🚀 Last chance: Apply until June 30th!
🚀 Applications are open now until June 30th.
ACCELERATION THROUGH ACCESS
DESIGNED TO MAKE GREAT TECH STARTUPS INVESTOR-READY
We empower founders like you to become investor-ready. Our highly customized 3-month program in St.Gallen – founded by the University of St.Gallen, START Global, and Swiss Innovation Park East – equips you with crucial business strategy, connects you with seasoned mentors and investors, and fast-tracks your journey to venture capital.
The current batch runs from September - November 2025 in St.Gallen, Switzerland (application window closed). Join the waitlist to make sure you don’t miss the next application window.
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
WHAT YOU WILL GET
Get funded and focus on accelerated growth
Secure a CHF 15k batch scholarship and the opportunity for up to CHF 200k in funding
Co-create with world-class experts
Receive individual coaching from leading experts from the St.Gallen ecosystem
Be investor-ready to secure your next round
Build your market strategy for ambitious growth and funding success
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
IS THIS THE RIGHT PROGRAM FOR YOU?
When identifying teams to join the program, we look for:
Location
Your company is based in Europe and you are ready to intensively work together to close the business-side gap in the program in St.Gallen.
Industry
B2B Tech business models are your thing. That can be DeepTech (AI, Robotics, HealthTech, SensorTech) as well as SaaS, Fintech, Adtech, Proptech, FoodTech, Digital Marketplaces leveraging deep technologies like GenAI.
Innovative Technology and Solution
You demonstrated first market traction and validated your MVP and now you are looking for a program helping you to secure your next funding round.
Funding stage
You are in Pre-Seed / Seed (up to CHF 1 million funding secured) and/or have up to CHF 10 million non-dilutive grants secured. If you are seeking to raise CHF 1 to 10 million equity in the next 12 months then we can help best.
Strong Founder Team
The founding team is fully committed and at least one founder should have a scientific or engineering background to get the maximum benefit out of the program.
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.