Startfeld

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.

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

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

• Startup acceleration
• Seed financing
• Non-dilutive funding
• Startup incubation
• Co-working infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Gallen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Switzerland InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStartfeld 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing scientific expertise and access to materials science research capabilities for startups developing technology solutions.
• University of St.Gallen (HSG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing academic expertise, student talent, and access to university resources for startup development.
• OST (Ostschweizer Fachhochschule)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Applied Sciences partner providing technical expertise and student resources for startups in Eastern Switzerland.
• Kantonsspital St.GallenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCantonal hospital providing healthcare sector expertise and clinical trial access for healthtech and medtech startups.
• RhySearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional research partner providing additional innovation capabilities for startups in the Eastern Switzerland region.
• HelblingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEngineering and consulting firm listed as ecosystem partner providing professional services to startups.
• OBT AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAudit and consulting firm providing accounting, tax, and business advisory services to startups.
• Wenger Vieli AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm providing legal services and startup-specific expertise including VC negotiations support.
• Keller Schneider Patent- und Markenanwälte AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPatent and trademark attorneys providing IP protection services to startups.
• Innovatis Treuhand AGminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrust and fiduciary services company providing financial and administrative support to startups.
• Vectra AdvisorsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting firm providing strategic advisory services to startups.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startfeld---the-innovation-and-start-up-network-in-the-st.gallenbodenseearea
• Xx.com/startfeld
• Facebookfacebook.com/startfeld

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments11 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Startfeld