What Kickstart Innovation does

Kickstart Innovation is a Swiss-headquartered, Zürich-based open innovation platform founded in 2015 that connects established corporations and public-sector organizations with international startups and scaleups to facilitate proofs of concept, pilot projects, and commercial partnerships. It serves a two-sided audience: corporate partners (including Coop, Migros, Swisscom, IKEA Switzerland, PostFinance, La Mobilière, EPFL, and ETH Zurich) seeking external innovation and intrapreneurial capability, and startups seeking zero-equity access to decision-makers, mentorship, and follow-on capital. The platform operates across five verticals — Finance & Insurance, Food & Retail, Health & Wellbeing, New Work & Learning, and Smart Cities — and brings approximately 100 entrepreneurs to Switzerland each year to collaborate with anchor partners.

The company's core offerings are organized around three integrated programs. The Kickstart Academy delivers structured corporate innovation formats: a 10-week Intrapreneurship Program, 1-3 day Hackathons, 3-5 day Team Sprints (based on Google Ventures' design sprint methodology), and 1:1 Expert Sessions. The Focus Areas provide vertical-specific collaboration tracks with sector-tailored corporate partners. Sustainability initiatives — Mission 2050 and the Circular Economy Initiative (including the IKEA Waste to Resource project) — extend the platform into ESG and circular economy programming. An international Acceleration Programme links Swiss corporates with startups in Sardinia. The underlying technology is described as an open innovation platform with a self-serve startup application portal (kickstart-innovation.com/apply) and direct enterprise partnership channels; no proprietary AI/ML or API-based integrations are disclosed.

Kickstart operates as a private, self-funded company with no disclosed venture funding rounds or institutional investors. Revenue is generated through bespoke partnership agreements with corporate and institutional partners, functioning as professional services plus program sponsorship. Since inception the platform has facilitated 400+ commercial partnerships, supported 530+ startups, and its alumni have raised over CHF 3.1B in follow-on financing. The company is led by CEO & Co-Founder Katka Letzing, with a small leadership team (11-50 employees) including vertical leads, a Sustainability & Circular Economy Lead (Tiziano Luccarelli), a New Work & Learning Lead (Anikó Ivanics), and Program Managers. Financial statements are not publicly disclosed, and pricing is not published.

Name

Kickstart Innovation

Legal name

Kickstart Innovation

Website

https://kickstart-innovation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kickstart Innovation is a Swiss zero-equity open innovation platform founded in 2015 that connects 530+ startups with 400+ corporate and public-sector partners across five verticals to deliver PoCs, pilots, and intrapreneurship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Innovation Platform

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Open innovation platform
• Corporate innovation
• Startup acceleration
• Intrapreneurship programs
• Innovation ecosystem

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. Platform Services: Kickstart Innovation facilitates open innovation programs for corporate partners, providing access to curated startup pipelines, proof-of-concept development, and pilot project facilitation. They operate as a not-for-profit ecosystem orchestrator connecting startups with enterprises and public sector entities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kickstart Innovation operates as a zero-equity, multi-corporate open innovation platform that connects established organizations (corporations and public sector entities) with high-growth startups and scaleups. It runs structured innovation programs — including an annual scale-up program, intrapreneurship programs, hackathons, team sprints, and expert sessions — to facilitate Proofs of Concept, pilot projects, and commercial partnerships across verticals such as Finance & Insurance, Food & Retail, Health & Wellbeing, New Work & Learning, and Smart Cities.

Product overview

Kickstart Innovation operates as a comprehensive open innovation platform that connects established organizations with startups and scaleups to facilitate proofs of concept, pilot projects, and commercial partnerships. The offering comprises a core platform with multiple integrated programs including the Academy (offering Intrapreneurship, Hackathons, Team Sprints, and Expert Sessions), Focus Areas/Verticals (Finance & Insurance, Food & Retail, Health & Wellbeing, New Work & Learning, Smart Cities), and sustainability initiatives (Mission 2050 and Circular Economy Initiative including the IKEA Waste to Resource project). The platform has facilitated 400+ commercial partnerships and supports 530+ startups since 2015, with international alumni having raised over CHF 3.1B.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Circular Economy Initiative: A cross-vertical initiative fostering connections between established organizations and innovative startups for circular economy solutions.
• Mission 2050
• Kickstart Academy

Products and services

• Academy - Intrapreneurship Program A 10-week intensive program that coaches and supports intrapreneur teams from partner organizations to develop and scale sustainable ventures. Includes workshops, trainings, fireside chats, designated advisors, and access to expert networks.
• Academy - Hackathons

Quantifiable outcome

• CHF 3.1B raised by alumni startups
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IKEA SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIKEA Switzerland participates in Kickstart's Circular Economy Initiative with a dedicated project to address treated wood waste. The project aims to identify companies and startups with which to define and develop pilot projects for repurposing and recycling treated wood waste. Collaboration areas include Material Recovery, New Processes and Materials, and Technology and Digital Tools.
• CoopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoop partnered with Planted through Kickstart's intrapreneurship program to test plant-based meat products. This pilot led to Coop becoming the first retailer to launch Planted's pea-based chicken alternatives, now listed across 994 sales outlets.
• AxpominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAxpo participates in the Kickstart Intrapreneurship program as a partner organization.
• Credit SuisseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCredit Suisse participates in the Kickstart Intrapreneurship program as a partner organization.
• EPFLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPFL is a partner in the Intrapreneurship program and vertical partner, contributing to health and technology innovation.
• ETH ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETH Zurich is a vertical and fellow partner, contributing to AI and technology innovation initiatives.
• Energie360minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergie360 participates in the Kickstart Intrapreneurship program as a partner organization.
• HolcimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHolcim participates in the Kickstart Intrapreneurship program as a partner organization.
• La MobilièrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Mobilière is a global partner and participant in the intrapreneurship program. They have collaborated on projects like Cybero and support internal innovation through the program.
• MigroscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMigros is a global partner participating in the Intrapreneurship program with multiple initiatives.
• PostFinancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPostFinance is a global partner that collaborated with Cognician through Kickstart to create a digital coaching program with successful learning outcomes.
• SwisscomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwisscom is a global partner participating in the Intrapreneurship program with various innovation initiatives.
• Circularity Gap Report SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfter more than a year of intensive collaboration, Kickstart launched the Circularity Gap Report Switzerland 2023. Based on a global methodology, the report allows understanding of how much virgin materials are being reused in Switzerland's economy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MassChallenge: Global zero-equity accelerator operating multi-vertical programs. Already listed as a Kickstart ecosystem partner, it is the most direct comparable given its similar no-equity model and corporate-startup matchmaking focus.
• Founders Factory: London-based venture studio and accelerator partnering with corporates to build and invest in startups. Comparable corporate-startup venture building model across verticals.
• Startupbootcamp: Runs vertical-specific accelerator programs (Fintech, Health, Retail) with strong corporate sponsorship across Europe. Comparable structure of curated cohorts, corporate partners, and equity-light terms.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus in Paris hosting corporate-partnered programs (similar to Kickstart's open innovation focus). Both serve as physical/digital hubs connecting corporates and founders.
• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused innovation hubs. Already a Kickstart ecosystem partner; comparable in operating programs that connect mission-driven startups with corporate and institutional partners.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Silicon Valley-headquartered innovation platform running corporate-partnered accelerator programs across verticals like Fintech, Retail, Health, and Smart Cities. Comparable in facilitating corporate-startup PoCs at scale.
• Antler: Global early-stage investor and accelerator with a strong European presence. Comparable in identifying and supporting founders from inception, though Antler typically takes equity versus Kickstart's zero-equity model.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network with mentor-driven programs and corporate partnerships. Comparable in delivering structured accelerator experiences to startups with corporate sponsor engagement.

Broad incumbents

• Wayra (Telefónica): Telefónica's corporate accelerator operating across multiple geographies and verticals. Comparable in running corporate-sponsored startup programs and PoC facilitation, but tied to a single telco sponsor.

Regional players

• Seedstars: Swiss-rooted emerging markets-focused accelerator and venture builder. Comparable in being Swiss-headquartered and operating accelerator programs with corporate partners, but with geographic focus outside Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kickstart_inno
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kickstart-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Kickstart Innovation