WinLink

What WinLink does

WinLink (legal: Verein WinLink) is a Swiss non-profit association (Verein) registered under articles 60 ff ZGB, founded in 2004 and headquartered in Winterthur. The association's stated purpose is the regional networking of ICT and digitalization know-how, competencies, and resources across the Zürich-Ostschweiz corridor with Winterthur as its center. It convenes four distinct member categories — ICT users (Anwender), ICT providers (Anbieter), educational organizations (Ausbildungsorganisationen), and institutional organizations (Institutionelle) — and explicitly expects providers to recruit ICT users as members, creating a self-reinforcing membership pipeline. Membership exceeds 50 organizations spanning insurance (AXA), healthcare (SWICA), manufacturing (Burckhardt Compression), public administration (Stadt Winterthur/IDW), and higher education (ZHAW Schools of Engineering and Management & Law).

Name

WinLink

Legal name

Verein WinLink

Website

https://winlink.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WinLink is a Winterthur-based non-profit association founded in 2004 that connects ICT users, providers, educators, and institutions in the Zürich-Ostschweiz region through membership subscriptions, networking events, advisory services, and academic partnerships with ZHAW.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Winterthur

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: The association finances itself through annual membership fees paid by collective members (companies), individual members, and patrons (Gönner). Collective membership fees are calculated per employee (Fr. 20.00 per employee, minimum Fr. 250.00, maximum Fr. 2,500.00) and individual membership is Fr. 250.00 per year.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from organizing congresses, trade fairs, and networking events as per the association's statutes.
3. Support and Donations: The association accepts support contributions including state subsidies and donations/bequests of any kind.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WinLink (Verein WinLink) is a regional non-profit association for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and digitalization based in Winterthur, Switzerland. It operates a membership-based networking platform that brings together ICT users, providers, educators, and institutional organizations in the Zürich-Ostschweiz region. Its core offerings include organizing recurring educational and networking events (Digital Breakfasts, Early Morning Events, Lunch&Learn sessions, WinLink Breakfasts, Ask me Anything Sessions), providing neutral ICT advisory and consulting services to members, and facilitating technology transfer between academic institutions (ZHAW, HSR) and member companies.

Product overview

WinLink is a regional association (Verein) for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Digitalization based in Winterthur, Switzerland, founded in 2004. Rather than a unified software product, it offers a membership-based service portfolio centered on networking events, knowledge sharing platforms, and professional consulting. The core offerings include various event formats (Ask me Anything Sessions, WinLink Breakfasts, Digital Breakfasts, Lunch&Learn sessions, Early Morning Events) that cover ICT and Digitalization topics, individual consulting and advisory services for members, and technology transfer facilitation with academic institutions like ZHAW and HSR. The association connects ICT users, providers, educators, and institutional organizations through its over 50 member companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collective Company Membership (Providers, Users, Institutions, Educators)
• Individual Membership
• Patron/Gönner Membership
• Networking and Educational Events (Digital Breakfasts, Early Morning Events, Lunch&Learn, WinLink Breakfasts, Ask me Anything Sessions)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 member organizations in the ICT sector
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Handelskammer und Arbeitgebervereinigung Winterthur (HAW)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic partnership for joint events and networking initiatives in the Winterthur business community. WinLink members can attend HAW events at member rates.
• Technopark WinterthurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology park partner providing startup ecosystem connections and venue access for WinLink events.
• ZHAW School of EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership enabling technology transfer, research collaboration, and access to Bachelor and Master thesis projects for WinLink members. WinLink President Hans-Peter Hutter represents ZHAW on the board.
• ZHAW School of Management and LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership for academic collaboration and knowledge exchange in ICT and digitalization topics.
• KMU Verband Winterthur und UmgebungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSME association partnership for joint events and member referrals in the Winterthur region.
• House of WinterthurcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional economic development organization partnership. WinLink board member Jakob Bächtold represents House of Winterthur.
• SwissTextminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss Text Analytics Conference partnership for knowledge sharing in NLP and text analytics.
• topsoftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSoftware industry association partnership for joint events and industry knowledge sharing.
• zürich ict-clustercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCantonal ICT cluster coordination for broader regional digitalization initiatives.
• Amt für Wirtschaft und Arbeit (AWA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCantonal economic affairs office partnership for regional economic development and digitalization support.
• Verband der Wirtschaftsinformatik (VIW)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusiness informatics association partnership for professional knowledge exchange.
• EBW (Evangelisch-Bildungswerk or similar regional organization)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional partner organization for cross-sector collaboration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Handelskammer und Arbeitgebervereinigung Winterthur (HAW): Winterthur chamber of commerce and employers' association; WinLink's closest regional peer, serving overlapping SME and corporate members in Winterthur with networking events and member-rate cross-access.
• House of Winterthur: Regional economic development organization for Winterthur; core WinLink partner with overlapping mandate around regional digital ecosystem building, making it a direct institutional peer.
• zürich ict-cluster: Cantonal ICT cluster organization for the Zürich region; explicitly listed as a core strategic partner of WinLink and directly comparable as a regional ICT industry convening body serving similar users, providers, and educators.
• Verband der Wirtschaftsinformatik (VIW): Swiss business informatics association; listed as a WinLink partner for professional knowledge exchange and overlaps in serving business-IT professionals with events and networking.
• Technopark Winterthur: Winterthur-based technology and startup park; core partner of WinLink providing venue and startup ecosystem access, comparable as a regional innovation cluster serving ICT providers and users.
• KMU Verband Winterthur und Umgebung: Winterthur SME association; partner of WinLink for joint events and member referrals, comparable as a regional membership body serving SMEs — a core WinLink customer segment.
• topsoft: Swiss software and digital industry association; directly comparable to WinLink as an industry networking/advocacy body, listed by WinLink as a partner for joint events and industry knowledge sharing.

Broad incumbents

• digitalswitzerland: Cross-industry Swiss initiative promoting digital transformation; comparable to WinLink as a multi-stakeholder digitalization association, but operating at a national, advocacy-led level rather than a regional networking club.
• SwissICT: National Swiss professional association for ICT managers and digitalization; overlaps with WinLink's mandate at a larger, national scale and competes for the same category of corporate ICT members.

Emerging players

• ICT-Berufsbildung Schweiz: Swiss ICT vocational training body referenced in WinLink programming; partially overlaps with WinLink's educator segment and ICT talent development theme.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/7048931

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WinLink