Creating a Dazzle

Hi, I’m Zeek the Zebra, the face of Zurich’s global startup collaboration program, the Zurich Innovation Championship.

Like all newborn zebras, I was standing on my own feet within minutes of my birth and running after roughly an hour. Zurich wants to harness that energy and speed to help geeks like me realize our potential.

Zebra companies are characterized by a dual purpose. They are both profitable and work to improve society.

And they thrive on co-existence and cooperation. Their stripes might reflect two worlds – incumbent and startup – but what they can produce together is greater than the sum of their parts.

So am I a white animal with black stripes or a black animal with white stripes? Or even shades of blue? Hard to say but I’ll tell you one thing. I symbolize Zurich’s approach to innovation with startups. The focus is on sustained growth, measured not only by profit but also by customer success and contributions to the community.

If you’re wondering how a zebra company earns its stripes, check out Zurich’s recent white paper on Innovation through Collaboration.

Here you’ll see in black and white (and blue!) that every startup is unique – rather like the stripes on our back.

The concept of zebra startups isn’t new. Four founders¹ from the US coined the term in 2017 when they questioned unicorns’ rapid growth strategies and the sustainability of their business models. Don’t get me wrong. Unicorns, those mythical creatures, still have their place in the entrepreneurial ecosystem but Zurich wants to collaborate with real zebra startups that share our philosophy.

Previous editions of the Zurich Innovation Championship have produced some brilliant entries. No wonder a herd of zebras is also called a dazzle. Now it’s your turn to shine with your submission. Helmets on. Buckle up. Let’s reach for the stars. We’re excited to hear from you. Be heard and join the dazzle.

The innovation Team

^[1] Read more here: Zebras Fix What Unicorns Break