BCV opens applications for third Silicon Valley Startup Camp

The idea behind the Silicon Valley Startup Camp is to give local high-potential students interested in setting up their own business the chance to gain firsthand exposure to the entrepreneurial mindset that is so pervasive in Silicon Valley. As in the past, Startup Camp attendees will have a packed schedule of tailor-made workshops, visits to universities such as Berkeley and Stanford, meetings with venture capitalists, and “insider” tours of companies such as AirBnB, Square and Twitter.

The Startup Camp is being organized in collaboration with Swissnex San Francisco, a Swiss organization whose mandate is to strengthen ties between Switzerland and North America in the areas of science, education, art and innovation. The project is being promoted on Facebook and at the higher education institutions concerned (i.e., EPFL, UNIL and the Haute Ecoles Spécialisées). Students are invited to apply by 10 April via the Silicon Valley Startup Camp Facebook page (in English, one page maximum). Up to ten budding entrepreneurs will be selected by a jury made up of representatives from each of the project partners. The 2015 edition of the Camp will take place from 31 August to 5 September.

The Silicon Valley Startup Camp is being financed and run by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (BCV), which initiated the project, in collaboration with UNIL, EPFL, the Haute Ecoles Spécialisées, the Vaud Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CVCI), the Fondation pour l’Innovation Technologique, Swissnex and the Journal des arts et métiers.