

Michael Berthold Rosaria Silipo SEP

Bay 31 Cris Merritt FEB, SEP, OCT

12 4

Camp Alumni

Scandit Samuel Mueller

Koemei Temitope Ola

Dacuda Alexander Ilic

Kaywa

Roger Fischer Charlotte Gubler

2 Other Startup Visitors

Logrr Julien Denaes Benjamin Soulier

Pandora Underwater qipp Equipment Claudio Büttler Christopher Webb /6

>

JAN & SEP

Swiss startups officially participated in our services, including our market entry and market validation programs in partnership with the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI). Many more took part in our September startup roadshow and ongoing webinar series.

“I had a list of what I wanted and swissnex made it happen.

I was able to get out and meet people from day one; it would have taken me much longer on my own. Staying here was like a mind shift. It reinforced that you can get your idea out and then test it. You don’t have to wait until it is perfect.

We know that’s the model for lean startups, but it is good to see that’s how others really do it.” claudio büttler — CMO, qipp (Switzerland)

residents

YEAR-ROUND

APR – JUL

JUL

Jillian Ochs

Simonetta Zysset

Greater Zurich Area

ETH Zurich

SEP (‘12) – JUN

MAY– AUG

Carole Varone UNIGE

Alessandro Vanini Paradox Engineering

Sarah Preiswerk

ETH Zurich

s t u dy t o u r s & d e l e g at i o n s MAR

JUN

HWZ Social Media Study Tour

Corine Mauch

APR

RadioTélévision Suisse

François Jeannet US correspondent connects with technology companies on the West Coast.

JUL

ZHAW

Daniela Eberhardt Meet and interview leaders of tomorrow in the Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area.

APR & OCT

AUG

HSLU

Swiss Post

Twice yearly Silicon Valley study tour on entrepreneurship.

MAY

Corporate Innovation team members and prize-winners of innovation competition explore Silicon Valley.

EHL

AUG

Investigate accelerator and incubator best practices.

JUN

Swiss Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) Explore what the network will look like in five to 10 years.

JUN

EHL Discover food innovation, online education, green hospitality trends, and more.

ZHAW

Morgan Powell Research academic writing centers at Bay Area schools including Stanford, UC Davis, and USF. SEP

Digital Campus Social media immersion for participating members of Digital Campus program for Swiss academia.

SEP

>

Silicon Valley immersion to see how organizations leverage social media and discover media trends.

Mayor of Zurich and delegation Celebrate 10 years of the San Francisco Zurich sister city relationship and speak at Open Health event with the Life Science Zurich Business Network.

BCV Silicon Valley Startup Camp Eleven winners of a BCV competition for young entrepreneurs come to Silicon Valley to explore the local spirit and learn to pitch a bright idea.

SEP

ZHAW

OCT

Science-et-Cité

Pia Viviani Looking at science communication trends in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Nursing delegation

OCT

Dialog with UCSF School of Nursing on topics of nursing and midwifery to establish an exchange between the schools.

Pro Helvetia, Passages

OCT

Michael2023 Winners of the Story2023 transmedia competition explore entrepreneurship and storytelling in the Silicon Valley.

Janine Messerli Cover events around the topic of transmedia and Futures of the Book.

NOV

ZHAW

Emanuel Feusi and Marion Huber Meet with the UCSF School of Nursing and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis Health Systems in Sacramento.

/7

visions of the future

In the fall, we turned Not the kind of organization to rest on our laurels, we challenged ourselves and our network to look ahead—not back—to imagine the future in 10 years. > STORY2023

> myfuturevision.org

We developed and ran the first-ever transmedia competition for students of Swiss higher education. Tasked with telling a cross-platform story set in the year 2023, winners were announced in September at X Media Lab in Switzerland. In October, the victorious Michael2023 team traveled to San Francisco for their prize: a Silicon Valley study tour on entrepreneurship and storytelling.

— story2023.com

We invited everyone in our network to share their vision of the world in 2023 through our interactive website, myfuturevision.org, created to mark our anniversary. So far, over 350 people imagined the future with us, join them!

— myfuturevision.org

/ 8

> Tales

of the Future Our public anniversary celebration in December brought visitors a night of futuristic stories. Swiss artist Grrrr questioned tomorrow’s San Francisco with a live painting while video art questioned time itself.

Guests journeyed through a labyrinth accompanied by the voices of Swiss and American writers. In the video booth, dreamers and visionaries shared bright ideas and grand hopes for the world that will be.

— swissnexsf.org/10years

“Ten years ago I had the great privilege of attending the opening of swissnex. After 10 years, I am back but I don’t fully recognize it. I see this young generation full of projects, full of dynamism, ahead of the times, enthusiastic about the future. I’m very proud of the success of swissnex. It’s essential for the image of Switzerland but also for our collaboration with the world and with this region.”

Presenting STORY2023 at Festival Tous Ecrans in Geneva, Switzerland (Nov).

y v es oltra m a re

Tales of the Future story labyrinth (Dec).

— Chairman, Y. & I. Oltramare Foundation, Founding Donor of swissnex San Francisco, Geneva, Switzerland

A guest listens to visions of the future at our anniversary party (Dec). swissnexsf.org/10years

Top prize for STORY2023’s winning team, Michael2023, is a Silicon Valley study tour (Oct/Nov).

/ 9

green cities

jeff josli n

— Director of Current Planning,San Francisco Planning Department, Green Roof Study Tour Participant

VEG and the City at NightLife (Oct).

/ 10

In 2013, we helped grow seeds for tomorrow’s green cities. We nurtured discussions on green roof policy that led to a study tour of Swiss green roofs and a task force in San Francisco aimed at greening the cityscape. We turned our parking space into a temporary urban garden and brought urban agriculture and green roof experts from Switzerland to the Cities Alive Conference and NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences.

“One of the major revelations for me on this trip was discovering just how evolved and expansive green roof programs are in Switzerland…

San Francisco is envisioning the future we want for the city in the next 10 –100 years. Sustainability is a cornerstone of that. This relates rather directly to the kind of exchanges that swissnex provides.”

115

events

Events in 2013 gained visibility for Swiss innovators and ideas. From solar airplanes to sustainable 3D printing to the future of the book. From data visualization of city data to an omnidirectional spherical blimp, our programs engaged audiences, drove conversations, and connected Switzerland and North America.

The Book Lab / October

Sustainable 3D Printing / May Climate Change and Us: What Does the Future Hold? / December

“swissnex does it again. Opening our eyes to innovation.

Merci et Danke.” christopher g. boyd — Assistant Research Specialist II at UCSF Medical Center

Swiss Alumni and Solar Impulse at NASA / April

Project Skye at the Bay Area Science Festival, Nerd Nite SF / October Feel the Music: NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences / May

Urban Data Challenge Awards / April / 11

now trending

EPFL Innovation Park @SciencePark_ch/

Want to understand #Bitcoin?

Read this post by swissnex San Francisco :-) http://fb.me/1AlBgQohM #nextrends Oct 22 2013

In an effort to better serve our Swiss stakeholders and report trends and insights from the American West, swissnex San Francisco staff and trusted guest authors wrote 33 new posts for our blog, nextrends, in 2013. Topics ranged from mobile payments to wearable technology to the rise of food entrepreneurs; green hospitality to Big Data to robots in the workforce. ne xtre nds .org

Last year, 9,577 visits (23% of traffic) to nextrends came from Switzerland— triple the number in 2012.

/ 12

In 2013, we also contributed to top Swiss news outlets including Bilan, Le Temps, and Bilanz, and became a regular correspondent to the RTS show nouvo with original reporting from our vantage point in the center of the innovation landscape. nouvo.ch

people

People are curious to learn about the team. The People page on our website was viewed 9,791 times.

PERMANENT STAFF

Christian Simm

Melanie Picard

CEO

Project Manager, University Affairs

Birgit Coleman

Florencia Prada

Connections Explorer

Head of Digital Marketing

Aurélie Coulon

Emina Reissinger

Head of Science Programs

Project Manager

Gioia Deucher

Ilona Tschopp

Head of Startup Services

Facilities & Operations Manager

Cyril Dorsaz

Megan Williams

Senior Project Manager, Startup Services

Head of Communications

Laura Erickson

INTERNS & TEMPORARY STAFF

Associate Director, Head of Finance & Operations

Sina Blassnig

Mary Ellyn Johnson

Junior Communications Manager

Public Programs Manager

Martin Hemmi

Julia Kuhn Mirza

Junior Project Manager

Senior Communications Manager

Fanny Honegger

Sophie Lamparter

Junior Communications Manager

Manon Mouron Junior Project Manager

“I have been incredibly lucky to work in one of the most dynamic and inspirational places, with some of the most interesting, smart and driven people — within and outside of swissnex.

With every encounter, every project, every event and every startup that came through our door I learned and grew. I thank you for that.”

Andrea Muller Project Manager

Julien Perrochet Junior Telegrapher

Amanda Prorok Project Manager

Johann Recordon Junior Project Manager

Claudia Wilopo Junior Project Manager

GIOIA DEUCHER CEO, swissnex Brazil — In August, Gioia left swissnex San Francisco to lead the brand new swissnex Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. We miss you, Gioia, and we are so proud!

Head of Public Programs

/ 13

financials

2013 Total Budget Cost-Sharing 0.003%

Activities 2013: 3rd Party vs. SERI Projects

SERI Projects 9%

Mandates 26%

SERI Combined Operating 28%

Event Partners 26%

General Third Party 11%

$236,841

SERI Projects

SERI Combined Operating

$756,391

Third Party Cash

General Third Party

$288,176

Third Party In-Kind

Event Partners

$721,902

Mandates

$707,105

T O TA L

$9,000 $2,719,415

SERI Projects 12%

Third Party Cash 66%

SERI Projects

Cost-sharing

/ 14

Third Party In-Kind 22%

$236,841 $1,294,442 $431,740

pa r t n e r s & s p o n s o r s Swiss Federal Office for Building & Logistics (BBL)

Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)

Gebert Rüf Foundation

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich)

Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia

City of Zurich

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration Zurich (HWZ)

Presence Switzerland (PRS) and the ThinkSwiss Program

Swiss Federal Communications Commission (ComCom)

University of Geneva (UNIGE)

243

— View the full list of 243 impressive partners: swissnexsf.org/ 2013partners

Beth Rogozinski, Founder of TransmediaSF, at the opening of The Book Lab: Books of the Future (Oct).

169

media mentions

There were 169 media mentions of swissnex SF in 2013. Here are a select few:

24 heures 20 Minuten Bilan Corriere del Ticino Forbes Le Matin Dimanche Le Temps Mental Floss

Pacific Horticulture San Francisco Examiner SonntagsZeitung Tages-Anzeiger Tested Time Out Tribune de Genève

“Thanks for being a great partner to work with! Truly a strong night with excellent science content and lots of fun.You’re so organized and professional—it makes our jobs easy!” peter arko & meg na p oli — NightLife organizers, California Academy of Sciences

/ 15

outlook

Meaningful, user-centric, actionable, online.

Alongside our mission of connecting Switzerland and North America in science, education, art, and innovation, we promise to keep these words as guiding principles in 2014.

Just one example is the Urban Data Challenge, an international and online data visualization competition that continues in 2014 with more cities participating—this time providing real-time data. Honoring our promise, the project includes a public installation called the Urban Data Canvas on San Francisco’s Market Street that will engage, educate, inspire, and even travel. urbandatachallenge.org Look out for big changes to our online presence in 2014, with many more entry points and ways to interact with our projects, our people, and each other.

Our bonds with Swiss higher education and Switzerland’s innovative startups grow ever stronger, our programming ever more on trend with what our stakeholders care about. Our roots in the community on the West Coast grow deeper with time, bringing meaning and value both here and in Switzerland.

We look forward to growing with you this year and in the years to come.

/ 16

swissnex san francisco 730 montgomery street san francisco, ca, 94111 – swissnexsf.org

swissnex San Francisco 730 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA t: (415) 912-5901 f: (415) 912-5905 swissnexsf.org