The HSG START Accelerator at a glance

Rooted in St.Gallen’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, helping tech founders succeed.

We support selected European tech startups on their path to investor readiness by giving founders access to our ecosystem, experts and capital. Our program builds the business and strategic capabilities needed to complement technical excellence, unlock growth and succeed in fundraising. Founders connect directly with investors as well as academic and industry leaders, and startups in our program receive a grant, with the possibility of additional investment where appropriate. We operate as a non-profit and were founded by the University of St.Gallen, Switzerland Innovation Park Ost and START Foundation.

APPLY NOW

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM

GET IN TOUCH

TEAM

Our team combines academic excellence, entrepreneurial mindset and professional industry experience. We bring together diverse backgrounds in venture building, innovation and management to support founders on their journey from idea to investment.

OPERATIONS TEAM

Katharina Schneider

Chief Investment Officer

Nicolas Blanchard

Chief Executive Officer

Tim Moser

Senior Program Manager

Victoria Mascher

Startup Scout

PROGRAM TEAM

Barbara Schmid

Startup Coach @ SIPO

Bernd Schneider

Co-Head of Entrepreneurship @ HSG

Diego Probst

Head of Startup Support @ SIPO

Maria Luisa Fuchs

Co-Head of Entrepreneurship @ HSG

Michael Deuber

Startup Coach @ SIPO

Niklas Rückwald

Startup Coach @ SIPO, Research Associate @ HSG

Join our Team

At HSG START Accelerator, we are driven by the ambition to empower founders and strengthen the startup ecosystem. Join us in building a program that combines academic excellence, entrepreneurial spirit and real-world impact.

Currently no open positions.

Board

Our boards bring strategic perspective, entrepreneurial experience and a shared commitment to fostering a vibrant ecosystem that empowers ambitious founders and accelerates impactful ventures.