ETH Zurich has continuously expanded its spin-off commitment. 500 such spin-offs have been created here since 1996. Last year alone, 30 new companies were founded by researchers from the Federal Institute of Technology – more than ever before.
Universities and colleges have long since ceased to want to teach and conduct research only, but also to make a direct contribution to social and economic progress. One way they do this is by encouraging and supporting start-ups by their relatives.
An analysis by the University of St. Gallen now also confirms that these companies have an above-average success rate compared with other Swiss start-ups. As the ETH announced on the occasion of the publication of this quota, its companies are strengthening the Swiss economy and innovative strength. The University examined the performance of a selected group of ETH Zurich spin-offs in 2018, assessing their performance and economic added value. On average, an ETH Zurich company generates over 30 jobs, more than twice the average number of Swiss start-ups, according to ETH Zurich. The figure is also significantly higher than in 2008, when an ETH Zurich spin-off only created around 7 jobs on average.
The group of a good third of the ETH companies investigated generated annual sales of CHF 900 million in 2017. Their corporate values amounted to almost 5 billion francs. Extrapolated to all ETH spin-offs, this value should be around 10 billion francs, according to the press release. The average return on investment, known as the “money multiple”, was 3.6, making them an attractive investment option. ETH Zurich spin-offs are also sold or taken over more often than other Swiss start-ups. Around 10 percent of all spin-offs had a so-called exit at the time of the survey, most of them through a takeover. Furthermore, 93 percent survive the first five years, which means they are more likely to survive than other start-ups.