Innosuisse Start-up Coaching

Start-up Core Coaching

Provides Switzerland innovators with hands-on guidance for startup coaching and commercialization preparation and commercialization planning.

Innosuisse Core Coaching provides Swiss science-based start-ups with a coaching voucher worth up to CHF 50,000 for sessions with Innosuisse-accredited coaches over a maximum period of 36 months. Innosuisse — Switzerland's federal innovation agency — runs Core Coaching as the middle tier of a three-level coaching ladder: Initial Coaching (CHF 10,000 over 12 months) is the entry point for very early-stage start-ups, Core Coaching is the main multi-year track, and Scale-up Coaching (CHF 75,000 over 24 months) targets start-ups ready for rapid growth. Completion of Initial Coaching is a prerequisite for Core Coaching admission; the evaluation report produced at the close of Initial Coaching forms the basis of the Core Coaching application.

The voucher funds coaches' fees only — it does not cover company project costs, salaries, or equipment. Start-ups select their coaches from the Innosuisse-accredited roster, which comprises experienced founders with a proven track record of building science-based companies. Coaches are available through the Innolink platform. The estimated annual pool is approximately CHF 15 million. Eligible applicants are Swiss-registered for-profit start-ups, typically in their first five years of operation, with an innovative and science-based business model. Non-profit organizations, universities, and research institutions are ineligible. Eligible TRL range is 2 through 6. The application is submitted online through the Innolink platform and is assessed by an independent expert and the Innosuisse Innovation Council within three to four weeks.

Core Coaching is designed for start-ups that have confirmed their innovation opportunity through Initial Coaching and are ready to use expert guidance on strategy, fundraising, market entry, and team-building over a multi-year horizon. Successful applicants demonstrate a defensible competitive advantage (IP, proprietary know-how, speed to market), a scalable business model with high market potential, and a committed team with the capacity to act on coaching recommendations. The voucher's 36-month window allows start-ups to engage coaches flexibly as strategic needs evolve rather than consuming the entire budget in a single block.