Is your startup ready for a stage before October? Pitch at ETH's LAUNCH event.

Our 2027 applications open on October 1, just five weeks away. However, we know some of you are ready to get started now.

So, here’s something you can get involved in: >>venture>> is co-organizing the Startup Pitching Competition at LAUNCH 2026, together with the ETH Entrepreneur Club and SICTIC.

Applications are open until September 1, so if you’re ready to pitch, now’s your chance!

What is LAUNCH?

LAUNCH is Zurich’s largest startup conference, now in its 12th edition. It takes place at the ETH Zurich main building on November 3, 2026, bringing together the people who build companies with those who fund and support them.

The room brings together:

2’200+	students
500+	startup members
70+	startups
300+	investors

From 16:00 to 18:00, seven selected teams will take the stage for the Startup Pitching Competition, pitching their startups to this audience.

Why we are involved

We believe learning to pitch is one of the most useful things a founder can do early on. You write two pages, record a three-minute pitch, then stand up and make your case in front of a live audience. Along the way, you find out which parts of your story hold up and which don't. It’s useful whether or not you make it to the final, and good preparation for the >>venture>> application.

LAUNCH gives you the chance to test your idea, pitch to a real audience, and get challenged on your thinking before our 2027 applications open on October 1.

One thing to be clear about. LAUNCH is its own competition, with its own jury, its own criteria, and its own prizes. It is not a round of the >>venture>> competition, and taking part has no bearing on how a >>venture>> application is screened or scored. The two run on separate tracks. You are free to enter one, the other, or both.

What is on the line?

For the top finalists:

• The >>venture>> mentorship program, normally reserved for teams that reach our Semi-finals

• Up to CHF 20’000 in legal packages from EMBARK Law

• Two hours in front of 300+ investors who are coming to Zurich specifically to discover early-stage companies

Who should apply

LAUNCH is looking for ambitious teams at the earliest stages, from first funding rounds and before. There is a preference for technology driven solutions in areas like AI, climate, fintech, health and software, though the door is not closed to anything else.

No university affiliation is required. Teams from across Europe are welcome. What matters is a clear vision, real growth potential, and a genuine willingness to engage with the investors and founders in the room.

How the selection works

Three rounds, each one a little more demanding than the last.

• Application phase, closing September 1, 2026. Submit a pitch deck or business plan of two pages maximum, covering your idea, your market opportunity, and your team. All applications are assessed by September 21.

• Video pitch phase, September 21 to October 5, 2026. Selected teams record a video pitch of up to three minutes. This round is about clarity, ambition, and how well you communicate. Assessments are complete by October 19.

• The finale, November 3, 2026. The top seven teams pitch live on stage at LAUNCH, at the ETH Zurich main building, in front of founders, investors and industry leaders.

  
  

What the judges weigh

Worth reading before you write your two pages, because the weightings are not even:

Criterion	Weight	What it means
Problem and customer validation	25%	A clear, urgent problem, with evidence you understand the people who have it
Solution and technical edge	25%	Something genuinely novel, technically strong, meaningfully different
Execution and traction	20%	An MVP or prototype, fast iteration, early signals
Team and support system	20%	Balanced skills, relevant experience, access to mentors
Market potential and scalability	10%	A large opportunity with a credible path to reaching it

Half the score sits in the first two rows. If your two pages spend most of their space on the market size and the roadmap, you are optimizing for the ten percent.

Apply

Applications close September 1, 2026.

• Apply for free: luma.com/n5rlrmct

• Conference and full details: launch-startup.ch

• Questions: launchspc26@entrepreneur-club.org

And then keep October 1 free. That is when our own Applications stage opens. You can read what the jury looks for at each step in our 2027 guide.

LAUNCH is hosted by the ETH Entrepreneur Club. The Startup Pitching Competition is co-organized with >>venture>> and SICTIC.