Work through a range of training modules in order to develop your skills as an entrepreneur. This course will help you to create, take over or reorient a start-up. Develop your science-based entrepreneurship skills through a range of courses, events and workshops organised throughout Switzerland. The Entrepreneurship Training support offer is free of charge.
This support offer is aimed at:
anyone interested in entrepreneurship;
anyone wishing to start a company;
anyone who has recently started a company;
anyone wishing to participate in an existing company;
anyone wishing to reorient their business activities in a more innovative direction.
Entrepreneurship Training at a glance
The modules offered are designed to stimulate your entrepreneurial thinking, strengthen your science-based entrepreneurship skills, encourage interaction with other participants, and introduce you to the wide range of support offers provided by Innosuisse. More than a hundred trainers and experts from different fields will guide you along this journey.
The modules are held in a number of formats and at various locations in Switzerland. They can be selected individually based on your needs. If you already have some knowledge of entrepreneurship, you can jump straight to the modules that interest you.
Overview and objectives of the individual modules
Innosuisse recently held a webinar showcasing the various support offers for start-ups at each stage of their development, featuring a testimonial from Agrosustain. If you were unable to attend or would like to watch it again, the recording is available here. Password: Inno4Suisse
Get Started
Start the Entrepreneurship Training programme with an introductory online module, which aims to familiarise you with the world of entrepreneurship. Draw inspiration from the journeys of multiple founders to integrate practical advice from the outset and explore the options for founding a start-up. Digital materials will be available to you at any time free of charge.
Learn the basics of entrepreneurship with some helpful tips online.
Module 1: Business Ideas
Participate in Business Ideas events and get to know seasoned entrepreneurs. Get inspired by their experiences. Events are organised on the themes of raising awareness of entrepreneurship and diversity.
Students, PhD students and postdoctoral students, professors and staff of universities, universities of applied sciences or research institutes, alumni and any other individuals interested in science-based entrepreneurship are encouraged to participate.
Business Ideas events help you to get familiarised with how to create and run a company, while also learning about the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship. You’ll also explore the potential of an alternative career as an entrepreneur, while also learning more about the start-up ecosystem and networking.
Diversity awareness events are also organised and will give you the opportunity to meet start-up founders and teams from various backgrounds. This will help you to get a better understanding of the crucial impact of diversity on the performance and success of their companies. It is also a chance to build a network and get feedback on your ideas.
These events are held as in-person evening classes lasting two to four hours.
Courses are taught by the following providers. You’ll find the necessary information and documents on their respective websites.
Module 2 Business Concept gives you the basic knowledge and skills needed to create a start-up. It guides you through the evaluation of your project idea, helps you to determine whether starting a company is a viable option and provides you with information about the different stages of the entrepreneurial process. This course also allows you to expand and develop your network in the start-up ecosystem.
Students, PhD students and postdoctoral students, professors and staff of universities, universities of applied sciences or research institutes, alumni and any other professionals or experienced individuals who are considering an entrepreneurial path and are interested in science-based entrepreneurship are encouraged to participate. Anyone wishing to take an idea further can participate on an individual basis. The existence of a team is not a prerequisite, as teams will be formed during the courses.
Module 2 starts with a Boot Camp. You’ll spend a whole day as part of a team (formed ad hoc) and discuss your business ideas within the group.
This is followed by the Business Concept classes, which combine a theoretical and a practical part. You’ll learn the key elements for creating a start-up, such as building a team, honing your ideas, developing financial plans and managing intellectual property. You’ll then have the opportunity to present the ideas that you have developed in order to get feedback from all of the trainers and all of the participants. Ten in-person classes are held as evening sessions, each lasting four hours. You’ll be guided throughout these sessions by experts in various topics.
Finally, you can participate in Alumni Events, which enable you to share your feedback with other participants and to develop your network.
Courses are taught by the following providers. You’ll find the necessary information and documents on their respective websites.
Setbacks are not uncommon in the development phase of a start-up and the obstacles encountered can be daunting. This is precisely where Module 2+ Business Validation comes in. It helps instil resilience during difficult patches and provides decision-making tools to determine whether to pursue an idea or consider a change of course. To this end, feedback from the market is always taken into account and the product’s suitability for the market is fine-tuned, without requiring you to give up on entrepreneurship.
Module 2+ is aimed at anyone who has completed Module 2, but is not yet ready to launch their start-up within six to twelve months. It will help you to move your project forward with a view to better adapting to the market and to building a team.
The initial ideas developed during Module 2 often require some reorientation. The Pivoting the Idea course will guide you during this repositioning process, while also helping you to rebuild your entrepreneurial project without abandoning it and, as a result, strengthen your resilience. Over two four-hour sessions spread over two evenings, you’ll learn how to ensure that your product idea will fit the market or how to reorient it.
Co-founder matchmaking events lasting two to three hours are organised in parallel, to enable you to meet co-founders and potential employees.
Courses are taught by the following providers. You’ll find the necessary information and documents on their respective websites.
Are you preparing to create your start-up, are you about to do so or have just done so? Module 3 Business Creation provides you with the tools that you need to complete this process and increase your chances of success when going to market. The courses offered cover five different topic areas: Energy & Environment, Engineering, ICT, Life Sciences and Social Sciences & Business Management.
Entrepreneurs who have just founded their start-up or firmly intend to do so in the next twelve months. They will all have already developed their business ideas on a scientific or technological basis. Participants must represent a start-up and have already formed a small team.
With Module 3 Business Creation, you’ll attend training on creating and managing your start-up in the stimulating economic sectors.
You’ll perfect your business plan and pitch deck. This training course runs over five days of intensive classes.
Ecosystem events are organised in parallel in order to enable you to meet industrial partners in your subject area and to establish initial contacts with the leading players in the industries in question.
Depending on the subject areas, the courses are taught by the following providers in the cities mentioned.
Workshops are organised to help you to further deepen your knowledge on specific topics, targeting the areas where you need even more detailed expertise.
These Workshops are aimed at entrepreneurs who intend to create their start-up in the next twelve months or who have already founded it and have already completed other training modules.
Participate in various specialised Workshops to deepen your knowledge and fill in any gaps. You will benefit from the advice of trainers who are experts in their field and will network with other young entrepreneurs facing similar challenges. These Workshops, lasting two to four hours, are adapted to participants' needs. Topics covered include:
financing the start-up;
internationalisation strategy;
IP assessment;
pitch training and pitch deck preparation;
pricing strategy;
financial assessment and planning.
The Workshops are organised by Venturelab at various locations throughout Switzerland, based on the needs expressed.
