A Romandie coalition to foster entrepreneurship

The Geneva-based Goodwall runs a community of 1.4 million entrepreneurial, impact-driven students and young professionals from more than 150 countries. The startup provides its members with a platform to showcase themselves, pitch ideas, highlight experiences and accomplishments, as well as ask questions, seek support, and explore opportunities from scholarships to courses to internships and jobs. 

Goodwall and GENILEM, a Swiss non-profit organisation that supports startups in the cantons of Vaud and Geneva, have joined forces and launched the Swiss Futurpreneur Award, with the support of  Canton Geneva and Vaud, and the accounting firm Berney Associés SA. The award aims to support emerging entrepreneurs in developing entrepreneurial skills for starting their own company or bringing their ideas to existing companies.

The Swiss Futurpreneur Award offers a package of prizes which includes a cash prize, as well as GENiLEM coaching. The teams will also have the opportunity to expand their network by meeting with key investors who will support the participants in transforming their ideas into a business, and they will meet their peers in the Goodwall community.

The first call for applications has been launched. To register, aspirants that are based in Switzerland should sign up to Goodwall either online or by downloading the app. Having completed updating their profile, applicants should submit a 60-second pitch of their idea. A jury will evaluate the applications based on their novelty of the idea, potential, the inspiration behind the idea and the team. Subsequently, ten finalists and three winners will be selected.

(Press release/ran)