The 12th Swiss Innovation Forum (SIF) was all about the power of dreams. The theme of the SIF was “DREAM”, and the speakers demonstrated how innovative business ideas are born out of visionary dreams.
One of the highlights of the event, which is the leading innovation conference in Switzerland, was Aubrey de Grey’s presentation. The British biomedical gerontologist discussed his vision for immortality. “In just a few decades, thanks to gene therapy, it will be possible to live 30 years longer.”
After that, MIT professor Hugh Herr, who lost his legs in an accident and has relied on prosthetics ever since, reported on his revolutionary inventions in the field of bionic limbs.
Peter Zec, another speaker at the conference, is one of the most distinguished industrial designers in the world: “Engineers and designers need to work together at the same level from the get-go. If design isn’t considered until the very end, it’s like makeup – just stuck on.”
Social entrepreneur Teju Ravilochan took the stage at SIF to describe his dream of a world without poverty: “As entrepreneurs, we are continually searching for solutions – and we fail 1,000 times before we finally succeed.”
At the end of the conference, Danielle Feinberg offered insights into the dream world of animated films. Feinberg, who studied computer science and has spent the last three years working on Coco – the animated film currently in theaters –, said the following: “We can bring any world to life.”
After the presentations on the main stage, the nearly 1,200 attendees had the opportunity to participate in Deep Dive Sessions where they could explore topics such as singularity, entrepreneurship and virtual reality films in depth. Furthermore, during the Movers & Shakers portion of the conference, entrepreneurs Andrin von Rechenberg (founder of N-Dream AG), Pascal Koenig (co-founder of Ava AG), and Cristian Grossmann (co-founder of Beekeeper AG) gave presentations on how to use groundbreaking ideas to shake up the world of business.
During the Swiss Innovation Forum, the most important technology prize in Switzerland, the Swiss Technology Award, was presented. In the “Inventors” category, the coveted award went to GratXray AG, in the “Start-ups” category it was given to Inositec AG and in the “Innovation Leaders” category it went to Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG.