Kickstart Innovation

Kickstart does not provide direct funding or take equity in participating startups. Instead, the platform facilitates paid proof-of-concept projects and commercial contracts with its coalition of corporate partners. Financial benefits accrue through revenue from these corporate agreements rather than from program capital deployment.

The coalition includes Swiss multinationals such as Swisscom, Coop, Credit Suisse, AXA, Migros, and the City of Zurich. Partners fund the program's operating costs and commit to evaluating pilot deployments with cohort startups. Partnership terms are negotiated annually, with each partner typically engaging in multiple proof-of-concept projects per cohort.

Kickstart takes no equity and charges no fees to startups, functioning as an open innovation intermediary rather than an investment vehicle. Unlike accelerators that provide seed capital in exchange for ownership, Kickstart generates deal flow for its corporate sponsors, who gain structured access to vetted European startups without the signaling effects of direct corporate venture capital.

Kickstart targets late-seed and early-stage startups that have a minimum viable product and initial market traction, positioning them for enterprise pilot engagements. Companies typically have fewer than 25 employees and have raised some initial capital, though Kickstart itself does not invest or impose funding prerequisites.

The program currently operates across EdTech & New Work, FinTech & InsurTech, Food & Retail Tech, HealthTech, Smart Cities, and Technology. In its 10th cohort, Kickstart has expanded to emphasize deep-tech and climate-relevant innovation.

Alumni include Planted Foods, a plant-based protein company that raised over CHF 100 million in a Series B round, and Yokoy, an AI expense management platform that secured $80 million in Series B funding. Both companies established initial commercial relationships through the Kickstart program before raising substantial institutional capital.

Governance rests with an advisory board composed of representatives from key corporate partners and founding institutions. Day-to-day operations are run by a managing director and a core team in Zurich. The coalition structure means strategic priorities—such as sector additions or geographic expansion—are typically ratified by partner consensus.