Project Switzerland Unites Top Founders to Build Global Tech Leaders

2026-01-15 global

Zurich, Thursday, 15 January 2026.
Launched on January 15, 2026, Project Switzerland represents a strategic pivot from pure innovation to industrial scaling, aiming to secure the nation’s technological sovereignty. This initiative addresses a critical economic paradox: while Switzerland leads globally in research, it struggles to produce large-scale tech giants. To bridge this “growth gap,” twenty of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs—including founders of unicorns like Scandit and GetYourGuide—have committed to personally mentoring ten high-growth scale-ups annually. By transferring hard-won operational expertise directly to the next generation, the program seeks to fortify the Swiss ecosystem against international competition and ensure long-term economic prosperity.

Bridging the Innovation-to-Scale Divide

The initiative, spearheaded by the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation, officially launched in mid-January 2026 to address a persistent economic challenge: the difficulty of translating research excellence into industrial dominance [1][4]. While Switzerland is frequently cited as a world champion in innovation and patent creation, it faces a “growth gap” when it comes to scaling companies internationally [4]. Project Switzerland operates on the conviction that while the country possesses strong talent, technology, and capital, the specific operational expertise required to build global market leaders is often missing from the local ecosystem [8]. As Christoph Aeschlimann noted in support of the project, access to leaders with proven scaling experience is “often worth more than a million in funding” for startups attempting to navigate this critical transition [7].

Rigorous Selection for High-Growth Potential

The program is highly selective, designed to identify and support only the most promising high-growth ventures. Each year, up to ten scale-ups will be chosen to participate in the 12-month curriculum, which includes at least two hours of monthly direct support from assigned role models, curated matchmaking, and access to an exclusive alumni community [1][4]. To be eligible for nomination, a company must be headquartered in Switzerland and meet at least three of four specific financial and operational criteria: an annual recurring revenue (ARR) between CHF 2 million and CHF 10 million, a market potential exceeding CHF 200 million, a team size of more than 15 employees, or financing of at least CHF 2 million raised from professional investors [4].

A Task Force of Unicorn Founders

The core asset of Project Switzerland is its roster of 20 “Role Models,” a group comprising unicorn founders and serial entrepreneurs who have built companies with valuations or revenues exceeding CHF 100 million [1]. Prominent figures committed to the initiative include Samuel Müller, CEO and Co-Founder of Scandit; Tobias Rein, Co-Founder of GetYourGuide; and Bettina Hein, a serial tech entrepreneur known for her work with juli and Pixability [1][4]. Other key leaders providing their expertise include Olivier Gaudin of SonarSource, Adrien Treccani of Metaco, and Vincent Bieri, Co-Founder of Nexthink [1].

Sources

Tech Sovereignty Entrepreneurship