Project Switzerland: 20 outstanding entrepreneurs for next-gen market leaders
Switzerland is consistently hailed as the world champion of innovation. Yet, the critical challenge remains: scaling these innovations into enduring, global companies. Many promising Swiss tech firms often get sold too early. To secure our future prosperity and technological sovereignty, we urgently need to cultivate more global tech giants.
The toughest hurdle is transitioning from a startup to a scaleup. This is a phase where complexity and risks dramatically increase, and founders are often navigating it for the very first time. This is the scaling gap that Project Switzerland aims to close.
The Role Models: Experience empowering potential
Project Switzerland, initiated by Deep Tech Nation Switzerland and its partners, including HSG Start Accelerator, Swiss Startup Association, startup days, SICTIC, and FONGIT, is a national initiative designed to accelerate the growth of the next generation of Swiss tech market leaders.
The cornerstone of this mission is the involvement of 20 outstanding Swiss and international Unicorn founders and serial entrepreneurs. These individuals are stepping up as “Role Models” to share their wealth of experience.
What’s missing is a deep bench of operators that know how to scale. I want to help build that!
– Bettina Hein, Serial Tech Entrepreneur and Role Model
They are committed to sharing experience at eye level, allowing promising founders to learn directly from those who have built and scaled global billion-franc companies.
The program is not a fixed curriculum. Instead, the scaleups define the topics they need help with and discuss them directly with the Role Models. This peer-to-peer approach offers clarity, confidence, and helps avoid costly mistakes, fostering a culture of learning and risk-taking essential for building global champions. Project Switzerland is turning the scaling struggle into momentum, ensuring Swiss innovation translates into global leadership.
It’s time for action. Switzerland needs a culture of scale, not just invention. I’m in to contribute forward — let’s turn scaling from struggle to momentum.
– Vincent Bieri, Co-founder Nexthink, Triple Swiss Unicorn
Project Switzerland launches in January 2026
Project Switzerland is launching in January 2026. Then we will reveal all role models and more details about the initiative. To be the first to receive all the details register on Project Switzerland (www.project-switzerland.ch) and follow on LinkedIn.
More information in German can be found in the latest Bilanz article about Project Switzerland.