“We can keep up with the best”
Blog
6/10/2025
More than 1300 Swiss companies carry a label from swiss made software - including Finstar. Thomas Brenzikofer, Managing Partner of swiss made software GmbH, explains what the labels, the domestic software industry and the Swiss Software Festival are all about.
Mr. Brenzikofer, tell us something about the history of the swiss made software label.
The label was initiated by Luc Haldimann over 13 years ago. As editor-in-chief of Netzwoche at the time, I supported the initiative. After I left the trade magazine for the ICT sector, we founded the company together with Christian Walter, who has driven the label and the platform forward as Managing Director. We now have over 1,300 label holders - and the number is growing almost daily.
Do these figures reflect the development of the Swiss software industry?
Yes, the Swiss software industry has grown considerably in recent decades and has gained in importance. Nevertheless, the general public is still not very aware that we have a very lively and differentiated domestic software industry in Switzerland, which is important for our country. The public almost reflexively associates the topic of software with Silicon Valley. Yet the Swiss software industry can absolutely keep up with the best in the world in terms of training, talent and innovation.
“We are missing the lighthouses”
What is the reason that Switzerland has not produced an internationally significant software company....
This also has to do with the fact that Swiss software companies were sold abroad as soon as they reached a certain size. So far, there has been a lack of willingness in this country to make truly massive investments in growth. This is in contrast to Silicon Valley, where billions rather than millions are invested.
What is the impact of the absence of really big IT companies?
Switzerland lacks lighthouses, but we have a very diverse and extremely robust software landscape, consisting of a wide variety of mostly very specialized, smaller providers. And new ones are constantly being added, which probably also has to do with the fact that the barriers to developing and distributing innovative digital technologies are becoming lower. This offers enormous opportunities for the development of the Swiss software ecosystem.
Heidi and high-tech
What does Swissness mean to you in general and in relation to software in particular?
For me, there is the folkloristic Heidi Switzerland and the high-tech, innovative business location - I associate this with Swissness. We are not world innovation champions by chance. Our main asset is the breadth of our education. But our universities, above all the two Federal Institutes of Technology, are also consistently top performers. However, we have historically been less good at turning technical inventions into marketable products, especially in the field of IT. We have left this business to the USA. But I think we are now at a turning point and the pendulum is swinging in the other direction.
And what are the criteria for being awarded the swiss made software label?
The Swiss Made label is protected by the federal government. We apply this requirement to software production. This means that sixty percent of the costs for development and further development must be incurred in Switzerland. It is therefore not enough for the company to be based in Switzerland.
To what extent do companies benefit from the label?
Swiss Made is particularly important abroad as a designation of origin. Swiss products are not flashy, they are functional, practical and reliable. Many companies stand by these characteristics and wear the label with a certain amount of pride.
“Digital sovereignty is key”
One of the first terms on www.swissmadesoftware.ch is digital sovereignty...
Sovereignty means self-determination - acting freely is an aspiration of the modern age. This applies to individuals, companies and states alike. This sovereignty is often permanently impaired by the way in which digital technology is distributed and used. This creates dependencies that severely restrict market forces and can also call the integrity of the individual into question. For example, if I lose control of my data. In our view, a strong domestic software industry is the best guarantee of sovereignty, i.e. self-determination, even in the digital age.
Does Swissness still play a role at all in times of globalization?
Several examples show that Switzerland has a certain attraction for talent, whether in terms of universities or national or international companies. Switzerland has developed into a hub with its own identity. I have noticed that the world wants alternative solutions, especially when it comes to core technologies such as the handling of data and the ethical application of artificial intelligence.
“The event for the Swiss software industry”
What's next for the label?
Based on our platform with over 1300 label holders and almost 1000 registered software solutions, we are launching the Swiss Software Festival. It will take place on June 24, 2025 in Basel. We want to bring Swiss software intelligence and digitalization professionals together in one place for one day. In this way, we want to offer the Swiss software industry a platform for professional exchange. At the Swiss Software Festival, providers and users should learn from each other and explore collaborations. It is also about a showcase: At the Swiss Software Festival, visitors can find out who can do what and with whom they can network for which project. In the medium term, the aim is to create a globally oriented showcase for all those interested in Switzerland as a software hub.
How do you see the future of the Swiss software industry?
I am confident. It remains a vibrant industry. Companies are being sold and new ones founded. I think the Swiss software ecosystem has reached the famous tipping point. Collaborations, alliances and sensible mergers are likely to create a lot more in the near future. We are working on this with our labels and the festival.
(Translation with deepl.com; the German version is authoritative).
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