START Global
START Global is a not-for-profit, student-run association founded in 1996 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, operating Europe's largest student-run entrepreneurship initiative. It runs Summit, Hack, Fellowship, and Sphere programs serving student entrepreneurs across Europe, Latin America, and Africa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersSaint Gallen, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What START Global does
START Global is a not-for-profit student association founded in 1996 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, that operates Europe's largest student-run entrepreneurship initiative. It is affiliated with the University of St. Gallen's Student Union (SHSG) under Swiss civil law (Article 60) and is staffed by approximately 100 volunteer student members across 12 departments, who contribute roughly 720 hours each in exchange for 8 ECTS credits. The organization runs four interconnected programs: START Summit (an annual entrepreneurship conference attracting 7,000+ attendees, 120+ speakers, and 50+ sessions), START Hack (a 36-hour hackathon with 600+ hackers and CHF 10,000 in prizes), START Fellowship (a philanthropic incubator and accelerator for founders from Latin America and Africa, with up to CHF 60,000 in equity-free funding for accelerator participants), and START Sphere (a network of 21+ chapters and 2,000+ alumni across Europe and Latin America).
START Global generates revenue primarily through corporate sponsorships and partnerships with venture capital firms and technology companies — including Sequoia, Index Ventures, General Catalyst, b2venture, Cherry Ventures, Redalpine, Founderful, Northzone, Swisscom, Google, Microsoft, Mercedes-Benz, IBM, and Cisco — supplemented by ticket sales for the annual Summit. Core programs (Incubator, Accelerator, Hackathon, Fellowship) are provided free of charge to participants, with the Summit and Hack operating on a paid-attendance model. The platform has cumulatively supported 156+ entrepreneurs through the Fellowship program and provides access to a partner investor base representing 573 billion CHF in combined AUM. The organization is governed by student leadership with institutional backing from HSG; it has no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no equity ownership structure.
START Global firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- START Global
- Legal name
- START Global
- Website
- https://startglobal.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- START Global is a not-for-profit, student-run association founded in 1996 in St. Gallen, Switzerland, operating Europe's largest student-run entrepreneurship initiative. It runs Summit, Hack, Fellowship, and Sphere programs serving student entrepreneurs across Europe, Latin America, and Africa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
START Global industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entrepreneurship Support Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK)
Keywords
Where START Global is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Gallen
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
START Global business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships: Revenue generated from corporate sponsors and partners who support START Global programs, events, and initiatives
- Summit Ticket Sales: Revenue from paid attendance to the annual START Summit conference
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Multi-year contract | Incubator, Accelerator, Hackathon, Fellowship programs - Free participation |
| One time/ perpetual license | Annual | Summit Conference - Ticket-based attendance |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
START Global product offering
Product offeringCore offering
START Global runs entrepreneurship support programs for student and early-stage founders, including an annual startup conference (START Summit), a 36-hour hackathon (START Hack), a philanthropic incubator and accelerator for Latin American and African founders (START Fellowship), and a global alumni and chapter network (START Sphere). Core programs (Incubator, Accelerator, Hackathon, Fellowship) are provided free to participants, while Summit attendance may involve ticket fees. The organization is sustained through corporate sponsorships, partner contributions from VCs and technology companies, and Summit ticket revenue.
Product overview
START Global is Europe's largest student-run entrepreneurship initiative offering a platform of four interconnected programs. The core portfolio consists of START Summit (annual entrepreneurship conference), START Hack (36-hour hackathon), START Fellowship (incubator and accelerator programs for LatAm and Africa founders), and START Sphere (global alumni and chapter network). START Summit serves as the flagship conference connecting founders, investors, and corporates; START Hack provides a competitive hackathon platform; START Fellowship offers structured programs from idea validation (7-week online incubator) through growth acceleration (4-month Switzerland-based accelerator with funding); and START Sphere builds and manages the extended network and community of entrepreneurs across 21+ chapters. The initiatives work together to provide education, hands-on experience, networking, and investment opportunities for student entrepreneurs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- START Summit Europe's largest student-run entrepreneurship conference held annually in St. Gallen, Switzerland, bringing together ambitious students, successful entrepreneurs, and leading investors for talks, networking, and innovation. Features 7,000+ attendees, 120+ speakers, and 50+ sessions across 4 stages. Participants include student entrepreneurs, founders, and investors.
- START Hack Europe's leading hackathon for aspiring tech entrepreneurs, bringing together ambitious builders and future founders to bridge business and tech through hands-on challenges, masterclasses, workshops, and high-impact networking. Features 600+ hackers, a 36-hour format, and CHF 10,000 prize money. Targeted at aspiring tech entrepreneurs and student builders.
- START Fellowship A student-run philanthropic incubator and accelerator program empowering young entrepreneurs from Latin America and Africa. Includes a 7-week online incubator and a 4-month on-site accelerator in Switzerland, offering mentoring, funding opportunities, and access to the European startup ecosystem. Targeted at young founders from emerging markets.
- START Sphere Network START's global network of entrepreneurial talents developing into founders of tomorrow, connecting them to the startup ecosystem and real-world work experience. Manages 21+ chapters across Europe and Latin America with 2,000+ alumni. Provides ongoing community, mentorship pipeline, and post-program support to program graduates.
- START Fellowship Incubator A 7-week online program supporting tech and business talents from Latin America and Africa in developing their idea to an MVP. Features workshops, pitching training, and Tech Academy modules. Targeted at early-stage founders in emerging markets.
- START Fellowship Accelerator A 4-month on-site accelerator program in Switzerland for young founders from Latin America and Africa. Includes input sessions with investors, classes at University of St. Gallen, mentoring, co-working space, demo day, and up to CHF 60,000 in equity-free funding. Targeted at early-stage founders from emerging markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- 156+ entrepreneurs supported through Fellowship program
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use START Global
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
START Global technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
START Global partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- GooglecoreHackathon partner - major technology company sponsoring hackathon events
- MicrosoftcoreHackathon partner - technology company providing platform and tools for hackathon participants
- Mercedes-BenzcoreHackathon partner - automotive company sponsoring innovation challenges
- IBMcoreHackathon partner - technology company supporting hackathon challenges
- CiscocoreHackathon partner - networking technology company
- SupercellminorHackathon partner - gaming company
- SunriseminorHackathon partner - Swiss telecommunications provider
- AntlerminorHackathon partner - early-stage VC and accelerator
- SyngentaminorHackathon partner - agriculture technology company
- BelimominorHackathon partner - HVAC actuator manufacturer
- VirginminorHackathon partner - Virgin brand presence
- Bell Food GroupminorHackathon partner - food processing company
- DKSHminorHackathon partner - market expansion services provider
- G20 Global Land InitiativeminorHackathon partner - international environmental initiative
- Kanton St. GallencoreHackathon partner - Swiss cantonal government supporting local innovation ecosystem
- SIX GroupminorHackathon partner - Swiss financial market infrastructure provider
- University of St. Gallen (HSG)coreFounding academic institution - home university of START Global, providing student network and institutional support
- Swiss EPcoreStrategic partner - Swiss Entrepreneurship Program providing entrepreneurship education and support
- UTEC VenturesminorPeru-based startup ecosystem partner - connecting Latin American founders to START Global network
- Anglo-American FoundationminorFoundation partner supporting emerging market entrepreneurship initiatives
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights5 records
START Global competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Techstars: Techstars is a global accelerator network with 3,500+ portfolio companies and operates Startup Weekend as well as formal 13-week accelerators. It overlaps with START Fellowship on accelerator services and with START Summit on the investor-facing founder showcase component.
- JA Europe (Junior Achievement): JA Europe runs student entrepreneurship education programs, pitch competitions, and innovation camps across 40+ countries. It competes for the same student entrepreneur audience and university partnerships, especially at the pre-college and undergraduate enrichment level.
- Slush: Slush is a large European student-originated startup conference held annually in Helsinki. It is the most direct European comparison to START Summit in terms of founder, investor, and student attendance mix and is widely seen as a successful exit of the student-run event model.
- Web Summit: Web Summit operates large-scale global technology and startup conferences (Lisbon, Rio, Qatar) serving a similar investor-founder-corporate attendee mix as START Summit. It is a much larger commercial incumbent competing for the same corporate sponsorship and speaker inventory.
Direct peers
- Seedstars: Seedstars runs a global startup competition, accelerator programs, and the Seedstars Summit focused on emerging market founders, including Latin America and Africa. It directly overlaps with START Fellowship's LatAm/Africa accelerator mission and Summit's investor-facing conference format.
- Enactus: Enactus is a global student nonprofit running entrepreneurship programs, competitions, and accelerator-style projects across 30+ countries. It directly overlaps with START Global's mission of student-led entrepreneurship development and university chapter network model.
- Antler: Antler is an early-stage VC and accelerator operating across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia with frequent founder events and hackathons. It is both a Hackathon partner of START Global and a competing operator of founder-focused programs in the same geographies.
- Startup Weekend (Techstars): Techstars' Startup Weekend runs 54-hour student and aspiring-founder hackathons in 150+ countries, the most globally scaled direct competitor to START Hack in the student entrepreneurship event category. Both programs target 18-25 year-old aspiring founders with hands-on, time-boxed, mentor-supported event formats.
- Swiss EP (Swiss Entrepreneurship Program): Swiss EP is a Swiss-based entrepreneurship education program and a listed Strategic Partner of START Global. Both target Swiss university students with structured entrepreneurship curricula, mentorship, and startup creation pathways.
- Mass Challenge: Mass Challenge operates equity-free accelerator programs and founder showcases globally, including programs in Switzerland. It competes for the same corporate sponsors, mentor pools, and early-stage startup pipeline as START Fellowship and the START Summit showcase.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
START Global social profiles
Digital presenceSTART Global financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
START Global leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
START Global funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
START Global M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments12 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about START Global
What does START Global do?
START Global runs entrepreneurship support programs for student and early-stage founders, including an annual startup conference (START Summit), a 36-hour hackathon (START Hack), a philanthropic incubator and accelerator for Latin American and African founders (START Fellowship), and a global alumni and chapter network (START Sphere). Core programs (Incubator, Accelerator, Hackathon, Fellowship) are provided free to participants, while Summit attendance may involve ticket fees. The organization is sustained through corporate sponsorships, partner contributions from VCs and technology companies, and Summit ticket revenue.
Is START Global a public or private company?
START Global is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was START Global founded?
START Global was founded in 1996. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is START Global based?
START Global is headquartered in Saint Gallen, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does START Global make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships are the primary driver. The others are summit Ticket Sales.
Who are START Global's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Techstars, JA Europe (Junior Achievement), Slush and Web Summit. Direct peers are Seedstars, Enactus, Antler, Startup Weekend (Techstars), Swiss EP (Swiss Entrepreneurship Program) and Mass Challenge.
Does START Global have an API?
No public API is recorded for START Global.
What industry is START Global in?
START Global's product category is Entrepreneurship Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAHAC, Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators, with a secondary code of EDAMAHAA, Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.