🚀 Last chance: Apply until June 30th!
🚀 Applications are open now until June 30th.
ACCELERATION THROUGH PEOPLE
SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE. SUPPORT THE NEXT GENERATION.
Founded by the University of St.Gallen, START Foundation and Switzerland Innovation Park East, we connect Europe’s most promising tech founders with the entrepreneurial excellence rooted in St. Gallen. Our mentors and coaches – experienced founders, investors and industry leaders – are at the core of our program. They challenge, guide and inspire. They open doors and shift mindsets.
Have stories, scars or lessons to share with the next generation of founders?
Let’s talk. We would love to hear from you.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
Seasoned Industry Executives
Give startups feedback on their product, help navigate the market and make further introductions to potential partners, clients and investors.
Experienced Entrepeneurs
Share your experience as a founder and support startups navigate through the hard topics of their founder journey.
Subject Matter Experts
Coach startups - in 1to1 sessions or group formats - on building their market strategy for ambitious growth and funding success.
WHAT YOU WILL GET
Access to inspiring founders
Directly interact with highly vetted early-stage deep-tech startups.
Giving back to the ecosystem
Support the success of the next generation of promising founders.
Gain Community Access
Connect with other industry leaders, entrepreneurs and experts.
YOUR PATH TO EXCELLENCE
The program runs over the course of 3 months with a mix of on-site and online formats. Your presence in St.Gallen, Switzerland during the batch period is mandatory. We offer co-working facilities for startups.
Roasting Sessions
Refine your pitch with the feedback from peer founders
Expert Sessions
Hands-on sessions with experienced professionals
Tailored Coaching
Get matched with experienced business leaders
Mentorship
Regular compact sessions with your personal mentor
Boot Camp
Kickstart your journey with an intensive session
Mock Office Hours
Get directly challenged by investors
Demo Day
Shine in front of investors and raise funds on the spot
Community Events
Socialize & network in the St.Gallen ecosystem
EXPERTS THAT MOVE THE NEEDLE
To accelerate your individual path to success we match you with world-class experts and mentors like successful founders, business leaders, investors and renown experts from various fields.
Ursula Oesterle
VP Innovation at EPFL
Cornelia Gut-Villa
CEO of Startfeld Foundation
Alex Illic
Co-Founder of ETH AI Centre
Dietmar Grichnik
Vice-President of University of St. Gallen
Melanie Gabriel
Co-Founder of Yokoy
Andreas Göldi
Partner at b2venture
EXPERTS THAT MOVE THE NEEDLE
To accelerate your individual path to success we match you with world-class experts and mentors like successful founders, business leaders, investors and renown experts from various fields.
GET A SNEAK PEAK INTO THE PILOT BATCH
PREVIOUS STARTUPS
Access to the St.Gallen ecosystem is invaluable. Through the accelerator, we were able to establish valuable connections with mentors, industry experts, and potential partners who helped refine our business model and significantly influenced our development.
Felix Carl Wiegandt
Founder & CEO Inhale+, HSG START Accelerator Alumni
You’ve got the deep tech; HSG START Accelerator helps you turn it into a viable business. They equip you with the necessary tools, insights, and connections to get investor-ready and cut through the noise.
Melanie Gabriel
Co-founder Yokoy & Follow the Gradient, HSG Founder of the Year 2023
Initiatives like HSG START Accelerator are crucial, as they strengthen the connection between business and technology, ultimately benefiting the innovation landscape. Supporting tech entrepreneurs in their journey toward securing institutional investment is a vital contribution to the country's economic growth and competitiveness.
Andri Silberschmidt-Buhofer
Member of Swiss Parliament, Entrepreneur
During the HSG START Accelerator, we made significant progress with our go-to-market strategy and were also able to acquire our first customers from the St. Gallen region. As a startup, we matured considerably thanks to the intense roasting sessions with other participants and experts.
Kordian Caplazi
Founder & CEO, Rimon Technologies, HSG START Accelerator Alumni
HOW DOES THE SELECTION PROCESS WORK?
We optimize for funding success and don't waste your time.
1. APPLICATION
Applications for the current batch are closed. The application form will reopen for the next batch soon. Sign up to get notified.
online
2. ELIGIBILITY
Our team will review the eligibility of your application.
online
3. DEEP DIVE
We will host a half an hour call with qualified startups to get to know you better and clarify any open questions.
online
4. ASSESSMENT
We will invite the short-listed startups to an assessment day held at the end of June where they will pitch to our expert jury.
online
5. ONBOARDING
The selected startups will be invited to join our next cohort and will go through an onboarding proccess to prepare for the start.
in person
OUR FOUNDING PARTNERS
OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS
The HSG START Accelerator quickly explained
Based in St. Gallen, this program accelerates European Tech startups. It delivers the tailored business acumen needed to complement technical brilliance and achieve investor readiness. Startups connect directly with an unparalleled network of investors, universities, and industry leaders. It is founded by the University of St.Gallen (HSG), the START Foundation, and the Switzerland Innovation Park East (SIP Ost).
FAQ
Every startup participating in the accelerator receives a scholarship of CHF 15,000, payed out in tranches across the run time of the program. Additionally, the HSG START Accelerator invests up to CHF 200,000 into selected startups.
We focus on tech product startups in all areas, where founders integrate science and groundbreaking engineering at the heart of their ventures, which we can help to accelerate with the enterpreneurial expertise of the St.Gallen ecosystem. Please note that consultancies and pure service companies are not eligible for the accelerator.
Our startups get access to our accelerator facilities in St.Gallen, mainly at the Switzerland Innovation Park East, at the university of St.Gallen and the START foundation.
If you meet our criteria to enter the program, we strongly encourage you to apply, you could potentially accelerate your traction through the accelerator.