PORTFOLIO

Project presentations on the website

Every project supported by Gebert Rüf Stiftung is made accessible with a web presentation that informs about the core data of the project. With this public presentation, the foundation publishes the funding results achieved and contributes to the communication of science to society.

Close

LikeMinded – the pre-seed startup-program for professionals 2021

Editorial

The project management is responsible for the content of the information provided.

Cooperation

This project, funded by Gebert Rüf Stiftung, is supported by the following project partners: Zürcher Kantonalbank, the City of Zurich.

Project data

  • Project no: GRS-086/20 
  • Amount of funding: CHF 150'000 
  • Approved: 29.10.2020 
  • Duration: 01.2021 - 02.2022 
  • Area of activity:  Clusterförderung, seit 2018

Project management

Project description

Compared to other countries, Switzerland has an excellently developed start-up support system in the university environment. However, Switzerland cannot compete with other countries (e.g. USA, Israel, etc.) when it comes to support for professionals looking to embark on a startup journey. Bluelion would like to change this by providing a pre-seed startup program, tailor-made for professionals who want to start a tech-business. By connecting potential co-founders, supporting the team-building process, and coaching the teams during their problem/solution stage, Bluelion aims to contribute with a program, that can be seamlessly integrated into the existing ecosystem. The goal of the program is to validate both the potential of an idea, and a team constellation, at the lowest possible opportunity costs.

What is special about the project?

The program pursues a new approach of start-up promotion in Switzerland in two different ways: Firstly, the program has a strong focus on team matching and team building. Based on the internationally successful talent-investor approach, the program aims to identify and accelerate the capabilities of each participant, rather than focusing on a specific idea. Secondly, the program is designed for professionals and can be completed on a part-time basis. With only one fixed day per week, participants will receive maximum freedom to meet their milestones.

Status/Results

In 2020, an initial pilot was conducted, in 2021 another two batches were taking place. The results of the three batches in total are as follows:
- 150’000 impressions on social media
- 300 participants in LikeMinded boothcamps
- 180 applications for LikeMinded program
- 24 startups selected & incubated during the LikeMinded program
- 50% of the startups got funded six months after the program
- 20% of the startups found a matching co-founder during the program

Thanks to the funding by Gebert Rüf Stiftung, the program got initial traction and secured further funding from ZKB and the City of Zurich to implement the program in the longer term. Scaling is to be driven forward through targeted activities in various industry-verticals.

Media

Links

Persons involved in the project

Urs Stender, projekt leader
Miro Mayer, project manager
Nico Küng, project manager

Last update to this project presentation  12.04.2022