Driving innovation: with AI, sustainable products and human skills

The “Zürcher KMU Innovationstag 2025” made it clear that technological tools such as AI will only be effective if companies are prepared to fundamentally question themselves. But the focus remains on people – with creativity, emotional intelligence and curiosity.

Artificial intelligence is changing how entrepreneurs think, decide and lead. Processes need to be redesigned, not simply digitized. This was one of the key messages at the “Zürcher KMU Innovationstag 2025” organized by the Canton of Zurich’s Division of Business and Economic Development. In addition to two plenary lectures, in-depth workshops on numerous topics were offered at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

Strengthen emotional intelligence

Christina Kehl, founder of the Swiss Labor Market Innovation Association, believes managers have a duty. "When it comes to future skills, there's no getting around AI. But you can't just slap it over existing processes." It is better to rethink processes from the ground up. In addition, leaders need to educate their employees about structural change. Training on "human-AI collaboration", i.e. cooperation between humans and AI, is essential.

Those who use AI efficiently create space for what makes people unique: their socio-emotional skills. "Emotional intelligence is a person's USP," said Florence Bernays from the Center for Leadership in the Future of Work at the University of Zurich. "Agility, curiosity and empathy are becoming increasingly important. Companies are still investing too little in strengthening their employees in this respect."

Nothing works without structured data
Alexej Ziegler, CEO of software developer Octotronic, explained how to get started with AI. Ziegler emphasized that the key to any successful AI application lies in the structuring of data. "The data basis is the most important thing, and companies cannot outsource this," he said.

Stephan Kaltenbach from Bystronic, a technology company in the sheet metal processing sector, also said: "Projects where you already have very well-structured data are a suitable starting point for digital transformation." Other success factors include the right infrastructure and building up knowledge within the company.

Workshops with practical benefits
André Meyer from Flowlabs, a spin-off project of the Human Aspects of Software Engineering Lab at the University of Zurich, showed that digitalization does not always have to mean high-tech. His workshop was about concentration in everyday life. "On average, we are interrupted every 13 minutes," said Meyer. Block push notifications, enter fixed focus times in the calendar, define communication channels in the team: These are small steps with a big impact.

Dominik Lämmler, co-founder of the social media marketing agency Furthur, explained how to achieve digital visibility in the social media workshop. His most important point: without paid reach, little will work. In addition, the attention span when scrolling on Instagram, Tiktok and co. is only 1.7 seconds. "That's why messages have to be quick, clear and understandable even without sound," says Lämmler.

In the workshop on financing alternatives, the companies Crowdify, Oomnium and Swisspeers showed how SMEs can finance new projects via digital channels. Whether crowdfunding (Crowdify), crowdinvesting (Oomnium) or crowdlending (Swisspeers) - it's always about having many small backers instead of one big backer. The models offer flexibility, range and direct customer proximity.

Circular clothing and cooling shelters
In addition to digitalization, sustainable transformation was also a key topic. With his established fashion label Nikin, Nicholas Hänny wants to offer fully circular clothing by 2030 - in other words, shirts that can be recycled or biodegraded. His strategy: basic products that reach many people and return incentives that change consumer behavior.

Another example came from the ZHdK: the Bloc° project by Andrín Stocker and Luc Schweizer focuses on modular, solar-powered cooling systems for urban heat zones such as bus stops. Developed as a bachelor's thesis, the prototypes are to be driven forward with financial and technical support from industry.

Narada Zürcher's project was also developed as part of a ZHdK bachelor's thesis. The founder of Neunoi focuses on fully repairable children's shoes in a subscription or cashback model.

Innovation needs freedom
Samuel Mösle, Co-Head of the Division of Business and Economic Development for the Canton of Zurich, called for active investment in innovation: "We depend on innovation to secure our prosperity. Companies need to free up resources for this." Those who rethink their own processes can position themselves strategically and remain competitive.

Program overview

Workshop presentations:

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