Our reflections on last year
Dear Reader,
As we reflect on the past year, we are pleased to see how much we achieved in 2024 despite having to do so against the backdrop of what turned out to be a quite challenging economic environment.
For example, the fact that we were able to attract a comparable number of company settlements to the region as in the previous year is a testament to the outstanding work of our team and the invaluable support of our cantonal partners. Notably, the arrival of companies such as UK Robotics and Moth Quantum underscores that our success extends beyond our traditional strength in the life sciences, helping us to be best prepared for an ever-changing business environment.
The Basel Area ecosystem continues to evolve away from historically being dominated by global pharma and chemical corporations. A clear sign of evolution in this regard has been the significant investment secured by the founders and companies we support. In 2024, these companies collectively raised nearly half a billion Swiss francs—an exceptional achievement, particularly considering that many of them are still in the early stages of development. This investment will help drive further innovation and job creation in our region, reinforcing our position as a leading Swiss hub for entrepreneurship and growth.
The Swiss Venture Capital Report 2025, published last month, confirmed what we’ve known all along: the Basel Area is leading the charge in Swiss biotech innovation. In this specific sector, our region raised CHF337.5m in investments, more than double its pre-pandemic level. What is particularly pleasing for us is that our BaseLaunch venture builder, together with organizations like TechPark Basel, the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area and all the other innovation infrastructure in the region, are proving to be key drivers of growth, supporting many of the area’s top biotech startups.
Last year, we initiated a review of our entrepreneurship and innovation promotion activities that will allow us to have even more impact in the region in coming years. While we did see a reduction in the number of company foundations that we were able to support last year, we are pleased to report that the quality of our services remained high, and we increased the number of innovation promotion consultations that we delivered. This shows the increasing interest that founders and entrepreneurs in the region have in getting guidance on how to move forward with their innovative ideas. We are grateful for the adaptability and dedication of our team, ensuring that startups and SMEs continue to receive valuable guidance.
Bringing people together is at the heart of what we do, and our events play a crucial role in strengthening the Basel Area ecosystem. Last year, we facilitated interactions among more than 5,000 people, fostering many new connections and collaborations. Events like these don’t just happen by themselves—they require detailed planning and strategic coordination, and we are proud to have played a key role in enabling these vital exchanges.
There were many highlights throughout 2024 – the following stand out for us. In Basel-Land, the announcement that the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering will be housed in the ALL building on Main Campus marked a significant milestone, with the groundbreaking ceremony for ALL taking place in October. In Basel-Stadt, we celebrated the expansion of our coworking space on Novartis Campus, to accommodate the next wave of healthtech startups. And in Jura, our flagship Medtech Congress was a resounding success, drawing praise from participants and stakeholders alike.
Looking ahead, we recognize that 2025 will bring further economic challenges. However, we are confident in the region’s ability to continue to adapt and grow, and our collective ability to navigate these uncertainties successfully.
Our continued evolution as an organization has positioned us well to take on the challenges ahead. A testament to our new strategic approach is the recognition we recently received in the FDI Intelligence European Cities and Regions of the Future 2025 report, where we secured the #1 ranking among Small Cities in the Foreign Direct Investment Strategy category.
Part of our forward-looking strategy is to build upon the region’s existing strengths in the life sciences while expanding into complementary sectors such as ICT. We look forward to sharing more details on this in the coming months as we continue to enhance the region’s competitive edge.
As we come to the end of our reflections, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who contributed to our success in 2024—our dedicated employees, funding partners, portfolio companies, network of experts, and the broader Basel Area community. Your commitment and collaboration have been instrumental in driving progress.
Here’s to another year of innovation and success in 2025.
Yours sincerely,
