September 27, 2013
Foundations: new opportunities for start-ups
Dear reader
In Switzerland, foundations have a significant importance. Overall, there about 12,000 and as they mostly award seed money, they are hugely influential in the promotion of start-ups. The best known is the W.A. de Vigier Foundation in Solothurn, which for more than 25 years has awarded up to five young entrepreneurs each year with starting capital of CHF100,000 each. By the way, if you want to apply for the Vigier Prize in 2014, you must hurry. The deadline for applications is next Monday, 30 September.
The Gebert Rüf Foundation has been extremely active since 1997. Each year it makes about CHF10 million (in 2012) available to young professionals at universities for their projects. It was also the Gebert Rüf Foundation that launched the non-profit venture kick initiative, in which other foundations are now involved. venture kick grants more than CHF2 million a year in seed capital to innovative young businesses. In individual cases, winners of start-up presentations organised by venture kick can receive prize money of up to CHF130,000 each. A special feature of the competition is that graduates can apply at any time and without a business plan – a clever and innovative business idea is enough. The prize money is awarded in three phases and just last week two promising projects managed to get to the second milestone: Matthias Bonmarin with Dermolockin, a diagnostic device for skin cancer, and St. Gallen student Garry Spanz with internet start-up Linksert, an affiliate marketing portal.
The possibilities of foundations have not been exhausted by start-ups. “There is much potential still on offer from foundations,” says consultant Daniela M. Meier in an interview with startupticker.ch. According to Meier, a total of 85 foundations promote innovation and entrepreneurship on a national basis.
The CTI’s Entrepreneurship training programmes are not primarily about money – it’s where graduates with entrepreneurial genes are coached into shape. In the coming weeks, almost a dozen of the five-day courses of the Business Creation and Business Development modules will begin, including a social entrepreneurship course. Some courses still have places available.
The IMD Startup Competition began this week. IMD Lausanne Business School chooses 20 promising start-ups, which then receive comprehensive coaching from its students.
At the Life Sciences Week in Basel, the Life Sciences Prize was awarded for the 10th time. This year the prize of CHF 10,000 goes to Lausanne firm Anergis, which specialises in new allergy vaccines.
Best wishes for a good weekend.
Claus Niedermann
Editor-in-chief startupticker.ch
News
The new Swiss Venture Capital Report was published on 26 January. It analyses 304 financing rounds closed in 2020 and includes further article such as an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, and a list of Swiss "soonicorns". 
