Innovation by Collaboration between Startups and SMEs in Switzerland

Abstract

Open innovation is key to the success of many companies. It is based on the intelligent use of all possible resources, including collaborations with parties outside the firm. Although it is well known that large companies foster and use startups as experiments in their innovation process, little is known about similar activities with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim of this article is to report the results of research done in Switzerland on startups and SMEs. It reveals that most startups know that they must co-operate with other companies from the very beginning of their existence, and that both sides have difficulties in performing a systematic search for possible partners. Hence, to encourage the collaborative development of innovative solutions, we propose building bridges between startups and SMEs, making the identification of possible users of new technologies (SMEs) more accessible to startups, as well as making startups more identifiable by SMEs.