We give your SME fresh momentum

Are you looking to realize the innovation and development potential of your company? We work with you to explore what’s possible and support you in the initial implementation of your project—helping your business stay competitive.

The collaboration with Ahead was more than just support for DrM — it was a true catalyst.
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Innovation and Project Support for Your SME

Innovation is a key success factor for any company aiming to hold its ground in a challenging market environment over the long term. Ahead supports small and medium-sized enterprises across all industries in assessing and unlocking their development and innovation potential.

Alongside technological know-how and expertise in funding and grants, we also bring solid business and economic expertise. This allows us to support you not only with questions around digitalisation, sustainability, and business model or process innovation, but also with strategic issues, market potential, and the positioning and marketing of your services and products.

We act as your point of contact in the early stages of your project and, where needed, support you in clarifying and applying for funding, as well as in gaining access to relevant specialist experts. Our advisory services are structured into three phases:

1. Initial Consultation & Status Quo Analysis (up to 5 hours, free of charge)

In an initial personal and non-binding conversation, we clarify your needs, gain an understanding of your business model, market, and processes, and reflect on the opportunities and risks of your project. Together, we structure the development process and assess funding eligibility and potential specialist expertise. The outcome is a solid basis for deciding whether—and how—your project should be taken forward into Phase 2.

2. Project Development & Funding Strategy (up to 30 hours, free of charge)

In this phase, an idea or identified need is developed into a viable project. Together, we define objectives, scope, and requirements, and assess technical, organisational, and market feasibility. We help activate the right experts from industry and research, support you with process-related and legal questions, and prepare funding applications (e.g. Innosuisse).

Ahead contributes the strategic and business perspective—market potential, business model, and positioning—while our partners provide the technical and/or methodological expertise. The outcome is a clear implementation or funding recommendation, including a go/no-go decision for the next phase.

3. Advanced Advisory & Implementation Preparation (up to 30 hours, CHF 165/hour excl. VAT)

If additional work is required to realise your project, we provide more in-depth support. Typical areas include implementation support, preparation of prototypes or MVPs, ad-hoc project support, organisational development, and the further definition of partnerships.

The focus is on making your next development step practical and close to the market—by clearly linking strategy, financing, and technical and/or organisational implementation.

Strategic and technological expertise for your SME

Development of new business models, services, products, and processes

Access to partners, funding opportunities and expert network

Free initial consultation & status quo analysis

Free project development & funding strategy (up to 30 hours)

Advanced advisory & implementation preparation (up to 30 hours)

Requirements

  • Up to 250 employees
  • Registered office in the Zurich economic area

Focus (at least one of the following)

  • Implement an innovation project or validate innovation potential
  • Develop and market a product, service, or business model
  • Modernize and digitalize processes and organizational structures
  • Address sustainability and regulatory requirements
  • Clarify funding eligibility and involve partners

Next Steps

No-obligation initial contact

Assessment (first 5 hours free)

Initial project support (up to 30 hours free)

In-depth project support (up to 30 hours with fees)

Sign up for an initital Consultation

Events

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Discover more exciting innovation events on the website of our partner Innovation Zürich
3 years since the start of the innovation support service
20+ innovation and network partners
110+ companies have used the service so far

Voices

“Competent consulting combined with fresh ideas and genuine commitment. Ahead took the time to really understand our situation and supported us with thoughtful, valuable recommendations. We are happy to recommend Ahead to others.”

Schmid AG – Entsorgung und Recycling

“We had projects where we simply didn’t know how to move forward – or lacked the resources to prioritise them properly.”

Dr. Tizian Bucher
R&D Manager at DrM

“The coaching was not only professional, but also practical and inspiring. It pinpointed exactly what we need to change – and why.”

Markus Renevey
Founder and Managing Director
Swiss Resilience Hub AG

“Anyone who truly wants to embrace innovation needs partners who understand how SMEs operate – and how to tackle complex challenges together. That’s exactly what we found in this programme.”

Myriam Lingg
Co-founder and CEO of macu4

“We knew we had to take a new path – but we weren’t sure how to get started. That’s where Ahead was a tremendous help.”

Raphael Londero
CEO Londero GmbH

“We’d like to thank the Ahead team for their practical and well-connected support, and we recommend their services to all SMEs looking to move their projects forward in a targeted way – regardless of industry or company size.”

Simon und Tanja Schmid
Co-owner and Member of the Executive Management
S&B Institut für Berufs- und Lebensgestaltung AG

“Thanks to the support, we were able to ensure that our intellectual property is optimally protected. That was a crucial factor for us – not only for our current innovation, but also as a foundation for our future growth.”

Silvan Leibacher
Founder and Managing Director of EggField

FAQ

Our experts combine expertise in business, strategy, and technology with many years of industry experience. They are well connected in their fields, know the Swiss innovation landscape inside out, and support SMEs in implementing innovation projects – including funding instruments and partner networks.

Introduce your company, its context, and your current challenge. First ideas or objectives are more than enough – they can still be vague or open. Together we’ll assess your innovation potential and define concrete next steps. Up to 5 hours of free consultation are available, which can also be spread across several meetings if needed.

Ideally, the person driving the innovation initiative, along with a decision-maker from management or someone with the necessary mandate. Of course, it’s up to you to decide who from your company makes the most sense to have at the table.

Absolutely. Innovation doesn’t only come from groundbreaking inventions—it often emerges through small but powerful levers: digitalization, new materials, streamlined processes, adjustments in organization and culture, or collaboration with universities and partners. Which of these opportunities exist in your company is something we’ll explore together in the initial consultation.

Together, we assess the feasibility of your idea, set priorities, and design a suitable approach. If needed, we connect you with partners and clarify funding options. You receive up to 30 hours of free support. For more advanced work, we offer in-depth advisory services of up to 30 hours (CHF 165/hour).

Above all: openness, curiosity, and the willingness to invest personnel and financial resources over time. Innovation succeeds when external collaboration is possible—and when the leadership team actively supports the initiative.

No, only indirectly. We support you by providing expertise, connecting you with subject-specific experts, offering guidance within the funding landscape, and assisting with applications. We also share practical knowledge and can draw on a broad partner network.

SMEs can benefit from government funding programs and other instruments. Since the funding landscape is complex, it’s helpful to have support navigating it. Our innovation experts have a good overview and help identify suitable funding opportunities.

Often, it’s limited financial and human resources. In our experience, strong support from company leadership is crucial – both in the planning phase and during implementation – and plays a key role in a project’s success.

Partnerships with larger companies or startups can give your SME access to resources, expertise, research findings, and networks that may not be available within your company – helping you take a significant step forward with your innovation efforts.