Bringing World-Class Startups to the Global Stage: The Story Behind Venture Leaders

Since 2006, Venturelab has been accelerating Switzerland’s most promising startups onto the international stage through the Swiss National Startup Team and its flagship program, Venture Leaders. As the program celebrates its 20th anniversary, we look back on how Venture Leaders started in Boston and evolved into a multi-vertical roadshow model that spans leading innovation hubs across Biotech, Cleantech, Fintech, Medtech, Mobile, and Technology.

In 2006, Switzerland produced one of the strangest stories in World Cup history. The national football team played four matches, conceded not a single goal, and still went home too early. Disciplined, reliable, technically excellent, hard to beat, but not yet decisive enough to win globally. 

 

Swiss entrepreneurship was similar

The country had outstanding science and innovation. Ideas and quality were abundant. What was missing was entrepreneurial self-confidence. Could Swiss founders build world-class companies, compete globally, attract international investors, and scale beyond a small domestic market?

 

That is the idea behind Venture Leaders

From the start, the conviction was clear: Swiss startups need to go global early. Not through theory, but through direct exposure. Not as visitors, but as players. Global business is not studied; it is experienced.

This is why the Swiss National Startup Team became central. More than a name, it was a mindset. Like football, Switzerland selects its best talents to compete abroad under a shared jersey. Venture Leaders brought that ambition to entrepreneurship: a highly competitive selection of founders representing the country, stepping into the world’s toughest arenas with the expectation to perform.

The roots trace back to the NETS program, New Entrepreneurs in Technology and Science, launched by the Gebert Rüf Foundation, to expose Swiss scientists to global entrepreneurship. Building on that foundation, the first Venture Leaders team went to Boston, training at Babson College, one of the world’s top institutions for entrepreneurship. The goal was simple: raise the bar and make global ambition tangible.

At Babson College, building entrepreneurial skills and a global mindset

That experience set the tone

As the Swiss startup ecosystem matured, so did Venture Leaders. Founders became better prepared, more ambitious, and more aware, benefiting from stronger domestic support and the experience of predecessors. At the same time, Swissnex expanded its global footprint, opening new bridges abroad.

The Venture Leaders ready to score global goals

The program evolved accordingly

What began as a single group of twenty entrepreneurs traveling for two intense weeks became more focused. The cohort stayed united initially, then split into verticalized teams in the second week, allowing deeper engagement with investors, partners, and industry ecosystems. Internationalization became more targeted as founders grew more sophisticated.

The opening of Swissnex New York, led by Felix Moesner, created access to a powerful innovation hub. The model became more specialized, with teams split by sector, while some founders engaged in New York, life sciences startups joined major events in Boston or Philadelphia. This marked the shift toward a more focused and globally connected program. New York also became the landing spot for the first Fintech team.

In 2014, Venture Leaders expanded to China under the leadership of Pascal Marmier at Swissnex China. With the support of the Swiss Embassy and Ambassador Jean-Jacques de Dardel, the program entered one of the world’s most dynamic ecosystems. Starting in Beijing and Shanghai, it later extended to cities such as Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Founders also joined the World Economic Forum – Annual Meeting of the New Champions (“Summer Davos”), connecting with Asian and global leaders shaping innovation.

From there, Venture Leaders grew into a global platform. New hubs emerged in Silicon Valley, Barcelona, London, and Munich, covering mobile, fintech, and cleantech. Today, founders benchmark themselves against the best in the world and proudly represent Swiss innovation on the global stage with Venture Leaders Biotech, Cleantech, Fintech, Medtech, Mobile, and Technology. 


What never changed was the mission

Venture Leaders did not simply take Swiss startups abroad. It redefined their frame of reference. Founders began to measure themselves not against local peers, but against the best players worldwide, and discovered where they belonged: in Silicon Valley, Shenzhen, London, Munich, Barcelona, New York, Shanghai, or Boston.

Over two decades, the shift has been profound. Venture Leaders helped Switzerland move from cautious excellence to confident ambition. It turned precision into momentum and quality into global relevance.

And in doing so, it changed the game

Because if 2006 showed Switzerland could defend at the highest level, Venture Leaders taught a generation of founders something equally essential:

How to play away,
How to compete globally, and
How to score.

Do you want to accelerate your Swiss startup?

Join the Swiss National Startup Team to pitch to international investors, connect with industry leaders, and scale your company globally, or learn more about the more than 600 accelerated startups.