I have been following the Israeli IT industry for many years. The number of success stories that have come from such a small country is just incredible. The country has achieved the right mix of Venture Capital, entrepreneurial spirit and vision.
Some people could argue that Europe already has its Israel and it is called Ireland. I think that it is different; I personally don’t know that many companies that have originated in Ireland and then made it worldwide. On the other hand, Switzerland has also achieved an incredible record of global companies (even though most of them are not in the IT sector), have you heard of Nestle, Novertis, Roche, UBS, Milka or Logitech just to name a few of them?
I wonder why Switzerland has not made use of its excellent location (right in the middle of Europe), very well educated people and tremendous capital and presence of wealthy people that could act as angel investors. Is it that Swiss people are too conservative and not interested in IT or the sector just needs a push from the government?
I personally believe that the later is probably the right answer. For example, forming a company in Switzerland is much more troublesome and expensive that it is in the UK or Ireland. When we formed Anywr Ltd. we first verified with our lawyer but the process itself took half an hour (all you have to do is go on-line and fill out a form) and it was up and running within one day. All the information you need is on-line and there are companies that do it all for you for less than a hundred pounds. Also, the number of IT events and angel networks in Ireland and the UK is really high.
I believe that Switzerland has the real potential of becoming an important player in this sector and I really hope that the country takes that opportunity.