The pitching event marked the end of the Innokick Summer Academy in China, which took place on July 14, 2018. The solutions of the teams of nine students were judged based on their choice of problem to solve, the innovativeness and market validation of user-interaction model and business model. Next to our swissnex CEO Dr. Felix Moesner, the judges included Prof. Hanming Fang Dean, School of Entrepreneurship and Management, ShanghaiTech University; Prof. Lifeng Yang Associate Professor, School of Entrepreneurship and Management, ShanghaiTech University; Mr. Jianrong Xiao, Shanghai Haier Zhongzhifang Maker Space; Prof. Lanfang Wang, Assistant Professor, School of Accountancy of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics; Mr. Zhenhua Yang, Director of Education Department, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Dale Chen, General Manager, Plug and Play.

The solutions presented to the judges tackle problems in following fields and with new technologies: Food Safety, Health, Heavy Metals, Home Care, Wristband, Antipollution, P95 Filter, Fragrance, Stress, Depression, Sport Mask, Health Care, Machine Learning, Mobility, Elderly Care, Walking Assistance, Office Chair for Naps.

The Master HES-SO (University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland) in Integrated Innovation for Product and Business Development (MSc Innokick), initiated by the HES-SO and Canton de Vaud, is the first interdisciplinary master’s program in Switzerland that brings together students from Business, Engineering and Design. MSc Innokick is a full-time degree, lasting over 3 semesters (90 ECTS credits). It includes also a two-week field trip in China and swissnex China was facilitating the contacts between the partners as well as organizing the logistics.