What S2S Ventures does

S2S Ventures AG is a fully student-led pre-seed venture capital fund based in Zug, Switzerland, founded in 2021. The fund deploys a standardized CHF 25,000 first check into startups whose founders have graduated (or recently graduated) from Swiss higher-education institutions, operating across hubs in Zurich, St. Gallen, and Lausanne. Its investment vehicle is a Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA) with multiple term sheets, positioning S2S as the first institutional money in — typically after friends-and-family and angel rounds and before formal pre-seed rounds, including pre-incorporation scenarios. The stated decision cycle is approximately 3 weeks from initial contact to wire transfer.

The fund's core "product" is not a technology platform but a structured bundle of investment and portfolio services: first-check capital, shared due-diligence credibility to enable subsequent raises, direct introductions to a curated investor network, portfolio events (including the Portfolio Summit), operations and recruiting support, legal office hours, and ancillary benefits such as AWS credits. S2S targets a portfolio spanning agriculture, enterprise SaaS, deep tech, health and life sciences, climate and sustainability, digital economy, and education, with named investments including Adaptyv Biosystems, askEarth, Biosimo Chemicals, Bloom, Blooper, Browser Use, Citus, Forgis, FRIGG, Embodied AI, Cotierra, Digit Soil, and Hoshī.

S2S monetizes through equity returns on portfolio exits rather than conventional fees or SaaS pricing, and is financially opaque (no disclosed AUM, revenue, or fund closings). Its distribution relies on a community-led, event-driven go-to-market: university partnerships with ETH Zürich, EPFL, and HSG drive top-of-funnel deal flow, an Airtable application form captures inbound applications, and portfolio events plus LinkedIn/Instagram presence maintain community engagement. In 2025 the fund added institutional-grade partnerships with Swisscom Ventures, Merantix Capital, and The Critical Tech, marking a shift toward more formalized capital access and AI/deep-tech sourcing.

Name

S2S Ventures

Legal name

S2S Ventures AG

Website

https://s2s.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

S2S Ventures is a student-led Swiss pre-seed VC fund deploying CHF 25,000 first checks via CLA into startups founded by recent graduates of Swiss higher-education institutions, with hubs in Zurich, St. Gallen, and Lausanne.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pre-Seed Venture Capital Funding

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

Keywords

• Pre-seed venture capital
• Student founder funding
• Convertible loan agreements
• Early-stage startup investing
• Swiss university partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: S2S Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage student-led startups. The fund provides CHF 25,000 via a CLA (Convertible Loan Agreement) with different term sheets, typically as first believers before pre-seed or even pre-incorporation. Returns are realized through portfolio company exits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

S2S Ventures provides a standardized CHF 25,000 first-check pre-seed investment to Swiss student founders via Convertible Loan Agreements (CLAs), positioning itself as the first believer before a startup's pre-seed round. Beyond capital, the fund actively supports portfolio companies with fundraising assistance, introductions to its investor network, office hours with legal experts, AWS credits, recruiting support, and access to the S2S Portfolio Summit.

Product overview

S2S Ventures is a fully student-led VC fund from Switzerland that provides pre-seed funding and support to student founders. The company offers a fixed CHF 25,000 first investment check via a Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA) with different term sheets. S2S Ventures does not offer traditional technology products or software platforms; its offering consists entirely of investment services, including initial capital deployment, fundraising support, portfolio company operational assistance, networking introductions to investors, and recruiting support. The company's product/service model is investment-focused rather than product-based, with no named software products, platforms, or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Check Pre-Seed Investment (CHF 25,000 CLA) Standardized CHF 25,000 first-check pre-seed investment provided to Swiss student founders via a Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA) with different term sheets. The fund positions itself as the first believer before a startup's pre-seed round, including pre- and post-incorporation stages, right after FFF and angels.
• Portfolio Company Support Program Ongoing operational and advisory support to portfolio companies after investment, including fundraising assistance, investor introductions, AWS credits, recruiting support, and office hours with the S2S legal team. Available to founders receiving the S2S first check.
• Portfolio Summit and S2S Investor Events Exclusive events hosted by S2S Ventures, including the Portfolio Summit, that provide portfolio companies with opportunities to connect with other startups and investors, including direct investor-to-investor introductions to help startups close funding rounds.

Named customers13 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Critical TechminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Hub for Deep Tech innovation founded by Luigi di Piazza and Micol Chiesa. The Critical Tech brings together deep technical expertise and market insight to identify and support breakthrough technologies, providing access to deeptech deal flow.
• ETH ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic university partnership with ETH Zürich for sourcing and supporting student-led startups. ETH Zürich is one of Switzerland's leading technical universities, providing access to deeptech and engineering talent for portfolio companies.
• EPFLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic university partnership with EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) for sourcing and supporting student-led startups. EPFL is a leading science and technology institution in Switzerland with strong innovation and startup ecosystems.
• HSGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Strategic university partnership with HSG (University of St. Gallen) for sourcing and supporting student-led startups. HSG provides access to business and management talent, strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem for portfolio companies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Swisscom Ventures: Corporate VC arm of Swisscom investing in Swiss tech startups since 2007 with 80+ portfolio companies. S2S's 2025 partnership target and natural co-investor; serves the same Swiss early-stage market but at a larger average ticket and broader stage range.
• Merantix Capital: Berlin-based AI-native VC fund investing from pre-idea to seed stage in AI startups. S2S's 2025 strategic partner providing AI deal-flow access and represents an adjacent specialized VC operating at the same pre-seed stage but with AI-only focus and broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Dorm Room Fund: US-based student-led VC fund backed by First Round Capital that invests exclusively in student-founded companies. Highly comparable to S2S Ventures in operating model (student investors, university-sourced deal flow, pre-seed stage), differing primarily in geography (US vs. Switzerland).
• 1517 Fund: Pre-seed VC fund focused on young founders, particularly those skipping or leaving college to start companies. Comparable to S2S in pre-seed stage focus and young-founder thesis, though 1517 operates without a strict student requirement.
• Loyal VC: Student-run investment club and pre-seed fund focused on European student founders. Direct geographic and thematic peer to S2S, both targeting student-led startups at the earliest stages across European university ecosystems.
• Pioneer Fund: Student-run VC fund providing pre-seed capital to student founders, with a community of student investors. Operates a similar student-led model with comparable ticket sizes and university-network sourcing, making it a strong international comparable for S2S.
• Rough Draft Ventures: Student-led pre-seed fund backed by General Catalyst that invests in student and recent-graduate founders across US universities. Closely matches S2S in student-investor model, pre-seed ticket size philosophy, and university-network sourcing approach.
• Contrary Capital: Student-led VC fund investing in student-founded companies across the US with a community of student investors from top universities. Directly comparable to S2S in thesis (student founders), stage (pre-seed), and operating model (university-embedded student partners).

Regional players

• Wingman Ventures: Swiss-focused early-stage VC fund backing technology-enabled startups in Switzerland. Operates in the same Swiss ecosystem and at similar early stages as S2S but as a conventional institutional fund rather than a student-led model.
• BackBone Ventures: Swiss pre-seed VC fund investing in technology startups with a strong network in the Swiss innovation ecosystem. Comparable to S2S in Switzerland-only pre-seed focus and Swiss university-embedded sourcing, though operated by professional investors rather than students.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/s2s-vc
• Instagraminstagram.com/s2sventures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments25 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about S2S Ventures