How to build a startup in Switzerland

Building a startup in any part of the world is a really tough and continuous effort. Switzerland is not less! But it has lots of things to offer to young first time entrepreneurs, we have a vibrant ecosystem willing to help every single entrepreneur that took the chance to change the world with their idea!

Funding

If you are in an early stage of your startup life you will, most probably, struggle to find sources of funding, here I am collecting some sources of funding:

Credits to Inc42.com

Public sources of revenue

In Switzerland you have lots of sources of public funds, here I summarize a few:

• Innosuisse: Filling a project in the Innovation State agency (Innosuisse) if you work with a Swiss University.
• VentureKick: If you studied in a Swiss University you can apply to VentureKick and have access to 150K CHF
• FIT: The “Fondation pour l’Innovation Technologique” offers 0% credits and grants to Canton Vaud based startups
• SPEI: If you are a Canton Vaud startup, you can have access to these grants helping you reduce training and new recruits.
• ESA BIC: European Space Agency Business Incubator offers financial aid for Space related projects. Up to 200K.
• ESA ARTES20: European Space Agency open calls for space related projects.
• Hasler Stiftung: Seed help for ICT startups
• UZH Entrepreneur fellowship: up to 150k for MedTech and BioTech startups
• Seed Capital Fribourg: up to 200k for Fribourg projects
• Klimastiftung Schweiz: Funding for cleantech companies
• Swiss Bluetec Bridge: up to 250K interes free credit for water and cleantech startups
• Technology fund: CleanTech startup funding
• Business Vallais: Funding aids for Vallais related startups

Business Angels

Business angels are high net worth individuals that will invest in your startup in exchange of equity, these are a few well known angel clubs in Switzerland:

• Start Angels
• Go-Beyond
• SICTIC
• Business Angels Switzerland
• A3 Angels

Venture Capital

Venture Capital funds invest in later stage startups, however more and more these funds are coming to early-stage startups with tickets from 0.5M to 2 M. They look for high growth and big market opportunities, a few examples in Switzerland:

• BtoV
• VI Partners
• BlueOcean Ventures
• Swiss Founders Funds
• 3w Ventures
• RedAlpine
• Creathor
• Zurcher Kantonalbank
• Polytech Ventures
• Alpana Ventures
• Swiss Startup Group
• Investiere
• Mountain Partners
• Emeral ventures
• Verve Capital Partners

Corporations

Some big corporations have their own fund to invest in startups, usually they invest from their balance sheet, but some of them they raise private funds to finance their funds:

• Swisscom Ventures
• La Baloise
• Zuhlke Ventures
• Investis Group
• Tamedia
• Helvetia

Competitions and Conferences

There are some startups competitions where you can get some visibility to your project and eventually win some prices:

Swiss Startup Day organized by Startup INVEST

• Masschallenge
• Venture
• Swiss Startup Day
• Venture Day
• IMD startup competition
• World Innovations Forum
• Seedstars
• TOP 100 Swiss startups
• Swisscom Startup challenge
• Startup.ch award
• Startup Global
• Swiss FinTech Awards

Support ecosystem

There is a wonderful ecosystem of support organizations in Switzerland, they help you out in coaching, mentoring, getting exposure or giving you visibility:

Swissnex event organized in San Francisco

• Product hunt Switzerland: organizes regular events for startups to pitch
• La tech french Suisse: support for startups helping in conference ticket reduction, pitch competition and event gathering
• Nomads foundation: If you have a Israely touch in your startup they will help you do the bridge with the startup nation
• Innosuisse: In the coaching program, you will have vouchers to expend in Innosuisse services like: coaching, IP, legal, etc.
• Genilem: A coaching program for Vaud startups
• Innovaud: Finance support and guidance for Vaud Startups
• venture leaders: Venture Leaders will help you in getting new markets for your startup!
• Platinn
• S-GE: Swiss Global Enterprise will help you in establishing new offices or markets in international countries
• Swissnex: In Swissnex they have a network of offices all around the globe ready to help you get market traction and investors in international markets
• AP Swiss: Support for space related startups

Accelerators

Accelerators help you in finding your product market fit, expand to new markets, find funding, networking and give you visibility:

Daniel Meppiel CTO at WeGaw pitching in a ESA BIC event

• Kickstart accelerator: Edtech, Foodtech, SmartCity and fintech acceleration programs
• Climate Kic: Cleantech accelerator with up to 95K funding
• Fusion: Fintech, healtech & proptech accelerator
• Swiss Startup Factory: 10–16 weeks of acceleration and 15K funding
• Innopeaks: a 3 months program for Healthtech & Insurtech startups
• Masschallenge: Masschallenge Boston born accelerator has an entity running in Lausanne
• ESA BIC: Accelerator program for space related startups

Incubators

EPFL Innovation Park

• Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne Business Incubator: Hospitality and tourism incubator
• Fongit
• Techno Park Zurich
• EPFL Innovation Park
• Blue Lion

There are plenty of tools and support organizations that can help you in your entrepreneurial journey in Switzerland. Thanks to these vibrant ecosystem WeGaw was accelerated and boosted through 2 accelerator programs (Masschallenge and Fusion), we were incubated in the EHL Business Incubator Program, participated in a market validation camp in San Francisco and we are receiving help from Innosuisse, Innovaud, Platinn and FIT. From idea stage to scale-up you have plenty of organizations willing to help you out in your journey.

Keep pushing!