Innovaud unveils the list of 42 scale-ups, including 9 new companies, that have been awarded the Scale-Up Vaud 2025 label. These Vaud-based companies have created more than 4,550 jobs in Switzerland and worldwide. Dive into this ultra-connected community with high potential.
We’re here! The traditional list—published for the past nine years—showcasing the Vaud-based companies recognized with the Scale-Up Vaud label is now available. For 2025, we are proud to feature 42 companies that meet the scale up criteria set by the OECD and followed by Innovaud.
Spoiler: it’s neither a startup nor an SME (well, maybe a little bit of both). Confused? That’s normal. An SME, beyond having fewer than 250 employees, is not necessarily looking to expand. Meanwhile, a startup is constantly seeking investment and still refining its exact business model.
A scale-up has developed a market-validated business—like an SME—while continuing to to scale rapidly often through external funding—like a startup! To be considered a scale-up, a company must meet specific criteria, including an annual growth rate of at least 20% in either workforce or revenue over the past three years, with at least 10 employees or 1 million in revenue at the start of the period.
The 2025 cohort includes 9 new companies spanning various innovation sectors, such as medtech, foodtech, and cleantech. Joining this community confirms a company’s positive trajectory, as highlighted by Pierrick Poulenas, CEO of Picterra:
"Joining Scale Up Vaud marks an important milestone for Picterra as we continue to scale our impact globally. Switzerland has been a fantastic place to build and grow our company, and we’re excited to be part of a community that supports innovation-driven businesses at this critical stage. With the right network and resources, we can accelerate our mission to make GeoAI more accessible and effective for industries worldwide."
This community consists of CEOs, HR managers, CFOs, and CTOs from these 42 scale-ups and alumni, with over 170 members to date. Its goal is to connect these executives so they can share their experiences in managing a fast-growing tech company and learn from one another. The network is driven by around 30 events organized by Charlotte Ducrot and Caroline Schwarz, who lead the Scale-Up Vaud community. These privileged exchanges are highly valued by CEOs, as explained by Christophe Haldi, CEO of eeproperty:
"We are honoured to have been awarded the Scale-Up Vaud label by Innovaud. This recognition, which underlines our continued growth, is above all a mark of our commitment to innovation. Joining this dynamic community gives us greater visibility on the market, as well as valuable opportunities for peer exchange and synergies with other innovative companies. We look forward to working with the members of Scale-Up Vaud to strengthen the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem."
Moving from startup to scale-up is a critical step, full of challenges and potential pitfalls. Doubling the workforce, welcoming new investors, and making numerous strategic decisions—how can one avoid missteps?
LeadiNNg to Scale-Up is a program jointly offered by Innovaud and IMD, designed to support CEOs through this transition. Four editions have already taken place, featuring startups that have since evolved into scale-ups. « Once again we have a few companies getting the Scale up Vaud label for the first time who have been part of the LeadiNNg to Scale up Program. Not only do they come more prepared to get the most out of the community but they also know how much the peer exchange they experienced during the program will increase as the Scale up Vaud community is bigger and will benefit the rest of their C-level team” commented Charlotte Ducrot, co-Head of Scale up Vaud “We look forward to getting the whole community together in the coming weeks, introducing the new companies and integrating them into this amazing network who goes way beyond than just a Label”.