
About Venturelab
Venturelab is a Swiss company that supports startups with training courses, competitions and awards. It describes itself as fully private.
It began in 2004 as a national entrepreneurship training initiative, commissioned by the federal innovation agency and run by IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen in St. Gallen. The company behind it, registered in 2001 under the IFJ name, now operates as Venturelab AG from Schlieren near Zurich, with further offices at the EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne and in St. Gallen.
Its programme history includes Venture Leaders (2006), Venture Kick (2007), the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award (2011) and the Swisscom Startup Challenge (2013).
Since 2018 Venturelab has been one of the providers of the Innosuisse Entrepreneurship Training, the free programme of the Swiss innovation agency. It teaches the early modules in western Switzerland and the Business Creation course in several cities. Shorter workshops cover topics such as financial planning and pricing.
Upcoming events by Venturelab

Business Creation Engineering
By Innosuisse
Master market validation, team building, financial planning, and investor pitching in this practical 5-day engineering venture workshop.

Business Ideas Geneva
By Venturelab
Explore the world of entrepreneurship, learn startup essentials, and network with successful founders and collaborators.

Business Ideas Neuchâtel
By Venturelab
This dynamic event series brings the world of entrepreneurship to your campus, offering inspiration, networking, and practical skills for aspiring founders.

Venture Briefing @ FHNW Brugg
By Venturelab
Discover the startup ecosystem at FHNW Brugg, learn firsthand from Liquid founder Brian Livingstone, and explore valuable support and funding opportunities over lunch.

Smart IP Strategy for Life Sciences Startups
By Venturelab
This workshop focuses on developing effective intellectual property strategies for life sciences startups, covering patent requirements, collaboration contracts, and case studies.

Venture Briefing St. Gallen
By Venturelab
Gain firsthand insights into startup creation from Iron Energy co-founder Daniel Bloch. Discover key funding programs and connect over a complimentary lunch.
Past events on Ventranet
- Business Creation Life Sciences1 October 2026 · Lausanne
- Founders Circle Workshop: Incentive Plans for Employees (tax & legal)29 September 2026 · Lausanne
- Business Ideas Lausanne28 September 2026 · Lausanne
- Business Concept Fribourg25 September 2026 · Fribourg
- Business Concept Lausanne25 September 2026 · Lausanne
- Business Concept Geneva25 September 2026 · Geneva
- Ask the Expert: Exit Scenarios23 September 2026 · Zürich
- Smart IP Strategy for Engineering Startups23 September 2026 · Zürich
- Ask the Expert: Term Sheet22 September 2026 · Lausanne
- Webinar: State of Cleantech in Switzerland 202622 September 2026
- Business Concept Yverdon17 September 2026 · Lausanne
- Pricing Workshop17 September 2026 · Zürich
- Business Creation Life Sciences10 September 2026 · Bern
- Top100 Swiss Investor Summit 20269 September 2026 · Zürich
- Ecosystem Event Life Sciences27 August 2026
- Business Creation Social Sciences & Business Management26 August 2026
- Ask the Expert: ESOP Building Smart Incentive Plans25 August 2026
- Business Creation24 August 2026
- Sales for Startups20 August 2026
- Webinar: State of Medtech in Switzerland 202619 August 2026
- Business Creation ICT18 August 2026
- Webinar: State of Fintech in Switzerland 202618 August 2026
- Fundraising & Investor Relations2 July 2026
- Financial Assessment & Planning1 July 2026
- Ask the Expert: How to spin out of University23 June 2026















