Welcome to our dedicated page for programs aimed at Swiss-based startups and entrepreneurs! Here, you'll find various resources, tools, and programs that help you succeed in your entrepreneurial journey. Currently, the overview features 24 programs/entities across Switzerland. The overview below is still a work in progress and I will soon add more resources.
The programs are divided by stage: Pre-seed/Seed, Series A+ & Internationalization.
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🙏 Kudos to Federico Lorenzon for curating the overview on LinkedIn 🙏
A startup is in the pre-seed phase when it's just an idea with a strong founding team, but before a product is built. The seed phase comes next when the startup uses funding to develop a prototype and validate its market fit. Here are the programs in Switzerland in alphabetical and stage order:
Phase 0: Ideation Phase
🌉 BRIDGE Programme: This initiative allows researchers to transform their research into products or services. It offers two types of funding: Proof of Concept support, which grants up to CHF 130k/year, and Discovery support, which provides up to CHF 850k over four years.
👩🔬 Digital Health Nation by DayOne Basel: The Digital Health Nation Innovation Booster, in partnership with Innosuisse, fosters radical innovation in Swiss healthcare by transforming ideas into solutions that deliver real value to patients and healthcare professionals.
🏫 **ETH Entrepreneurship, EPFL-UNIL Entrepreneur Club,** and Entrepreneurship Club Bern: These organizations offer training and courses to help students embark on their entrepreneurship journey.
🏫 ETH Student Project House: The ETH Student Project House (SPH) is a place for ETH students to explore and grow innovative ideas. SPH provides coaching, events, a maker space, a coworking space, funding and a community of makers and innovators. It supports any idea at any development stage.
📗 Innosuisse Business Creation by Venturelab: This is a 5-day intensive training program for aspiring entrepreneurs. It provides industry-specific support to help build your project.
🏞 Innosuisse: Innosuisse provides financial backing for innovation projects that are based on science. These projects are conducted by industrial partners and private and public institutions, alongside a research partner.
🔍 Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): While their main focus is research funding, the SNSF also offers programs specifically aimed at startups with a strong scientific or technological foundation. Explore their grants and initiatives that might align with your venture
👨🎓 Talent Kick: This program helps in finding an interdisciplinary co-founder team and combining your studies with an entrepreneurial journey. It lasts from 2 to 4 semesters, and you can be awarded 5000 CHF upon graduation.