Ask the Entrepreneur Workshops at ETH Zurich

Accelerate your startup project with the support of successful founders and industry leaders.

The series of eight workshops is based on a mission and challenge approach to enhance the validation and execution of your business case. Our goal is to support the best startup talents in Switzerland in order to build world-class startups the fastest way possible.

This is how we work together during our acceleration workshops:

• Intro with key tools, checklists and objectives, using benchmark examples from successful founders
• Identification of your individual priorities, key missions and tasks
• Definition of your objectives and milestones, with a focus on maximized value creation
• You work and exchange on the identified core missions for your startup with the experts suport.
  
  Pitching, debriefing and challenging of your results. Get inputs to improve and accelerate

Some of our trainers and entrepreneurs

Apply if you have an innovative startup project and the ambition to conquer the world. Or, if you are a Master student, doctoral candidate, postdoc or member of staff at ETH Zurich or EPF Lausanne or any other Swiss university carrying a solid high-tech startup project.

The Ask the Entrepreneur workshops will help you to:

• Shape your entrepreneurial proposal
• Build an execution track record
• Validate the contents of the "investment-ready" package and offer it to investors

Content

Ask the Entrepreneur #1: The story of your startup

• Stress test: who buys what and why?
• Name of the game in your industry, checklist requirements
• Build all essential communication tools, from intro mail to BP's

Ask the Entrepreneur #2: Entrepreneurs and teams

• Checking the entrepreneurial readiness
• Building and structuring the team
• Building a networking plan to access key contacts and resources

Ask the Entrepreneur #3: Strategic clarity and execution roadmap

• Define the value creation roadmap
• Methodologies and tools to establish your execution plan
• Communicating and executing the plan

Ask the Entrepreneur #4: How to pitch your startup & Pitch session

• What investors want to hear
• The perfect structure for your pitch deck
• Famous pitch examples & best practice
• Improve your pitching skills 

Ask the Entrepreneur #5: The art of sales

• Negotiating and building value added deals
• Closing sales and partnership

Ask the Entrepreneur #6: Operational excellence

• What it takes to run a company
• Setting up and growing a startup
• Management tools for entrepreneurs
• Plannings, cockpits and reports: Get in control

Ask the Entrepreneur #7: Building an investable vehicle

• Foundation to create a solid company
• Clearing legal aspects (incorporation, recruitment, regulations)
• Capturing intellectual capital

Ask the Entrepreneur #8: Closing the investment

• Accessing investors
• Structuring and negotiating investment terms
• Get ready for the funding process