Venture Kick

Venture Kick — Stage 3

Funds Venture Kick scale-up companies with bridge capital and follow-on equity support toward expansion.

Venture Kick Stage 3 is the final stage of the Venture Kick competition, awarding a CHF 100,000 convertible loan to startups that have advanced through both Stage 1 and Stage 2. The convertible loan carries a 5 percent annual interest rate and converts into equity at the startup's next significant equity funding round at the same valuation — no conversion discount applies. Approximately 50 percent of Stage 2 winners advance to Stage 3, meaning roughly one in five startups that pass initial screening ultimately reach this stage. Access is invite-only based on Stage 2 completion; there is no independent entry path.

The total Venture Kick funding ceiling per startup is CHF 150,000 across all three stages: CHF 10,000 non-repayable grant at Stage 1 plus CHF 40,000 convertible loan at Stage 2 plus CHF 100,000 convertible loan at Stage 3. Stage 3 winners gain access to the Kickfund equity follow-on instrument, which can provide up to CHF 850,000 in equity investment — this is a separate vehicle, not a grant, and is administered outside the Venture Kick grant structure. The pre-commercial eligibility constraints continue through Stage 3: no employees, no commercial revenues, and no prior professional or institutional investor funding.

The Venture Kick program has operated for over a decade with a sector-agnostic mandate and a historical bias toward deep-tech and Swiss academic spin-offs. The program has produced two unicorns — Climeworks (carbon capture) and Cyberhaven (cybersecurity). The full three-stage program duration is approximately nine months from first application to Stage 3 completion. Companies must be established in Switzerland and committed to creating Swiss jobs. Stage 3 represents the bridge point from the Venture Kick non-dilutive and convertible funding track to equity-scale financing via the Kickfund, making it the critical juncture in the Venture Kick commercialization pathway.