Application process for Venture Leaders Technology 2023 is now open

Every year, ten tech startups are chosen to join the Swiss National Startup Team as Venture Leaders and represent Swiss startup excellence on the international stage. As participants in a roadshow in Silicon Valley, the entrepreneurs profit from meetings with investors and industry experts and take a decisive step in the growth of their ventures. Applications are open until January 15, 2023.

The Venture Leaders Technology program offers startup founders a way to accelerate the growth curve of their businesses by taking them to one of the most significant hubs of technological innovation and entrepreneurship: Silicon Valley.

The program, which is free of charge, is a unique opportunity for top Swiss-based software startups working on AI, machine learning, computer vision, or cloud and security solutions to mark their presence on the international stage while expanding their U.S. network and getting exposure to the know-how and insights of industry experts, VCs, and investors. The trip also creates a space for valuable exchanges with peers.

Alumni of the program include high-flying startups such as Lemoptix, Composyt Light Labs (acquired by Intel), Faceshift (acquired by Apple), HouseTrip (acquired by TripAdvisor), Kooaba (acquired by Qualcomm), Dacuda (acquired by Magic Leap), as well as unicorns like GetYourGuide and Scandit.

Learn more about the Venture Leaders Program 2023 and apply by January 15, 2023!

 

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LOOKING BACK: VENTURE LEADERS TECHNOLOGY 2022

In 2022, the Venture Leaders team included founders from a broad range of companies, including TYXIT's Nicolas Abelé (ultra-low latency conferencing tech), LatticeFlow's Petar Tsankov (AI models), and, Corintis' Sam Harrison (chip cooling systems).

The founders introduced themselves to an international audience at the Startup Champions event in March, before heading to Silicon Valley for a week of pitching and networking in April.

In his report on the week in Silicon Valley, Enlightra's John Jost highlights that the trip was intense but extremely fruitful, including events like the Swiss Startup Night, organized by Swissnex. 

The roadshow also included investor pitches and feedback sessions with Kelly Chen from DCVC, Philip Stauffer from FYRFLY, Grant Allen from SE Ventures, Daniela Caserotto-Leibert from Speedinvest, Ben Narasin from Tenacity Venture Capital, and Chris Kim and Sri Rao from Union Labs. Swisscom organized an additional investor pitch session for the Swiss National Startup Team in Palo Alto as well. 

Marcos Monteiro, Co-Founder and CEO of Veezo, said the program "gave us valuable exposure to U.S. investors and to the entrepreneurial mindset of Silicon Valley. Traveling with such a high-quality team of startups was a true eye-opener! I got many new insights for our company and generated some very interesting business opportunities." 

"Being challenged by U.S. investors was very constructive in order to improve our communication and pitches," said Matteo Vanotti, Founder and CEO of xFarm. "Additionally, we breathed the atmosphere of the valley populated by tech companies; we came back to Switzerland with many inspirations."

LatticeFlow recently announced that it raised USD 12 million in a series A funding round led by Atlantic Bridge and OpenOcean, with participation from FPV Ventures, while TYXIT also recently closed a seed round with CHF 2 million.


The Venture Leaders Technology 2022 in the Bay Area, from left to right: Assaia's Max Diez, Veezoo's Marcos Monteiro, Corintis' Sam Harrison, qiio's Felix Adamczyk,  xFarm's Matteo Vanotti, LatticeFlow's Petar Tsankov, Enlightra's John Jost, TYXIT's Nicolas Abelé, Sensoryx's Fabien Werner, and Tinamu Labs' Tobias Nägeli.


 

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Venture Leaders Technology 2023 is organized by Venturelab in collaboration with our partners Kellerhals Carrard, Rothschild & Co, EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, and the Canton of Vaud.