Venture Kick closes a key gap in the innovation chain: turning research work into promising business ideas. The pre-seed fund not only funds the first steps of people with ideas, but also develops their entrepreneurial skills. A three-step process leads to a spin-off with a solid business plan for the economic implementation of the innovation.
VENTURE KICK
Putting «science entrepreneurship» into practice
A concern with the interaction between entrepreneurship and science stems directly from the foundation purpose of Gebert Rüf Stiftung. Promoting «science entrepreneurship» among the younger generation of academics at Swiss universities lies at the heart of the «Wissenschaft und Unternehmertum» area of activity. The goal is to transform research findings into products, companies and jobs.
Objectiv: From research results to business ideas
Submission of projects
Gebert Rüf Stiftung supports the program Venture Kick financially; however, it is not involved in the operational management of Venture Kick. The program is managed by Venturelab Ltd.
Business ideas are accepted on an ongoing basis via the platform www.venturekick.ch.
Impact
Performance 2007 – 2020
| Input | Output |
| 4,687 applications from 20+ universities | 592 active high-tech companies |
| 755 supported spin-off projects | 8,105 qualified jobs (FTE) |
| 449 jury sessions (10,000+ hrs of "brain power") | 4,200,000,000 CHF money raised |
|
487 days of coaching (Kicher's Camps) |
122 CHF from investors for 1 from V Kick |
| 32,096,000 CHF in startcapital paid out | 53 Venture Kick startups in the TOP 100 2020 |
Program management
Venture Kick was launched in 2007 by Gebert Rüf Stiftung and Ernst Göhner Stiftung as a privately financed pre-seed fund. Today, the initiative is supported by 10 private partners, foundations, individuals and companies who all share the same vision: Supporting the next generation of successful entrepreneurs for the prosperity of the Swiss economy and society.
Venture Kick is part of the Kick Program and hosted by the Kick Foundation which is supervised by the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations.
Program Management
- Gebert Rüf Stiftung executive team
Dr. Pascale Vonmont, CEO/Director, Haus der Stiftungen, St. Alban-Vorstadt 5, 4052 Basel
pascale.vonmont@grstiftung.ch, phone +41 61 270 88 24
- Venture Kick program management
German-speaking Switzerland: Beat Schillig, Venture Kick, c/o Venturelab Ltd, startup space, Wiesenstrasse 10A, 8952 Schlieren
beat.schillig@venturekick.ch, phone +41 71 242 98 68
French-speaking Switzerland: Jordi Montserrat, Venture Kick, EPFL Innovation Park, Bâtiment C, 1015 Lausanne
jordi.montserrat@venturekick.ch, phone +41 21 693 90 71
Picture Credits Header
Pictures Venture Kick