Aargau switzerland located in the northern part of the country has a population of over 680000 people the area has a rich history of entrepreneurship with notable figures such as johann heinrich pestalozzi who founded a school for underprivileged children in the late 18th century in terms of technological innovation aargau is home to several companies in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries including novartis and roche the area also has a strong focus on renewable energy with companies such as abb and alpiq leading the way in sustainable energy solutions local universities such as the university of applied sciences and arts northwestern switzerland provide a strong foundation for the startup scene in aargau the living wage in the area is around chf 4000 per month and the unemployment rate is relatively low at 28 the city level gdp of aargau is around chf 60 billion with a steady rate of new companies starting and ending despite the strong foundation for entrepreneurship in the area the startup scene in aargau has struggled in recent years due to a lack of funding and resources however with the support of local universities and established companies there is potential for the startup scene to thrive in the future