Up to 25 early-stage startups will have the opportunity to advance their solutions during two months with experts from across the globe as part of the newly launched accelerator program, InnoQube Startup Program. Registration is open until April 1.

The Hardware Horizons immersive Startup Accelerator Program is designed to provide tailored support to selected Swiss startups seeking to unlock the potential of their hardware business in China. Update: Swissnex in China awaits new applications until 26 April.

The annual Start Summit will occur on 21 and 22 March 2024 in St. Gallen, providing the Swiss startup ecosystem a platform to foster innovation and collaboration among students, founders, investors, and corporates. Several new formats will be unleased this year, including the pre-event, Day0, two award competitions and a larger START fair offering free booths to 120 startups. Registration for the different formats is open.

This year's annual Startup Days event in Bern will include some changes, including a new pitching format called Youngsters. The jury will select the finalists to present at the event, and the best startups will be recognized as the ‘Catch of the jury’. Early-stage startups with promising business ideas and early traction are invited to apply, and players in the ecosystem are invited to nominate startups. Applications close on 30 April.

Der Kanton Luzern unterstützt in Zusammenarbeit mit der Hochschule Luzern Startups, Unternehmen, Organisationen oder Gemeinden dabei, Pilotprojekte in den Bereichen Klimaschutz, Klimaanpassung oder Energie zu initiieren und umzusetzen. Die Fördersumme für das Jahr 2024 beträgt insgesamt 300'000 Franken. Bewerbungen werden ab Januar bis Ende Mai 2024 entgegengenommen.

Swiss startups developing software solutions that leverage artificial intelligence technology are invited to submit their applications for the newly launched Microsoft for Startups AI Tech Accelerator. Commencing from 12 February to 5 March 2024, selected startups will benefit from unparalleled technical support, including exclusive access to cutting-edge OpenAI models. This accelerator program is poised to significantly boost the development of their solutions.

There is a plethora of platforms to rate anything: products, services and companies from an employee perspective. After exiting his HR platform Jacando, Dennis Teichmann wondered why there is no rating platform for investors and took action himself. Operated by his new company, BT Ventures, he is now launching a platform for startup founders to rate investors. The platform is currently collecting ratings from startups to accelerate the Go-live.

Innosuisse's Startup Trainings are subject to the WTO Agreement and are therefore put to tender at regular intervals. The Swiss Innovation Agency has taken the opportunity of the new call to partially redesign the trainings. Tender documents can now be downloaded from Simap.

Die Schweizerische Agentur für Innovationsförderung lanciert die zweite Ausschreibung für den Swiss Accelerator. Mit diesem Förderprogramm unterstützt Innosuisse Innovationsprojekte von kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU) sowie Start-ups nach deren Markteintritt. Gesuche können ab heute eingereicht werden.

L’Agence suisse pour l’encouragement de l’innovation lance le deuxième appel à projets pour le Swiss Accelerator. Avec ce programme d’encouragement, Innosuisse soutient les projets d’innovation des petites et moyennes entreprises (PME) ainsi que des start-ups après leur accès au marché. Les demandes peuvent être déposées dès aujourd’hui.

As of 28 August 2023, Swiss SMEs and start-ups that are established on the market and demonstrate above-average innovation potential can apply for direct financial support for innovation projects within the Swiss Accelerator programme. Per application, Innosuisse funding amounts to a maximum of 2.5 million Swiss francs covering a maximum of 70 percent of project costs.

To highlight the best Swiss startups active in the field of intelligent energy use: this is the objective of the first edition of the first Smart Energy Start-up Pitch Contest. This event will be organized on September 1st, within the framework of the 13th edition of the Smart Energy Event, on the Energypolis Campus in Sion. Interested start-ups can apply now. CHF 15'000 are to be won!

Swisscom has launched the 2023 Swisscom Startup Challenge in search of three outstanding deeptech startups. The winners will participate in a business acceleration program in Silicon Valley which will be organized for each team individually and will get the chance to explore collaboration opportunities with Swisscom. In addition the program will put winners in contact with investors including Swisscom Ventures. 

The newly launched QAI Venture accelerator program is looking for quantum computing and Artificial Intelligence startups for the first edition. Starting 10 July, the 5-month program will provide selected startups access to investment, the QuantumBasel ecosystem and Quantum infrastructure to test and validate their technologies in a real-world environment at an early stage.

Mit der GovTech Innovationsbörse sucht die Bundesverwaltung innovative Lösungen zu aktuellen Herausforderungen der digitalen Transformation. Verschiedene Ämter der Bundesverwaltung haben Aufgaben formuliert. Gesucht sind nun Startups mit Lösungsideen zu diesen Herausforderungen.

The next edition of the annual Start Summit, Europe’s leading student-run startup conference, will occur on 23 and 24 March 2023 in St. Gallen. With the Motto “Reaching for Resilience”, this year’s event will bring various speakers on stage to share their insights and provide startups with a platform to showcase their solutions. The event will culminate with the presentation of the Start Summiteer Award, for which the deadline expires on 28 February 2023.

The newly launched three-week ‘Bootcamp Future of Food’ will provide three Swiss FoodTech startups with the opportunity to explore the Brazilian market and get exposure to the country’s ecosystem. Besides workshops and meetings, the selected startups will get a pass to the ANU Food conference and the first Web Summit in Rio di Janeiro. Registration closes on 26 February.

Die Wirtschaftskommission des Nationalrates will Startups mehr Flexibilität bei den Arbeitszeiten geben. Dafür sollen Mitarbeitende, die am Startup beteiligt sind, von der Arbeitszeiterfassung ausgenommen werden. Nun wurde die Vernehmlassung lanciert. Auch Startups können sich einbringen.

As of 2023, all selected early-stage startups for the 5-month F10 Incubation Program will each receive an initial investment of CHF 50'000 to advance their solutions. The new offer comes after the launch of the new F10 Incubation Fund, aiming to raise CHF 100 million by the end of next year. The fund is currently being set up with a targeted first closing in December that is already oversubscribed.

Debiopharm has launched a global Antibody-Drug Conjugates Innovation Challenge on a global crowdsourcing platform.searching for chemical conjugation methods that apply to small format antibodies. The winning proposal will be awarded a monetary prize and be acquired by Debiopharm. The Lausanne based pharma company has already two ADC technologies developed internally.

REPIC supports Swiss institutions including start-ups that transfer knowledge and technology to disseminate renewable energy, energy and resource efficiency in developing and transition countries. Several start-ups have already benefitted from financial support, consulting and the REPIC network. Thanks to a new instrument the maximum grant has no been increased to CHF500k.

The second round application round for the Eurostars, the cross-border programme for innovative SMEs, is underway. Registration is open until 15 September.

In Kooperation mit dem Büro Züri launcht Startup-Inkubator Bluelion ein dreimonatiges Föderprogramm. Early Stage Startups mit Ideen und Projekten zur Emissionsverminderung können sich noch bis 22. Juli für eine «Züribox» bewerben. Für die vier ausgewählten Züribox-Projekte gibt es 10‘000 Franken Startkapital.

Adding to its line-up of industry oriented programs, Venturelab is launching a new roadshow for cleantech startups. Ten selected startups will travel to Munich hotspots for cleantech, sustainable and efficiency innovation. 

The GreenTech Startup Battle takes place within the framework of Digital Days 2022 in seven regions in Switzerland, from 7 September to 23 October. Startups with solutions enabling the efficient use of resources can connect to incumbents and public institutions on a regional and national level. Applications are open. 

Für die Swiss StartCup Challenge sind Innovationen gesucht, welche die Kreislaufwirtschaft in der Schweiz voranbringen. Zu gewinnen gibt es in der Kategorie Startup 20'000 Franken. Ab sofort kann man sich bewerben.

The 10th edition of the Swisscom Startup Challenge will support five startups worldwide that contribute to climate protection with their innovations and technologies. Application to the competition is open until May 31, 2022.

DayOne has launched “DayOne Accelerator 2.0”, marking a transition to three verticals that will enable the growth of global healthcare and medtech startups at various stages of development.

Beim Accelerator der Entrepreneurs’ Organisation werden Startups in der Wachstumsphase durch andere Unternehmer begleitet und gecoacht mit dem Ziel die Schwelle von einer Million Franken Umsatz zu knacken. Fünf Jahre nach dem Start des Programms in der Schweiz haben 40% der Alumni dies geschafft. Nun soll der EO Accelerator weiter ausgebaut werden.

Die Rahmenbedingungen für Projekte mit Künstlicher Intelligenz sind im Vorhinein schwer abzuschätzen. Die Innovation-Sandbox ist eine Testumgebung, in der Akteure innerhalb eines klar definierten Rahmens KI-Vorhaben umsetzen können. Die Teilnehmenden erhalten Unterstützung in regulatorischen Fragestellungen und Zugang zu öffentlichen Datenquellen. Bewerbungen sind ab sofort möglich.

Eurostars, the cross-border programme for innovative SMEs, is again open for applications. The newly launched Eurostars-3 programme will fund market-led, cross-border research, development, and innovative, collaborative projects. The deadline expires on 24 March.

ESA BIC Switzerland onboarded four new startups with a space connection for its 11th cohort. They will benefit from an extensive support package, including up to EUR 200’000 in non-dilutive funding, technical and business support. The application period for the next cohort will end soon. 

Dieses Jahr werden zum ersten Mal Entrepreneurship-Talente an den traditionellen Berufsmeisterschaften SwissSkills ausgezeichnet. Die Bewerbungsfrist läuft noch bis Ende Februar.

The 10th edition of the Swiss Venture Capital Report will be published on 27 January 2022. For the first time, it will be published by Startupticker and Seca in collaboration with startup.ch. The partnership with startup.ch aims to provide more clarity on VC investments. Startups can still report financing rounds to one of the partners until 22 December 2021 and thus contribute to more transparency themselves.

The first cohort of the Israeli-Swiss Lean Launchpad program was a success, although the program, which was planned before Covid, had to be moved online. The second edition will take place in a hybrid mode. Swiss startups in the sector of life science and HealthTech are invited to apply for a chance to get an inside look at the Israeli ecosystem.

Dank neuem Partner kann die Zentralschweizer Förderinitiative *zünder 2022 am Ende des Accelerator-Programms erstmals eine Preissumme von bis zu 510'000 Franken in 4 Kategorien vergeben. Neu ist der *zünder accelerator zudem auch für Startups in einer fortgeschrittenen Phase zugänglich.

Seit September 2021 hat die Uni Bern ein Innovation Office. Zusätzlich werden neu jährlich für vier Projekte Fellowships mit je 100‘000 Franken vergeben. Die erste Ausschreibung läuft bereits.

Talent Kick is a 1-2 year hands-on, tailored program designed for masters and PhD students to form interdisciplinary co-founder teams across Swiss universities. The program will also help the established teams set foot in the Swiss startup and support ecosystem.

Der Mitglieder- und Interessensverband Swiss Startup Association SSA benötigt finanzielle Ressourcen. Dafür zählt der Verband jetzt auf gestandene Startup-Gründer und hat die "Giving-Back-Initiative" lanciert. Innerhalb einer Woche hat die SSA mehr als 40‘000 Franken für den Support von Jungunternehmen erhalten.