Startfeld
Startfeld is a non-profit startup support programme based in St.Gallen, Switzerland, offering non-dilutive funding (CHF 18,000), seed financing (up to CHF 500,000), expert advisory, and co-working infrastructure to early-stage ventures across Eastern Switzerland (cantons of St. Gallen, Thurgau, and Appenzell Innerrhoden).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersSaint Gallen, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Startfeld does
Startfeld is a non-profit startup support programme hosted at Switzerland Innovation Park Ost in St.Gallen, Switzerland, founded in 2010 and operating with 1-10 employees across three sites — St.Gallen (headquarters, Lerchenfeldstrasse 3), Buchs, and Rapperswil. Its core offering is a bundled support package for early-stage ventures in Eastern Switzerland (cantons of St.Galllen, Thurgau, and Appenzell Innerrhoden) combining three pillars: contacts, knowledge, and capital. Operationally, it runs expert-committee pitch sessions and initial consultations, alongside an annual Startfeld Diamant award competition targeting both idea-phase (Rohdiamant) and growth-phase (Diamant) startups across verticals including medical technology, healthtech, ICT, fintech, cleantech, and govtech.
The programme's monetisation logic is not commercial in the traditional sense — Startfeld is funded through the Switzerland Innovation foundation and associated ecosystem partners rather than through revenue-generating fees. Its capital instruments consist of a non-dilutive Förderpaket of CHF 18,000 (flexibly usable for mentoring, external services, or co-working) and seed financing up to CHF 500,000 via either a Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA) or equity. Support services span strategy, product, marketing, sales, finance, and legal advisory delivered through expert committees and a partner network that includes the University of St.Gallen (HSG), OST (Ostschweizer Fachhochschule), Empa, Kantonsspital St.Gallen, RhySearch, and professional services firms (Helbling, OBT, Wenger Vieli, Keller Schneider, Innovatis Treuhand, Vectra Advisors). Physical infrastructure includes offices, laboratories, and co-working space at the Lerchenfeld campus.
The go-to-market is community-led and direct: regional inbound through the website, newsletter, and events such as "Do it in St.Gallen," followed by face-to-face engagement at one of three locations and structured progression through initial consultation, expert-committee pitch, and funding package awards. In 2025, Startfeld funded 17 startup teams from Eastern Switzerland, and in 2024 it was ranked 3rd in Switzerland on the Financial Times' "Europe's Leading Start-Up Hubs 2024" list, anchoring its positioning as a regional, foundation-backed alternative to commercial accelerators.
Startfeld firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Startfeld
- Legal name
- Switzerland Innovation Park Ost AG
- Website
- https://startfeld.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Startfeld is a non-profit startup support programme based in St.Gallen, Switzerland, offering non-dilutive funding (CHF 18,000), seed financing (up to CHF 500,000), expert advisory, and co-working infrastructure to early-stage ventures across Eastern Switzerland (cantons of St. Gallen, Thurgau, and Appenzell Innerrhoden).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Startfeld industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Startup Incubation and Acceleration
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)
Keywords
Where Startfeld is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Gallen
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Startfeld business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Non-dilutive Funding Packages: Provides support packages of CHF 18,000 to startup teams that can be used flexibly for mentoring, external services, or co-working space. This is non-dilutive funding that does not require equity surrender.
- Seed Financing: Provides seed financing up to CHF 500,000 through either a Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA) or equity investment. This represents dilutive funding in exchange for ownership stake.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One-time | Förderpaket (Support Package) - CHF 18,000 non-dilutive funding |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Startfeld product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Startfeld is a startup support programme that provides funding (non-dilutive packages of CHF 18,000 and seed financing up to CHF 500,000 via CLA or equity), expert advisory services across strategy, product, marketing, sales, finance, and legal matters, and access to co-working infrastructure at the Switzerland Innovation Park Ost campus. It supports ambitious founders in Eastern Switzerland across all phases of innovation from idea to growth phase.
Product overview
Startfeld is a startup support programme hosted at Switzerland Innovation Park Ost in Eastern Switzerland. It offers a unified programme combining non-dilutive funding packages (CHF 18,000), seed financing (up to CHF 500,000), expert consulting across strategy/product/marketing/sales/finance/legal, and access to co-working infrastructure. The programme supports startups in medical technology, healthtech, ICT, fintech, cleantech, and govtech sectors from the canton of St. Gallen, Thurgau, and Appenzell Innerrhoden.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Startfeld Funding Packages Financial support packages for Eastern Switzerland startups: a CHF 18,000 non-dilutive grant usable flexibly for mentoring, external services, or co-working space, plus optional seed financing up to CHF 500,000 structured as a CLA or equity investment. Designed for founders in the idea and growth phases.
- Startfeld Consulting and Advisory Advisory service for early-stage startups covering strategy, product development, marketing, sales, finance, and legal matters. Delivered through initial consulting sessions and expert committee pitches at Startfeld's regional offices.
- Startfeld Co-Working and Infrastructure Access to co-working spaces, offices, laboratories, and meeting rooms at the Switzerland Innovation Park Ost campus locations in St.Gallen, Buchs, and Rapperswil, available to supported startup teams.
- Pitch vor dem Expertenkomitee (Expert Committee Pitch) Structured pitch programme in which Eastern Switzerland startups present their ventures to an expert committee for evaluation, feedback, and potential access to Startfeld funding packages and seed financing.
- Erstberatung (Initial Consultation) Free initial consultation provided by Startfeld advisors as an entry point for prospective founders to discuss strategy, product, financing, and next steps in the Startfeld support pipeline.
Quantifiable outcome
- 17 startup teams funded in the past year across Eastern Switzerland
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Startfeld
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Startfeld technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Startfeld partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Switzerland InnovationcoreStartfeld is hosted at Switzerland Innovation Park Ost, part of the national Switzerland Innovation Foundation network. This provides startups access to the broader network of innovation parks including Park Basel Area, Park Biel/Bienne, Park Innovaare, Park Network West EPFL, and Park Zurich.
- Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology)coreResearch partner providing scientific expertise and access to materials science research capabilities for startups developing technology solutions.
- University of St.Gallen (HSG)coreResearch partner providing academic expertise, student talent, and access to university resources for startup development.
- OST (Ostschweizer Fachhochschule)coreUniversity of Applied Sciences partner providing technical expertise and student resources for startups in Eastern Switzerland.
- Kantonsspital St.GallenminorCantonal hospital providing healthcare sector expertise and clinical trial access for healthtech and medtech startups.
- RhySearchminorRegional research partner providing additional innovation capabilities for startups in the Eastern Switzerland region.
- HelblingminorEngineering and consulting firm listed as ecosystem partner providing professional services to startups.
- OBT AGminorAudit and consulting firm providing accounting, tax, and business advisory services to startups.
- Wenger Vieli AGminorLaw firm providing legal services and startup-specific expertise including VC negotiations support.
- Keller Schneider Patent- und Markenanwälte AGminorPatent and trademark attorneys providing IP protection services to startups.
- Innovatis Treuhand AGminorTrust and fiduciary services company providing financial and administrative support to startups.
- Vectra AdvisorsminorConsulting firm providing strategic advisory services to startups.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Startfeld competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MassChallenge Switzerland: Zero-equity accelerator operating in Switzerland providing mentoring, network access, and funding to early-stage startups, mirroring Startfeld's support model.
- Kickstart Innovation: Zurich-based innovation and startup acceleration programme connecting founders with corporates and capital; overlaps directly on Swiss startup support and mentorship.
- Venturelab: Swiss national startup training and acceleration initiative supporting deep-tech founders; directly comparable as a Switzerland-based founder support and acceleration programme.
- Impact Hub Zurich: Provides co-working space, community, and startup support programmes in Switzerland, overlapping on Startfeld's infrastructure and community-led offering.
- F10 FinTech Incubator & Accelerator: Swiss-based incubator/accelerator providing infrastructure, mentoring, and funding to early-stage ventures, comparable in delivery model to Startfeld.
- Swiss Startup Factory: Zurich-based independent accelerator providing mentoring, network, and seed support to early-stage Swiss startups, closely comparable to Startfeld.
Broad incumbents
- Innosuisse: Swiss federal innovation agency funding startups and R&D projects nationally; a broader publicly funded incumbent whose grants overlap with Startfeld's non-dilutive support.
- Techstars: Global accelerator providing seed capital, mentorship, and network to startups; a broad international incumbent operating the same accelerator model at larger scale.
Regional players
- BaseLaunch: Basel Area healthcare venture accelerator offering funding and lab access; similar deep-tech accelerator model but focused on a different Swiss region.
- Technopark Zurich: Innovation park offering co-working, infrastructure, and startup support in the Zurich region, structurally similar to Switzerland Innovation Park Ost hosting Startfeld.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Startfeld social profiles
Digital presenceStartfeld financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Startfeld leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Startfeld funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Startfeld M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments11 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Startfeld
What does Startfeld do?
Startfeld is a startup support programme that provides funding (non-dilutive packages of CHF 18,000 and seed financing up to CHF 500,000 via CLA or equity), expert advisory services across strategy, product, marketing, sales, finance, and legal matters, and access to co-working infrastructure at the Switzerland Innovation Park Ost campus. It supports ambitious founders in Eastern Switzerland across all phases of innovation from idea to growth phase.
Is Startfeld a public or private company?
Startfeld is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Startfeld founded?
Startfeld was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Startfeld based?
Startfeld is headquartered in Saint Gallen, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Startfeld make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Non-dilutive Funding Packages are the primary driver. The others are seed Financing.
Who are Startfeld's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MassChallenge Switzerland, Kickstart Innovation, Venturelab, Impact Hub Zurich, F10 FinTech Incubator & Accelerator and Swiss Startup Factory. Broad incumbents are Innosuisse and Techstars. Regional players are BaseLaunch and Technopark Zurich.
Does Startfeld have an API?
No public API is recorded for Startfeld.
What industry is Startfeld in?
Startfeld's product category is Startup Incubation and Acceleration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated), with a secondary code of FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed). Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8742.