Basel, 31 October 2023. Switzerland has a thriving start-up culture in which the entrepreneurial spirit burns bright, despite all the economic challenges. Nevertheless, it is still essential to have strong partners that can help fledgling businesses to achieve long-term success. Against this backdrop, Baloise teamed up with Fasoon and Statista to analyse Switzerland's start-up scene. We are also organising a meet & greet event that will provide the chance to chat and share experiences with the entrepreneurs behind the three established Swiss start-ups NIKIN, MyCamper and Meraki Hairdesign.

Switzerland is one of the leading European players in terms of company start-ups, with 13.3 per cent of people in work running their own business. A total of 50,015 firms were founded in Switzerland in 2022, which corresponds to around 137 start-ups per day and an average of just under six firms per 1,000 residents. At the end of last year, Switzerland recorded a 12.6 per cent increase in the number of businesses started up compared with the average for the past ten years. However, just 49 per cent of the companies established in 2013 were still in existence five years later. Why do only around half of start-ups survive in the long term?

The establishment of a company calls for expertise, a compelling product or service and a huge amount of commitment. Choosing the right insurance policies and drawing up a solid business plan are also crucial. Many company founders underestimate the costs and time involved in starting a business, with almost a third of them worrying about order levels and revenue during the initial start-up process.

To eliminate these challenges and ensure entrepreneurs are optimally prepared for running their own company, Baloise joined forces with the start-up portal Fasoon and the statistics specialist Statista to produce a free white paper (in German) that provides a comprehensive overview of the Swiss start-up scene. "Working with our long-standing partner Fasoon, we are very keen to encourage entrepreneurial spirit in Switzerland and offer full support to people starting a company. Our initiatives are designed to help entrepreneurs with day-to-day business, particularly when they are first setting out," says Marketing Manager Alexandra Toscanelli, a member of the agile SME team and in charge of the campaign.

Online meet & greet event with the founders of NIKIN, MyCamper and Meraki Hairdesign

In November 2023, Baloise and Fasoon will also be providing a one-off opportunity to chat with the founders of the three successful Swiss companies NIKIN, MyCamper and Meraki Hairdesign. This exclusive meet & greet event is a chance for budding entrepreneurs to gain invaluable insights and advice from established firms and to ask any questions they may have about running a business. The online event will be held on YouTube Live and LinkedIn Live (in German) on Thursday, 16 November 2023 from 12.15pm to 1.00pm. All the details are available here (in German): www.baloise.ch/live-meet-and-greet

Contact
Baloise, Aeschengraben 21, CH-4002 Basel
Website: www.baloise.com
E-Mail: media.relations@baloise.com / investor.relations@baloise.com
Media Relations: Tel: +41 58 285 70 53
Investor Relations: Tel: +41 58 285 81 81

About Baloise

The focus is firmly on the future at Baloise. We aim to make tomorrow more straightforward, safer and more carefree for our customers, and we are taking responsibility for this today. Baloise is more than just a traditional insurance company. Through our smart finance and insurance solutions, complemented by a whole host of innovative offerings for the home and personal transport, we offer a complete service package. Dependable support, reliable cooperation and trust-based relationships are key aspects of our stakeholder interaction. We take care of financial matters so that our customers can concentrate on the important things in their lives and can find inspiration in the everyday. Baloise, a European company founded in 1863, currently employs 8,000 people at its headquarters in Basel (Switzerland) and across its subsidiaries in Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. Our services generated a business volume of around CHF 8.8 billion in 2022. Baloise Holding Ltd shares (BALN) are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.