Meet the Organizers

The Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is Europe’s most cosmopolitan technical university. EPFL fosters a dynamic environment and is centered on three missions: teaching, research and innovation. The university hosts 14,000 people from more than 120 countries and is home to 13 bachelor programs, 24 master programs and 350 laboratories. Since 1997, an average of 13 high-tech startups have been created at EPFL each year.

Innosuisse is the federal agency responsible for promoting innovation in Switzerland. The agency provides targeted training courses to encourage an entrepreneurial mindset among students and researchers and to teach them as well as current and future start-up entrepreneurs the fundamentals of business creation and development. Innosuisse also offers individual coaching for start-ups and for people interested in setting up a company and supports science-based innovation projects carried out by companies in cooperation with research partners.

Dr. Thomas Knecht is the founder of the »venture» startup competition. While acting as the managing director of McKinsey’s Swiss office, Dr. Knecht joined forces with ETH Zürich to launch the first edition of »venture» in 1997–98. Dr. Thomas Knecht is currently the chairman of Knecht Holding, which is a diversified service company. The company’s major divisions are the Eurobus-Group, Knecht-Reisen and Welti-Furrer.

Consistently named the world’s most prestigious consulting firm, McKinsey & Company continues to deliver the top management advice leaders have trusted for nearly a century. Over the past decade, McKinsey has broadened its offerings in areas such as digital transformation, advanced analytics, design, and implementation to help clients succeed in a rapidly evolving business context. With more than 30,000 people, McKinsey serves clients in 134 cities in 67 countries. In Switzerland, McKinsey & Company is represented with offices in Zurich and Geneva.

A partner of the >>venture>> competition since its inaugural year in 1997, ETH Zürich represents world-class scientific competence, research to benefit the economy and society, and the education of highly qualified experts. As a hub of study, research and administration, the university hosts more than 20,000 students and 530 professors from 120 countries. ETH Zurich’s more than 400 spinoff companies and twenty-one Nobel laureates confirm its innovative power and excellent reputation.