Venture Kick

Venture Kick
Name	Venture Kick
Formation	2007
Founders	Swiss venture capital community
Type	Startup funding programme
Headquarters	Zurich
Location	Switzerland
Services	Seed funding, coaching, network access
Language	German, French, Italian, English

Venture Kick Venture Kick is a Swiss seed funding programme that provides staged grants, coaching, and investor access to early-stage startups emerging from Swiss universities and research institutions. The initiative connects entrepreneurs with networks in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, and international hubs such as London, Boston, and Silicon Valley to accelerate technology transfer and market entry. Since its inception, the programme has influenced the lifecycle of deep-tech, medtech, biotech, and cleantech ventures spun out of institutions like ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Zurich, and University of Geneva.

History

Venture Kick was launched in 2007 through collaboration among Swiss private benefactors, corporate partners, and research transfer offices from ETH Zurich and EPFL. Early milestones include the first cohort funding rounds that paralleled the rise of Swiss biotechnology clusters in Basel and the consolidation of angel networks such as the Swiss ICT Investor Club. Over subsequent years the programme expanded its geographic footprint to include candidates from University of Bern, University of Lausanne, and regional technology parks like Technopark Zurich and Bio-Technopark Schlieren. Political and institutional engagements involved actors from cantonal offices, foundations such as the Sarine Foundation model (example), and international accelerators that fostered ties to European Commission innovation initiatives and bilateral programmes with France and Germany.

Program and Funding Structure

The programme operates a three-stage grant model typically disbursing up to CHF 130,000 in total. Initial grants are modest, followed by intermediate amounts and a final seed tranche contingent on milestones. Funding partners include private philanthropists, corporate sponsors from Novartis, Roche, and ABB-scale industries, and institutional actors like the Swiss National Science Foundation and regional cantonal funds. Support services comprise expert coaching by serial entrepreneurs, legal advisers from firms associated with Zurich Law School networks, and mentorship from venture capitalists tied to firms such as Index Ventures, Redalpine, and Sequoia Capital affiliates in Europe. The programme also provides introductions to angel networks including Go Beyond Investing and family office circles in Geneva and Zurich.

Selection Process

Teams apply via pitch decks and supporting documents evaluated by panels composed of entrepreneurs, investors, and technology transfer officers from institutions including ETH Zurich Technology Transfer, Innosuisse-affiliated advisors, and representatives from industrial partners such as Nestlé. Shortlisted ventures present at regional jury days held in cities like Lausanne, Bern, and Basel. Criteria emphasize technology readiness, intellectual property stemming from labs at EPFL, market potential validated by contacts in Swiss Fintech and healthcare systems, and team capability with founders often drawn from doctoral cohorts at ETH Zurich or postdoctoral groups at University of Geneva. Final decisions are made by a centralized board comprising business angels and academics from institutions like University of St. Gallen.

Impact and Outcomes

Venture Kick has been credited with accelerating hundreds of startups, many progressing to Series A rounds led by European investors linked to Atomico and Northzone. Aggregate follow-on funding totals have reached into the hundreds of millions of CHF, with success metrics tracked by technology transfer offices at ETH Zurich and EPFL. The programme contributed to notable exits and licensing deals involving multinational corporations such as Roche and Siemens Healthineers. It also strengthened the Swiss innovation ecosystem, catalyzing spinouts in medtech, robotics, quantum computing and cleantech sectors, and feeding talent into incubators like MassChallenge and Fongit.

Notable Alumni and Startups

Alumni include startups spun out of ETH Zurich and EPFL that achieved market traction or exits: companies working in medical devices and diagnostics, software platforms with enterprise customers in SAP-aligned markets, and hardware firms acquiring strategic investment from corporations like ABB. Representative names encompass firms that have appeared in lists curated by publications such as Swissinfo and NZZ and that have received follow-on investment from funds including Index Ventures and Lakestar. Several alumni also participated in accelerator exchanges with Y Combinator and Startupbootcamp.

Partnerships and Governance

The governance structure comprises a foundation board with members from academia, industry, and angel networks, collaborating with technology transfer offices at ETH Zurich Technology Transfer and EPFL Innovation Park. Corporate partners provide sponsorship and domain expertise from sectors represented by Roche, Novartis, ABB, and Nestlé. The programme liaises with national innovation actors like Innosuisse and regional development agencies in cantons such as Zurich and Vaud, and maintains international collaborations with accelerators and investor networks in London and Boston.

Category:Startup accelerators