>>venture>> The Starting Line (Zürich)

Applications for the 2027 >>venture>> competition open October 1, and there's exactly one thing standing between you and the Top 200: six questions the jury will ask about your startup.

The Starting Line is where you find out how you'd answer them, before it counts. And "starting line" means exactly that — whether you've got a team, a prototype, and early traction, or just an idea you've been turning over in your head, this event is built for you.

Come learn how the competition works, how CHF 590,000 in non-dilutive funding gets distributed, and how you could walk away with up to CHF 150,000, mentoring, and a consulting package from McKinsey & Company. If it feels like the right fit, you can start your application that same evening; our team and expert mentors will be there to help you get going.

What happens on the night

Our jurors score alumni startups live, out loud, on the same six criteria that decide the 2027 competition: Innovation, Team, Technology & Product, Market, Sustainability & Impact, and Business. You'll watch real answers get real feedback: the good, the underprepared, and everything in between.

Then it's your turn:

• Writing room: sit down and draft your own answer to the most challenging of the six criteria, with structure and prompts to work from
• Clinics: small-group sessions with mentors who'll push back on your answers before you have to defend them for real
• Apéro: meet other founders, the >>venture>> team, and the people who'll be reading your application

Who should come

Any founder, co-founder, or nonprofit lead thinking about applying to the 2027 competition. Early idea, side project, or a startup already shipping- all welcome. You don't need a finished business plan. You need to be innovative.

About >>venture>>

We're celebrating 30 years of backing Switzerland's boldest founders. Since 1997, >>venture>> has run Switzerland's leading startup competition — a non-profit foundation co-organized by ETH Zurich, McKinsey & Company, Knecht Holding, Innosuisse, and EPFL. Free to enter, no equity taken, always.

The details

📍 ETH Zurich (CHN Building, Grüner Boden)
📅 October 20, 2026 — Doors open 6:00 PM
💶 Free to attend
🎯 Bring: your idea (however far along), a notebook/laptop, and your toughest unanswered question

Applications are open between October 1 – November 30, 2026. Submit by October 31 and you're automatically entered in a draw for an extra CHF 1,000. Free to enter, no equity taken, up to CHF 150,000 in prizes.

For more information, visit us at: www.venture.ch