START Foundation · Non-profit foundation · St. Gallen
We foster entrepreneurship and innovation for sustainable growth
By fostering entrepreneurship as well as economic and technological innovation, we help sustainable economic growth unfold.
Our thesis
What we build on
Three observations shape how we work. For each one we have a clear answer.
01
AI is rewriting the playbook
AI is changing the entrepreneurial playbook fundamentally, and so fast that academic programmes can barely keep up.
Our answer
Peer-to-peer, not a syllabus
02
Simple hurdles slow founders down
Early-stage founders often fail on simple frictions that can be removed.
Our answer
Rent & Ramen: we cover the basic living costs
03
Access decides
Building early takes access to the most advanced technology and the right network.
Our answer
Technology and network in one place
Who we are
A non-profit foundation based in St. Gallen
The START Foundation builds practical, interdisciplinary skills for the next generation of builders. To get there, we build the bridges it takes at institutional, private and academic level.
More about us →What we do
Flagship
HSG ETH Student Project House
The first structural bridge between ETH and HSG. A place where interdisciplinary student teams build real projects.
Learn more →
Performance programme
Hacker House
The best builders from the Alpine region live and build together for a set time: applied AI in St. Gallen, hardware in Buchs.
Learn more →
Where we operate
At the heart of the Alpine Cluster
From Lausanne via Zurich, St. Gallen and Heilbronn to Munich, and everywhere in between: research, industry, capital and talent work together across borders. We build the bridges between these places, from our base in St. Gallen.
Top 3
innovation clusters worldwide
WEF 2023
~50,000
students at ETH, HSG, FH OST and partners
Official partner of the
AI Triangle
The AI Triangle is a joint initiative of TUM Venture Labs, the ETH AI Center, IPAI and Campus Founders, building a leading AI cluster across Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Switzerland.
Our role in the AI Triangle is applying AI in real projects and taking them to market.
Build with us