"We are in talks to launch a new product on the market"

The Winterthur-based start-up Scewo has been turning the wheelchair market on its head for years. Over a hundred stair-climbing power wheelchairs, known as Scewo BROs, are already on the road in the DACH region and the company now has 55 employees. Co-founder and CEO Bernhard Winter reveals the milestones Scewo is aiming for in the coming years and why a move to Winterthur is imminent.

Bernhard Winter, you founded Scewo AG in 2017. What comes to mind when you look back on the past five years?
Bernhard Winter: It's amazing how connected the world is! When we launched our start-up, we did a lot of research and looked at other large companies and start-ups. Over the past five years, we've had the opportunity to get to know many of these companies and their founders personally and talk to them as equals.

What are you particularly proud of?
Our team. We are now 55 employees, but it doesn't feel like that at all. Everyone knows everyone else. We have a lot of fun together and everyone pulls in the same direction. It was only thanks to our strong team that we were able to develop, market and sell such a complex medical device.

Many start-ups calculate at the start when they will reach their break-even point and finally break even. Has Scewo already reached the break-even point?
According to our first plan from 2017, we would have been in the profit zone for 4 years now. Anyone who has founded a company knows this. You have to overcome or bypass many obstacles along the way to reach your goal. I am proud that we are getting closer to this point every month, as we are selling more and more devices and our production costs are also falling.

Together with Pascal Buholzer and Thomas Gemperle, Bernhard Winter founded Scewo AG in 2017.

Does Scewo have an exit strategy, as is usual for start-ups? If so, what does it look like?
We are not planning a quick exit with Scewo. The reason for this is that there is still so much potential to be exploited. On the one hand, we are in talks with major industrial partners to develop new products that use our stair climbing technology. On the other hand, there is still the biggest market in the world to conquer for the BRO, our stair-climbing wheelchair: the USA.

What will the next five years look like for Scewo?
Our BRO will have a strong presence in Europe and we will also have gained a foothold in North and South America. We will also have a new product in development that serves a different market but is based on our technology. The company is break-even and can continue to grow under its own steam.

On the subject of diversification - you've already mentioned it: there are plans to launch a new product on the market in the next few years. Can you say any more about this?
As we developed the BRO from A to Z ourselves, we also own this technology and a great deal of expertise. I would say that we are the experts when it comes to climbing stairs autonomously and overcoming small obstacles. Large companies from the automotive and construction industries also see it that way. We are actually in talks with a partner to bring a new device onto the market in the longer term. However, I can't say any more about this yet.

We have heard that Scewo is planning to move its production facility to Winterthur. What is the status of these plans and where are they going?
At the moment, our development department is in Winterthur and our final assembly in Stein am Rhein. Having both at one location shortens the communication channels. This allows development to react more quickly, we increase the quality of the device and reduce costs. We have indeed found a location in Winterthur and will be communicating this soon.

Back in the Lion's Den, you said about the BRO that it is the Tesla of wheelchairs. A Tesla is notoriously expensive, and so is a wheelchair. What financing options are there if you can't pay for the BRO out of your own pocket?
Conventional power wheelchairs quickly cost between 20 and 30 thousand francs. We are a little more expensive, but not much. In return, you can suddenly manage any staircase and the device is constantly being improved with software updates. Our solution is often very attractive for insurance companies, as they can save on the cost of one or more stairlifts. In Switzerland, the IV has already adopted some devices. Foundations are also happy to help give people more freedom and independence again.

The Scewo BRO easily overcomes stairs and small obstacles.

What target markets is Scewo aiming for besides the DACH region? And: How can a customer there finance the BRO "made in Switzerland"?
Our focus is currently on the DACH region. In Germany, the system works in a similar way to Switzerland. Most devices are financed via the health insurance companies. We are planning to gain a foothold in two other countries this year and gradually become active throughout Europe. In the longer term, America is also on the agenda. We have an incredible number of customer inquiries from the USA, but we want to focus on Europe for the time being.

Interview: Linda Stratacò, February 2023