Lausanne, Switzerland – September 5, 2013 – Debiopharm Investment, a part of Debiopharm Group™, today announced that it has taken a stake in Skiioo, a start-up based in Vaud specializing in online ski bookings.
Launched in December 2012 by Grégory Barbezat, a native of the canton of Vaud, Skiioo offers the first ski pass giving access to any one of several resorts in Switzerland, including Crans-Montana, Zermatt and Anzère. Skiioo also allows the resorts to find out more about their clients and boost loyalty.
Last May, it won the final in the competition for start-ups at the ICT Investor’s Day, held in French-speaking Switzerland for the first time. Over the coming weeks Skiioo will expand its portfolio of ski resorts in Switzerland and other countries in Europe.
Once they hold a Skiioo skipass, already available at www.skiioo.com, skiers avoid having to queue to buy a pass. It is a time-saving system which enables to control spending by paying automatically by credit card or reloading online.
Additionally, the online reservation platform lets resorts increase traffic flow on their slopes. The aim is also to attract younger visitors and boost loyalty among existing clients.
In future, RFID and NFC technology will permit flow information and data analysis, making the slopes even more enjoyable while raising traffic both on the slopes and in the resort.
Thierry Mauvernay, Delegate of the Board of Debiopharm Group™, says: “We were won over by the innovation of the Skiioo offer, which meets the needs of both skiers and ski resorts. We are generally interested in entrepreneurial projects that make life easier, and Skiioo fits in perfectly.”
“The fact that Debiopharm has taken a stake in Skiioo is great news for our success and has allowed us to invest in marketing as well as to test our model to show that the Skiioo platform is the perfect tool for skiers and ski resorts,” says Grégory Barbezat, CEO of Skiioo SA. “Without the investment, we would have lost a year, which can be decisive for a start-up in a fast-moving market. We will be extending our range of resorts this coming season and skiers can look forward to some nice surprises from the Skiioo App.”
Skiioo SA
Skiioo seeks to develop the world of skiing with new technology and improve the relationship between skiers, resorts and brands by gathering RFID, NFC and GSM data. The Skiioo skipass allows our clients to avoid queues, pay the best rate automatically and have more fun with our apps. We help our partner resorts to improve relationships with their clients and better understand their habits, so they can increase the number of visitors and improve flow on the slopes.
Debiopharm Investment SA
Debiopharm Investment SA aims to diversify the investments of the Debiopharm Group™, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs. This diversification mostly involves taking minority stakes in innovative start-ups in IT, cleantech and personal services