First Ventures, 3 student teams get CHF 271K and no equity taken
Three student teams just got CHF 271,440 from a Swiss foundation, and it took no equity.
On 5 November, Startupticker.ch reported the new projects funded by First Ventures, the program of the Gebert Rüf Stiftung for bachelor and master students at Swiss universities of applied sciences. The foundation funds the project, not a company. The money goes mainly to salaries of student team members at their school, plus material costs.
The new three:
- EduTab (ZHAW): CHF 121,440 in the Execute phase for a platform that digitizes timetable planning for Swiss schools. Per Startupticker.ch, 16 schools in five cantons use it today.
- VAAKA (Berner Fachhochschule BFH): CHF 100,000 for a non-fluorinated superhydrophobic coating made from wood-derived components.
- Provoqué (Universität Bern): CHF 50,000 in the Validate phase for a watch brand with interchangeable dials. It has sold 600+ watches in 35 countries, per Startupticker.ch.
How it works, by the foundation's own description: three stages. Proof is up to CHF 25,000 for three months to test feasibility. Validate is up to CHF 50,000 for six months. Execute goes up to CHF 150,000 to get a product to market. Projects that already meet a stage's goals can enter at Validate or Execute directly. Applications close quarterly, the next deadline is 1 December. Startupticker.ch calls the funding non-dilutive, and the foundation's page says projects keep their copyrights.
Who pays: Gebert Rüf Stiftung, a private foundation set up in 1998. Since 2026 the Albert Koechlin Stiftung has also committed up to CHF 1.2 million through 2029, aimed at projects from HSLU Hochschule Luzern.
The track record, by the foundation's own count: in December 2024 it reported more than 50 projects supported since the 2019 launch, over CHF 6.3 million in funding, and over CHF 22 million in follow-on funding triggered. An earlier count from December 2023 said 23 of 40 supported projects had launched a business.
For students, this is the step before Venture Kick or BRIDGE. The foundation describes First Ventures as the first entry point for universities of applied sciences graduates.