Scale-up Coaching grants you a voucher worth up to CHF 75 000 for coaching sessions with Innosuisse accredited coaches over a period of up to 24 months.
Once your start-up has a solid base and market access is established, the challenge is to grow your business in a sustainable way. Setting up scalable processes and defining an efficient organisation structure are key to achieving successful growth. In the Scale-up Coaching programme, you will select and work with coaches with various different backgrounds to learn how to scale your business.
Scale-up Coaching is a distinct programme aimed at start-ups with very high growth potential and is primarily intended to give them a boost, namely with support in sharpening and implementing their growth strategy. The programme is split in two phases and limited to a maximum of 24 months. It is an opportunity for you to review and implement your approach with targeted support in establishing scalable processes along with an adapted organisational structure. In addition you can get help with your networking, financing and internationalisation activities.
It is only possible to apply for this coaching voucher within a valid time period (call period).
There are currently no calls for applications in progress for the Scale-up Coaching programme. Sign up for Innosuisse’s newsletter in order to stay up to date about upcoming opportunities and more.
1. Submit application
Scale-up Coaching grants you a voucher worth up to CHF 75 000 for coaching sessions with Innosuisse accredited coaches over a period of up to 24 months.
In order to be eligible for Scale-up Coaching, your start-up must meet the following requirements:
Company founded in accordance with Swiss law within the last ten years
Innovative and science-based product or service
Business has high market potential and is defendable (IP, expertise, speed to market, etc.)
Business model is scalable and executed by an ambitious team of at least five FTEs with the potential to achieve the growth objectives
The application is to be submitted online following the link in a published call and should include:
Description of the innovative business and the motivation/vision driving it
Value proposition of offered product/service and explanation of USPs and competitive advantage
Market overview including key market drivers, addressable market size and competitor analysis
Business plan featuring general company status, details on operations, financial projections and funding status
Description of the team and their commitment and company growth plans including board members and advisors
Business achievements so far
SWOT and gap analysis
Growth strategy and execution plan including goals with defined measurable metrics and milestones
Investor pitch deck and company presentation
Do you meet the requirements? Then enter your application following the instructions in a published call for Scale-up Coaching application. You will need to register on our application platform and can go directly to the Scale-up Coaching application form after logging in. After the application has been submitted, Innosuisse will start the evaluation process.
2. Evaluation and decision
First, your application will be formally reviewed. Then, it will be assessed by an independent expert according to defined criteria. The expert will get in touch with you for a short meeting. Finally, the Innosuisse Innovation Council will decide whether to accept and decline your application to phase 1 of the Scale-up Coaching programme and you will be notified. This process usually takes four to six weeks.
Applications are assessed based on the initial application requirements.
Has all required information been submitted and is it correct?
Has the start-up been incorporated in Switzerland within the last ten years?
Does the start-up employ five or more full-time equivalents?
Applications are assessed based on the initial application requirements.
Is the business model innovative and science-based?
The developed solution and/or business model has to be considered a novelty on the market and can be associated with a scientific discipline.
Is the company at an appropriate stage of maturity?
Do past growth performance, annual revenue, financing raised, size of the team, management competencies and other elements testify to the scale-up stage of the start-up?
Has an ambitious yet realisable growth strategy been defined?
Does the company have a high growth rate or growth potential of ≥30%?
Does the scale-up company have the potential to achieve a significant market share in its segment?
Is the product/service defendable?
For a start-up to succeed, it is crucial that it has a competitive advantage. This can be a valuable IP (patent, trademark), specific expertise, or particular speed to market, etc.
Does the start-up team have global ambitions and committed interests in the company’s growth?
Building a start-up is very dynamic and requires a lot of time and effort. Therefore the start-up team must be committed, agile in terms of execution and receptive to input.
Is the business idea sustainable?
The business idea must not have any negative impact on the sustainable development of society, the economy or the environment; ideally, it should actively contribute to sustainable development.
The Innosuisse Innovation Council decides on your application based on the information and assessments submitted. Innosuisse informs you by email that your application has been approved. You will also receive an official letter by IncaMail within the following few weeks. Coaching will begin as soon as the coaching voucher has been activated in the system.
The Innosuisse Innovation Council decides on your application based on the information and assessments submitted. Innosuisse informs you by email that your application has been rejected. An official letter setting out the reasons for the rejection will be sent to you by IncaMail within the following few weeks.
A rejected application can be revised and submitted to Innosuisse as a new application in a subsequent Scale-up Coaching call, provided that the criteria that formed the basis of the objection have been changed and the remaining requirements are still met. The newly submitted application will be re-evaluated according to the usual evaluation process.
3. Scale-up Coaching phase 1
If your application is approved, you will receive a partial voucher that can be used for services by Innosuisse coaches as part of phase 1 of the Scale-up Coaching programme. An additional voucher budget will be released when you are admitted to phase 2 of the programme. The overall coaching process and voucher management is tracked and managed in the Innosuisse online tool. You will be instructed on how to proceed once you are accepted for the coaching.
In the first phase of the Scale-up Coaching you have eight to ten weeks to perform a deep-dive analysis of your growth strategy, with the aim of identifying specific and systemic issues to unlock in order to achieve maximum growth over the following two years. To do this, you will work with a team of scale-up coaches experienced in key areas relevant to your business and challenges.
To conclude phase 1 and in order to gain access to phase 2, you will have to submit an application in the form of a report and present your business growth goals and the resulting business growth concept. A specific Innosuisse committee will decide on your admission to phase 2.
The Innosuisse coaches supporting you in the Scale-up Coaching have a proven track record in growing and scaling companies, are well versed in innovation and have excellent connections.
In the Scale-up Coaching, you will invite a subset of Innosuisse scale-up coaches to be your coaching team using the Innosuisse online tool. Innosuisse can support you with the selection. The coach team will guide you through the programme and work with you on the development of your business. Where necessary, additional coaches can be consulted.
In order to complete phase 1 and to apply for phase 2 of the Scale-up Coaching programme, you have to submit a specific evaluation report within eight to ten weeks of starting the coaching.
The report must include key findings of phase 1 along with defined growth goals and planned milestones. In addition, the following supporting documents will be needed: business presentation, growth strategy, a detailed financial plan, and an investor pitch deck.
Based on the input provided, an independent expert will assess the growth strategy and potential of your scale-up as well as the general programme requirements, and you will be notified accordingly.
Positive evaluation Innosuisse will inform you of the outcome by email and you will be invited to a Scale-up Award meeting to pitch to an Innosuisse committee.
Negative evaluation Innosuisse will inform you of the negative decision by email and by IncaMail. The communication will explain why the review was not successful. A negative decision closes the coaching voucher.
This process usually takes about two to three weeks.
In order to gain access to phase 2 of the Scale-up Coaching, you will have to present your business growth goals and the resulting business growth concept at a Scale-up Award meeting to a committee of experts and representatives of the Innovation Council of Innosuisse. The committee will decide on your admission to phase 2 of the programme. If the decision is positive, you will receive the Innosuisse Scale-up Award.
4. Innosuisse Scale-up Award
In order to gain access to phase 2 of the Scale-up Coaching programme, you will have to present your business growth goals and the resulting business growth concept at a Scale-up Award meeting to a committee of experts and representatives of the Innosuisse Innovation Council. The committee will decide on your admission to phase 2. If the decision is positive, you will receive the Innosuisse Scale-up Award.
The presentation is assessed based on the initial Scale-up Coaching application requirements and considering the outcome of phase 1 of the programme. Assessment criteria:
Is the business model innovative and science-based?
The developed solution and/or business model has to be considered a novelty on the market and can be associated with a scientific discipline.
Is the company at an appropriate stage of maturity?
Do past growth performance, annual revenue, financing raised, size of the team, management competencies and other elements testify to the scale-up stage of the start-up?
Has an ambitious yet realisable growth strategy been defined?
Does the company have a high growth rate or growth potential of ≥30%?
Does the scale-up company have the potential to achieve a significant market share in its segment?
Is the product/service defendable?
For a start-up to be successful, it is crucial that it has a competitive advantage. This can be a valuable IP (patent, trademark), specific expertise, or particular speed to market, etc.
Does the start-up team have global ambitions and committed interests in the company's growth?
Building a start-up is very dynamic and requires a lot of time and effort. Therefore the start-up team must be committed, agile in terms of execution and receptive to input.
Is the business idea sustainable?
The business idea must not have any negative impact on the sustainable development of society, the economy or the environment; ideally, it should actively contribute to sustainable development.
The Innosuisse Innovation Council decides on your application based on the information and assessments submitted. Innosuisse will inform you of the approval at the Scale-up Award meeting and by email and IncaMail, including the Innosuisse Scale-up Award.
This process usually takes about two to four weeks. All required documents are to be uploaded using the Innosuisse online tool and a review request is to be sent to Innosuisse by email (startup@innosuisse.ch).
The Innosuisse Innovation Council decides on your application based on the information and assessments submitted. Innosuisse will inform you of the negative decision by IncaMail. The communication will explain why the application was not approved. A negative decision closes the coaching voucher.
This process usually takes about two to four weeks. All required documents are to be uploaded using the Innosuisse online tool and a review request is to be sent to Innosuisse by email (startup@innosuisse.ch).
5. Scale-up Coaching phase 2
If your application to phase 2 of the Scale-up Coaching programme is approved, you will receive an additional voucher budget that you can use for coaching services by Innosuisse coaches. An additional budget for the coaching will be released on a staggered basis as each specific milestone set by Innosuisse is reached until the granted voucher has expired. The overall coaching process and voucher management is tracked and managed in the Innosuisse online tool.
Phase 2 of the Scale-up Coaching is used primarily to address the key development issues identified in phase 1 and to further develop the growth strategy, including organisational processes and structures, by consulting different scale-up coaches and special coaches. The aim is to achieve maximum growth with the granted voucher in the remaining time of the total two-year coaching period.
In addition to the coaching, the programme includes peer-to-peer networking, workshops and other events focusing on relevant topics to further promote the growth of your business.
The Innosuisse coaches supporting you in the Scale-up Coaching have a proven track record in growing and scaling companies, are well versed in innovation and have excellent connections.
In the Scale-up Coaching, you will invite a subset of Innosuisse scale-up coaches to be your coaching team using the Innosuisse online tool. Innosuisse can support you with the selection. The coach team will guide you through the programme and will work with you on the development of your business. Where necessary, additional coaches can be consulted.
You have the opportunity to receive advice from specialist coaches on matters such as intellectual property, fundraising and investor relations, organisational growth, scaling and other topics in the form of individual workshops. You can book special coaches using the Innosuisse online tool and your lead coach or coach team will support you in your selection.
To structure and support the coaching process, the scale-up has to commit to milestones set by Innosuisse and report on their progress at a Milestone Review within a given time frame. Milestones are specific to each business case and in the interests of the development of the scale-up.
6. Milestone Review
In phase 2 of the Scale-up Coaching programme, the voucher is split into multiple checkpoints to support the process and ensure progress. The checkpoints are defined by milestones set by Innosuisse and start-ups have to report on their progress at milestone reviews within a given time frame. Milestones are specific to each business case and ae defined in the interests of the successful development of the scale-up.
You will be invited to a Milestone Review meeting to present the progress of your scale-up.
The start-up is set specific milestones in achieving the evaluation criteria, and the meeting is held to discuss the progress made in meeting the criteria under certain conditions.
Positive evaluation Innosuisse will inform you of the outcome of the review at the meeting and by email. An additional voucher budget will be released if required, and the next steps and new milestones will be defined.
Negative evaluation Innosuisse will inform you of the negative decision by e-mail and IncaMail. The communication will explain why the review was not successful. A negative decision closes the coaching voucher.
This process usually takes about two to three weeks.
Scale-up Coaching is completed when the voucher expires. This has to be done within 24 months of initiating the programme beginning with phase 1 of the Scale-up Coaching.
The coaching voucher is ready for closure once the voucher has expired. To close the voucher, you will need to:
Approve the last payments for completed coaching session
Give feedback to Innosuisse on the coaching programme
The Scale-up Coaching is considered closed once all open tasks are finished.
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
More information
The Innosuisse coaches
As part of Start-up Coaching, Innosuisse coaches support entrepreneurs to help them set up and develop their start-ups.
