In its bid to enhance its reputation for innovation and technology, the canton of Vaud is doing all it can to attract the most promising companies of the future.

The canton of Vaud is home to over 35,000 companies employing some 330,000 people, 75% of them in services and in the local economy. Vaud thus has a knowledge-based economy (healthcare, banks, finance, insurance, consulting, education and research, etc.). Industrial activity in the canton of Vaud is also based primarily on knowledge and products with high added value, namely microtechnology, watch manufacture, medical technologies, biotechnology, and information and communication technologies.

The majority of businesses can be classed as small and medium-sized, highly specialized and extremely flexible. Vaud also has a large number of start-ups developing disruptive technologies as well as multinationals of different origins (including the USA and Japan) which have chosen to set up their European and/or EMEA headquarters here. This is the case with medical technology company Medtronic and world leader in aircraft and train construction Bombardier. Various companies that are currently leaders in their sector(s) have also developed over the years in the canton, including world No.1 in food Nestlé, and IT specialist Logitech.