The Alpine Cluster.
The Alpine Cluster is a high-density innovation corridor where research universities, industrial capability, capital, and ambitious talent compound across borders from Lausanne and Zurich to St. Gallen, Munich, Stuttgart, Heilbronn, and Milano.
Top 3
innovation cluster globally
WEF Global Competitiveness Report 2023
CHF 38B+
annual R&D investment across cluster universities
Swiss Federal Statistical Office
3 Top 30
universities in the wider cluster ranked in the global top 30
QS World University Rankings 2025
Where START Operates
St. Gallen — Zurich
START Foundation operates primarily along the St. Gallen–Zurich axis — a corridor where academic excellence, entrepreneurial ambition, and practical institution-building can reinforce each other.
~50,000
~50,000 students across ETH Zurich, University of St. Gallen, FH OST, and partner institutions
CHF 1.5B+
Over CHF 1.5B in annual venture investment activity in the Zurich–St. Gallen corridor
100+
Home to 100+ of Switzerland's fastest-scaling technology and deep-tech ventures
55 min
55-minute direct rail connection between St. Gallen and Zurich — one integrated talent corridor
Ecosystem
The Ecosystem Around START Foundation
START Foundation sits upstream — building the talent base before it enters the ecosystem. The existing venture support, infrastructure, and entrepreneurial initiatives below represent the broader environment our builders graduate into.
How START Foundation fits
Student talent
ETH Zurich · HSG · FH OST · EPFL
START Foundation
Founders · product leaders · researchers
moving into companies, jobs, and innovation.
Around START Foundation
Universities & Research
Talent pipeline & research excellence
Funding & Grants
Early-stage financial support
Startup Programs & Acceleration
Programs and founder support
Innovation Infrastructure
Physical & institutional infrastructure
Ecosystem & Community
Broader ecosystem organisations
Events & Community Programs
Flagship events & gatherings
Corporates & Industry
Partner announcements coming soon.
Co-Founding Initiative
HSG START Accelerator
START Foundation is a co-founding partner of the HSG START Accelerator — a further initiative supporting deep tech commercialization along the Alpine axis. We have no operational involvement with the accelerator, but share the conviction that connecting academic deep tech with entrepreneurial execution is a key lever for the region.
Get Involved
Build where it matters.
START operates at the intersection of Europe's strongest academic, entrepreneurial, and industrial cluster.