Startup Weekend Switzerland – Less talk, more action!

From idea to start-up in 54 hours

Startup Weekend is a 54-hour weekend event, during which groups of developers, business managers, startup enthusiasts, Startup Weekend is a three-day program where aspiring entrepreneurs can experience startup life. In hundreds of cities around the world.

Why Startup Weekend?

Connect with other creators

Startup Weekend is a great place to connect with passionate people driven to build something new. There is no better place to meet new friends, colleagues, mentors, cofounders, and investors.

Start something great

Knowing you’re not alone can make all the difference. Startup Weekend provides participants many opportunities to engage and connect with like-minded individuals — and truly start something amazing.

Learn from the best

Learn what it really takes to innovate, disrupt, and start a company from people who’ve been there. Startup Weekend features deep experiential learning guided by an experienced hand.

Improve your knowledge

Sometimes you really need more skills and knowledge to go to the next level. Startup Weekend also goes deep on specific topics or skill sets. Just what you need to progress quickly.

Next events in Switzerland

Lausanne – February 25-27, 2022
Zurich – Spring 2022
Biel/Bienne – June 12-16, 2022
Geneva

What happens at Startup Weekend?

Friday: Participants arrive in the evening, begin networking, and grab dinner. After an ice-breaking game and a short introduction, the “Pitchfire” will commence: anyone intending to pitch will have 60 seconds to give their best pitch. No presentations or props needed for Friday, it will just be you and a mic. After pitches are finished, all attendees will vote on their favorite ideas. The top ideas will be selected to be worked on over the weekend. Before the end of the night, you will pick your teams, brainstorm and prepare for the weekend.

Saturday: Doors open in the morning with coffee and light breakfast. Teams will work all day, with the occasional breaks, lunch, and dinner and to listen to 1-2 short talks to help you throughout the process. Coaches will be circulating to provide advice in the field of their expertise for those teams that want it.

Sunday: Doors open in the morning again and teams will work uninterrupted from morning until mid-afternoon. You should begin wrapping up product/prototype, marketings, and presentation around in the afternoon to do tech-checks and practice their pitches/demonstration. Final presentations will begin in the late afternoon. Each team typically has 5 minutes plus 2-3 minutes Q&A from the judges (this varies based on the number of teams). The judges will select the top teams & give out prizes.

Is this for me?

If you are interested in entrepreneurship the answer is most likely yes. Startup Weekend attendee backgrounds are roughly 50% technical/creative (developers, designers, etc) and 50% business (marketing, business, finance, etc). Whether you are an entrepreneur or new to the startup scene, if you motivated to build a product or startup and open to new ideas you’ll fit right in. Attendees are roughly 50 % female and 50 % male.