In 1996 McKinsey & Company, Switzerland, and the ETH Zurich came up with the idea of a business plan competition. Together, they set up the first competition in Switzerland, Venture 98. This was followed by Venture 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008. The initiative is now established as a major feature of the Swiss start-up scene.

In addition to the "pro bono" contributions of McKinsey and the ETH Zurich, numerous Swiss companies have generously supported the competition financially. Many representatives, from a variety of industries, support the competition through their voluntary activities as coaches or jurors. We thank all of them once again for their support.

Venture 2008 continued the success of Venture 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. More than 200 new companies and 2,000 jobs have so far resulted from Venture.

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In 2008, Venture celebrated its tenth anniversary in style, with 222 business ideas and 101 business plans submitted. On May 7th, 2008, the Venture Advisory Board selected the winning teams, who were then honored that evening at a gala event moderated by television personality Anna Meier. First place went to a group affiliated with the ETH Zurich which calls itself Optotune. The young entrepreneurs and scientists promise to revolutionize the market for optical systems by providing the next generation of adaptive optical elements.

Thanks to our generous sponsors, Venture was also able to award a special Social Entrepreneurship prize for the first time. The recipient was Djom Kossam, a project in Mali which invests in the dairy value chain of the African country.

Venture 2008 also marked a significant milestone in that it finally truly became a heterogeneous Switzerland-wide competition, with submissions from across the country and across all subject areas. The idea pool was impressive and the more than 1,000 team members made the most of the opportunities offered through the competition in order to network with coaches, jury members and investors.

Winners 2008

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Review of Venture 2006

The fifth Venture business plan competition, Venture 2006, saw yet another increase in participating teams – 205 teams submitted ideas in Phase One, and the jury evaluated 99 business plans in Phase Two of the competition. The winner was an ETH Zurich start-up – Arktis Radiation Detectors. The team has developed a new radiation detector technology for use across industries, for example in steel mills, incinerator plants, landfills, seaports, and border crossings. Arktis hopes to build a prototype by 2009. Once again the competition showcased innovation from across Switzerland, with a wide variety of new inventions in pharma/biotech, IT and engineering. The Advisory Board praised the teams for their creativity and novel approach to solving problems.

Winners 2006

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Review of Venture 2004

At the closing event on 22 June 2004 there was double victory celebration. Because of the high quality of the five finalists’ projects the Advisory Board decided to award first prize to two teams. Thanks to a generous supplement from Swiss Re both winners received prize money of CHF 60,000 each.

In the first phase of Venture 2004 there was a record number of participants: 238 teams had submitted a business idea. The percentage of women submitting ideas was gratifying, though a further increase is desirable.

Not only were the submitted projects innovative, but there were also important new innovations behind the scenes. The “Venture Online” platform enabled the competition to be run electronically. This enables not only an efficient process, but also an optimal matching of coaches and team candidates.

Winners 2004

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Review of Venture 2002

Venture 2002 finished with a celebratory closing event on June 24, 2002. Television personality Kurt Aeschbacher moderated the evening. A further highlight was a demonstration of Xitact’s operation simulator (winner of Venture 2000). The audience was able to observe the “live” removal of a gall bladder. In the afternoon over 30 participants in Venture 2002 presented their ideas at the young entrepreneurs’ exhibition at the ETH.

Numerous entrepreneurs from Swiss business financially supported the competition, some of whom also participated as Advisory Board members at events.

With an extended concept – going beyond universities – Venture was, for the first time, open to young entrepreneurs from all over Switzerland. As well, the learning program was extended with numerous workshops. In Phase 1, 207 business ideas were submitted, and in Phase 2, 83 business plans handed in. Approximately 40% of participants were from universities, and 60% from colleges of higher education or other background.

Winners 2002

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Review of Venture 2000

The closing event, with the prize-giving, took place on 26 June 2000 at the ETH Zurich. The project was financially supported by many people from Swiss business, some of whom also participated as members of the Advisory Board.

In addition to assisting people in the competition, the supporting material available had an effect beyond its expected users. The German-language handbook for the competition, “Planen, Gründen, Wachsen”, was issued in a second, expanded edition. The supporting material available on the web site was used by an ever-increasing number of visitors to the site. The free financial planning software was dowloaded over 10,000 times. Information events at the ETH Zurich were visited by about 2,000 people.

The business plan competition, Venture 2000, developed into one of the most important driving forces for innovation in Switzerland. In Phase 1, 120 business ideas were submitted, and in Phase 2, 75 business plans were handed in.

Winners 2000

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Review of Venture 1998

The first Swiss-wide business plan competition, Venture 98, took place from November 1997 up until June 1998 , and about 500 people were actively involved. The associated events were visited by about 3,000 people. Generous financial support was received from numerous people from Swiss business, some of whom also supported the competition as members of the Advisory Boards.

The success of the business plan competition and the positive feedback from all who participated exceeded all expectations of the initiators. 215 business ideas were submitted, and in Phase 2, 87 business plans were handed in.

Winners 1998

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