The first ever Nexuslab festival day was held on 7 July in Zurich, Switzerland, attended by nearly 170 investors, industry experts and journalists. The event marked the grand finale of the successful first round of Nexuslab, the virtual blockchain startup programme Nexussquared hosts in collaboration with Startupbootcamp.

The Nexuslab pilot programme began on 24th April and culminated in the festival day. In a series of pitch talks, the businesses participating in the programme presented their ideas, illustrating the broad variety of blockchain innovation that is emerging across Europe.

“With the first round of Nexuslab coming to an end, we’re excited to see the journey these startups have undertaken in the past few months. Together with our partners and an international team of mentors, we were able to guide some of the most interesting startups in the European blockchain field from the idea stage to a viable business model. Today, these businesses are standing here, well positioned to attract further funding and ready to shape the future of the blockchain economy in Europe and beyond”, Daniel Grassinger, Managing Director of Nexuslab and co-founder of Nexussquared said.

The presentations by the eight European Nexuslab startups at Zurich’s Kaufleuten venue also pointed to Switzerland’s strong position as a blockchain hub. From trading ownership in music as a form of alternative investment to a banking solution for refugees and creating and signing electronic contracts, festival attendees got a taste of how blockchain technology can be applied to develop tangible business models.

“Nexuslab encouraged us to take risks and pursue our boldest ideas. It was amazing to see how fast all of the startups evolved over the course of the programme. The network we built up with other blockchain entrepreneurs and mentors in a relatively short amount of time is simply invaluable”, Giuseppe Laddomana of Nexuslab participant Paymeabit, an Italian startup, said.

“We entered the programme with an unverified business idea and, with the help of Nexuslab and its mentors, turned our idea into a promising business model. We are proud to finish the programme with our first customer”, Erki Koldits, founder of participating Estonian startup Zlick, a zero-click micropayment solution, said.

The Nexuslab festival also offered leading blockchain thinkers a platform to share their insight into the technology’s future. Fabian Vogelsteller, Ethererum’s lead developer for distributed applications, explained how smart contracts can be deployed to build entire decentralised autonomous organisations, or DAOs, while Roel Steenbergen of Nexuslab partner Rabobank presented his thoughts on how financial institutions can manage disruption. Finally, Ethereum Advisory Board member Bernd Lapp showed how blockchain technology will shape future business models.

With a view to Nexuslab’s future, Daniel Grassinger said: “Our virtual approach combined with in-person hangout sessions and a concluding one-month residency at SwissQ in Zurich has proven a highly effective formula. And we have shown that Switzerland can indeed be a highly attractive place to grow and develop blockchain businesses. Now it’s time to evaluate where we can further improve our concept and make the necessary adjustments. And then, once again, we will be scouting for Europe’s most promising blockchain ideas to kick off the second round of Nexuslab later this year.”