How it works
Calling all entrepreneurs!
Do you have an innovative idea in one of the following 5 industry verticals?
Finance & Insurance
Health &
Nutrition
ICT
Industrials & Engineering
Retail &
Consumer Services
Register & submit your startup plan
Register here from October 1, 2023 to February 28, 2024, and follow our guidelines for crafting the ultimate startup plan.
We will send you invitations to helpful workshops where you can make connections and polish up your application.
Applications reviewed by our team of experts
Once the applications are in, our team of experts pores over the startup plans in search of the ten most compelling startup ideas in each of the five verticals. All applicants will receive personalized feedback.
Top 50 – Access to Mentorship
Make it to the top 10 of your vertical and you’ll get your own mentors and the chance to be selected for participation in the Audience Award.
Pitch Training
All finalists can take advantage of our pitch training sessions with McKinsey & Company and investors. Learn more about the pitch trainers who helped our entrepreneurs in the last edition.
Top 50 – Pitch to our jury
The 50 finalists will have the chance to pitch their idea to an industry-specific jury consisting of seasoned investors and entrepreneurs. Jurors then select 15 winners– three teams per vertical – to advance into the final round and compete for the grand prize of CHF 100’000.
Top 15 – Final pitch and Award Ceremony
It’s a day of high stakes and suspense: both the final pitch and the Award Ceremony take place on the same day. First there’s the ranking round: five industry-specific juries consisting of members of the >>venture>> Advisory Board meet and rank the winners in each category. The first, second and third place winners take home prizes of CHF 50’000, CHF 20’000 and CHF 10’000, respectively. The five first-place winners then go head-to-head and pitch to the entire Advisory Board for a chance to win an additional CHF 100’000.
What’s at stake?
By entering into the >>venture>> competition, you are tapping into a rich network of industry experts and seasoned entrepreneurs who are eager to impart their wisdom and help guide you along your startup journey.
The top 50 finalists (10 per vertical) will have access to our mentor network for in-depth individualized feedback.
In addition to the chance to work with some of the best in Switzerland’s startup scene, >>venture>> will provide the fifteen winners (three per vertical) with cash prizes.
PRIZES PER BUSINESS VERTICAL:
1st: CHF 50’000
2nd: CHF 20’000
3rd: CHF 10’000
GRAND PRIZE
The overall Grand Prize winner, chosen among the 1st ranked business vertical winners, wins an additional prize of CHF 100’000, for a total of
CHF 150’000!
Learn How To Craft A Winning Startup Plan
Download our Playbook to find out how you can put together a winning startup plan.