Swiss National Startup Team - Venture Leaders by Venturelab

Our Venture Leaders have a clear-cut goal: envisioning themselves as global players, they want to take the first step toward international expansion. With its investor and business development roadshows, Venturelab provides the Venture Leaders with the tailwind needed to achieve this goal.

Every year, Venturelab selects the ten most promising Swiss startups for each of the verticals; as Venture Leaders, their founders join the Swiss National Startup Team and are given the unique opportunity to expand their global network and reach in the world's most vibrant international venues for entrepreneurs.

For the past 18 years, the Swiss National Startup Team traveled to Boston to discover the exciting entrepreneurial scene of the U.S. In 2014, the Venture Leaders roadshow was extended to China and New York; Silicon Valley was added in 2017, Barcelona in 2019, as well as London and Munich in 2022.

The Venture Leaders program is a unique and exclusive opportunity to meet top international investors and industry leaders, allowing startups to build an exceptional business network. Engaging with peers and discussing their experiences, the founders will benefit from a group learning environment. The entrepreneurs will share their challenges, develop ideas, motivate one another, and return to Switzerland with a new outlook and drive to succeed.

Join the Venture Leaders

Present your startup to international experts and pitch to select investors
Participate in workshops with experts in business development, IP, corporate affairs, and more
Profit from advanced entrepreneurship training
Experience hands-on execution workshops focusing on developing your startup
Take part in multiple networking events with the local entrepreneurs' scene, as well as group feedback sessions
Take advantage of the flexibility for personal business development activities during the trip

Venture Leaders Biotech in Boston

The Venture Leaders Biotech program takes entrepreneurs to the dynamic center of the bioscientific innovation in Boston.

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Venture Leaders Cleantech in Munich

The Venture Leaders Cleantech takes Switzerland’s cleantech pioneers to Munich.

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Venture Leaders Fintech in London

The Venture Leaders Fintech program brings financial innovators to the vibrant financial hub in London.

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Venture Leaders Medtech in Boston

The Venture Leaders Medtech program brings Switzerland’s best health and medical device innovators to Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Venture Leaders Mobile in Barcelona

The Venture Leaders Mobile program immerses entrepreneurs innovating mobile technologies to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

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Venture Leaders Technology in Silicon Valley

The Venture Leaders Technology program takes founders to the heart of technological entrepreneurship: Silicon Valley.

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Venture Leaders track record

The Swiss National Startup Team has traveled to Boston, Barcelona, London, New York, Munich, Silicon Valley, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Check out the profiles of the 475+ Venture Leader alumni and learn where they are today.

475+
Startups

11,900+
Jobs created

CHF 8,3
Bilion investment raised

63
Exits

Venture Leaders success stories

Alumni comprise high-flying Swiss startups such as Lemoptix (acquired by Intel), Faceshift (acquired by Apple), Composyt Light Labs (acquired by Intel), HouseTrip (acquired by TripAdvisor), Kooaba (acquired by Qualcomm) or Dacuda (acquired by Magic Leap), Covagen (acquired by Johnson&Johnson), Redbiotec (partly acquired by Pfizer), KB Medical (acquired by Globus Medical), SimplicityBio (acquired by Precision for Medicine), AMAL Therapeutics (acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim) and many more .

What our alumni say...

Co-Founder and CEO, GetYourGuide

Johannes Reck

'Venture Leaders is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that every Swiss Entrepreneur should go through. It was just essential in building my awareness to make GetYourGuide a global business and deal with international investors.'

Founder CEO, Piavita

Dorina Thiess

'One of the most intense and valuable weeks in my entrepreneurial journey so far. The network and visibility exceeded all my expectations. I highly recommend it to any tech startup.'

Co-Founder and CEO, Bestmile

Raphael Gindrat

'A unique opportunity! This program has all it needs from meetings with investors and experts to great exposure. It will definitely impact the future of my company!'

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Past Venture Leaders roadshows

Each year, Venturelab organizes the Venture Leaders roadshow. The 10 most innovative and promising Swiss startups are selected by a jury of investors and startup experts. Discover the Swiss National Venture Leader Team of the past years and read all about their roadshows: