Zurich, 04 November 2016 – ChobaChoba from Berne has been selected as the first UBS Social Innovator from Switzerland. ChobaChoba produces Swiss chocolate. The innovation of the company lies in its grass-roots model, where the farmers own parts of the company.
The Final in Zurich brought to a close the first four months of the UBS Social Innovators program in Switzerland. The program was launched by UBS to find enterprises working on innovative solutions to society's most pressing challenges. Participants were required to have already developed proof of concept for their solution. A winner was nominated for each region (APAC, EMEA, Switzerland) from over 1,200 social entrepreneurs from 96 countries.
"We have noticed our clients are becoming more and more interested in providing support for pioneering solutions to important social issues. With the UBS Social Innovators program, we have created the ideal platform to develop this growing market further and to bring together social enterprises and socially minded investors," says Martin Blessing, President UBS Switzerland and member of the jury for Switzerland.
Support for the winner
In collaboration with the nonprofit organization Ashoka, UBS will help the winner market and develop their business idea as part of a tailored year-long program. The aim is to make the enterprise more attractive to investors and thus facilitate the next stage of its development. The winner will also receive a cash grant of USD 40,000 and access to a global network of social investors.
Selection procedure
The winner of UBS Social Innovators for Switzerland was selected following an intensive, multistage process. In the first stage, 10 candidates were invited to a two-day Bootcamp where they benefited from the expertise of Ashoka, philanthropists from the global UBS network and specially selected UBS employees.
Four candidates qualified for the Swiss Final in Zurich during the two-day Bootcamp. In a second stage, the candidates presented their ideas to a jury of well-known figures from the social enterprise sector and members of the UBS Group Executive Board.
