Venture Kick scales its support for Swiss startups

Launched in 2007, Venture Kick set out to double the number of spin-offs at Swiss universities by helping researchers bring innovative ideas to the market. The program sharpens business concepts, identifies attractive customer segments, and focuses on developing profitable market opportunities. It also helps startups secure funding by connecting them with investors.   

As an initiative of the non-profit Kick Foundation, Venture Kick financed one of every three applicant projects in its early years (2007–2012). Success has been resounding: 68% of the startups founded during this period are still operational, have secured an average of CHF 33 million in investments, and collectively employ 44 people. By the end of 2024, Venture Kick will have funded 1,121 startups, selected from 7,800 applicant projects.

The number of applications for Venture Kick has increased by over 10% annually, with 80 new applicants each month seeking startup capital. In addition to the CHF 150,000 in funding from Venture Kick, winners can also receive CHF 850,000 from Kickfund and CHF 150,000 from Innobooster. 

"The main reason for Venture Kick's growth is the increasing demand from highly qualified researchers who aim to take their innovations from the lab to the market and address real-world challenges," explain Beat Schillig and Jordi Montserrat, Co-Managing Directors of Venture Kick. "While we previously funded one project out of three applications, we now fund only one out of ten. Expanding support for promising startups from Swiss universities requires additional partners."

"We are pleased to welcome two new members to our partnership consortium: the Lichtsteiner Foundation and the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation," adds Pascale Vonmont, President of the Venture Kick Strategy Board. "Through Venture Kick, we are encouraging the global expansion of promising business ideas and contributing to Switzerland's development. However, to achieve our planned growth and the goal of creating 100,000 jobs by 2033, we are actively seeking new partners."