Wyrsch Entrepreneur School

What Wyrsch Entrepreneur School does

Wyrsch Entrepreneur School (legal entity: Wyrsch Unternehmerschule AG) is a privately held Swiss continuing-education provider founded in 1988 by Dr. Edwin Wyrsch and headquartered in Freienbach, Switzerland. The company delivers practice-oriented business education exclusively to owners, successors, and executives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMU/craft businesses), deliberately excluding EU citizens under GDPR. Its core product is a multi-region diploma program ('Unternehmerschule für KMU & Gewerbe') offered at evening classes at around CHF 6,900-6,950, complemented by compact one-day seminars (CHF 1,950, or subsidized to CHF 80 via bank partners), a tiered online course catalog (CHF 290-990 plus free options), and a KMU Coach mobile app for iOS and Android.

The technology stack is deliberately lean: a Kajabi-hosted course platform, the proprietary-but-lightweight KMU Coach app for micro-learning, and MS Teams for virtual info events. Marketing and lead generation rely on mainstream tooling — ActiveCampaign for email, Google Analytics/Tag Manager/AdWords for analytics, and LinkedIn and Facebook plugins for social reach. No public-facing API or developer platform is offered. EduQua certification has been continuously held since 2002 (most recently recertified May 2025), serving as the main formal quality credential.

Revenue is generated through direct website sales, free personal consultations, and an unusually dense go-to-market channel: long-standing partnerships with at least seven Swiss cantonal banks (SZKB, ZKB, LUKB, NKB, AKB, GLKB, OKB), supplemented by relationships with InnovationsTransfer Zentralschweiz, Höhere Fachschule Bürgenstock, Wirtschaftskammer Baselland, and Mobiliar. These bank partners provide venues, marketing referrals, and direct course subsidies, and several bank executives sit on the firm's Bildungsrat (educational council). Active regional locations include Glattbrugg, Seewen, Sursee, Uster, and Stans, with scheduled expansion into Baselland (Pratteln), Baden, Horgen (Spring 2027), and Ausserschwyz (2028). The current CEO, Marcel Burkart, also functions as owner and board member, and the founder Dr. Edwin Wyrsch remains involved on the educational council.

Name

Wyrsch Entrepreneur School

Legal name

Wyrsch Unternehmerschule AG

Website

https://unternehmerschule.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wyrsch Entrepreneur School (Wyrsch Unternehmerschule AG) is a Swiss, privately held continuing-education provider founded in 1988 that delivers practice-oriented diploma programs, seminars, and online courses to SME owners, successors, and executives across German-speaking Switzerland, distributed through a regional network of cantonal-bank partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Continuing Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Accounting, Bookkeeping & Tax Basics (EDAMAHAF), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• SME training programs
• Business management courses
• Leadership development
• Continuing professional education

Headquarters

HQ city

Freienbach

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Diploma Programs: Full diploma programs (Diplomlehrgänge) lasting 44 blocks (180 lessons) offered at regional locations across Switzerland. Programs are priced at CHF 6,950 including materials, payable in 2 installments. WIR currency accepted up to 20%.
2. Compact Seminars: Short intensive seminars on specific business topics like 'Unternehmensführung für KMU kompakt' priced at CHF 1,950 (CHF 1,790 for members). Includes materials and meals.
3. AI Practice Seminar: In-person AI seminar for SMEs subsidized by Zürcher Kantonalbank at CHF 80 (market value CHF 700). Includes meals, materials, and follow-up online coaching.
4. Online Courses: Self-paced online courses including free offerings (Work Smart Not Hard, KI für KMU) and paid courses like 'Meistere deine Nachfolge' with tiered pricing from CHF 290 to CHF 990 for different support levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wyrsch Entrepreneur School provides practice-oriented continuing education for Swiss small and medium-sized enterprises (KMU) and trades, including multi-block diploma programs (Diplomlehrgänge), compact seminars, self-paced online courses, and a KMU Coach mobile app. Offerings are tailored to SME entrepreneurs, business successors, and executives, with no exams or homework, and are delivered regionally across Switzerland with a direct pathway to a federal NDS HF diploma.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Unternehmerschule für KMU & Gewerbe (Diplomlehrgang) Multi-block diploma program in business leadership for SME entrepreneurs, successors, and executives. 44 blocks (180 lessons) delivered in regional evening classes, priced at CHF 6,950 (Sursee) / CHF 6,900 (Uster) including materials, payable in 2 installments, with WIR currency accepted up to 20%. Provides direct pathway to a federal NDS HF diploma.
• Unternehmerseminare (Compact Seminars) Short intensive in-person seminars on focused business topics for SME owners and executives. Example: 'Unternehmensführung für KMU kompakt' priced at CHF 1,950 (CHF 1,790 for Wirtschaftskammer Baselland members), including materials and meals.
• Praxisseminar KI für KMU (AI Practice Seminar for SMEs) In-person AI seminar for SME entrepreneurs subsidized by Zürcher Kantonalbank at CHF 80 (market value CHF 700). Includes meals, materials, and follow-up online coaching. Covers AI fundamentals, generative AI tools, success factors for AI adoption, legal and security basics, and individual AI maturity assessments.
• Meistere deine Nachfolge (Master Your Succession) Online Course Self-paced online course on business succession for SME owners and next-generation leaders. Tiered pricing: Einstieg (Entry) at CHF 290, Mehrwert (Value-added) at CHF 490, Rundum-Sorglos (All-inclusive) at CHF 990 with 5x 30-minute coaching sessions and individual analysis.
• Work Smart Not Hard Online Course Free self-paced online course for SME entrepreneurs covering productivity strategies, methods, tools, and checklists for daily business operations.
• KI für KMU Online Course Free modular online course (4 modules, 17 chapters) teaching practical AI usage for small and medium businesses without requiring technical or IT background. Covers AI fundamentals, generative AI tools, implementation strategies, legal aspects, data protection, IT security, and includes an individual AI maturity assessment.
• KMU Coach Mobile App Mobile application (iOS and Android) delivering practical impulses, micro-learning content, tools, and checklists for SME entrepreneurs to implement immediate improvements in daily operations. Covers leadership, strategy, sales, and self-organization topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 graduates helped with entrepreneurial challenges
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Schwyzer Kantonalbank (SZKB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1988Long-standing regional partnership with SZKB for entrepreneurship education in the Schwyz canton. SZKB provides venue, referrals, and is represented in the Education Council.
• Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for programs in Zürich region and airport area. ZKB provides substantial subsidies for AI seminars (CHF 80 vs market value CHF 700) and venue support. Marc Maurer, Head of Business Succession at ZKB, serves on Education Council.
• Luzerner Kantonalbank (LUKB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership for programs in the Sursee area of Lucerne canton. LUKB provides venue and promotional support.
• Nidwaldner Kantonalbank (NKB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for programs in Nidwalden. Sven Wiederkehr, CEO of NKB, serves on Education Council. NKB provides venue (NKB Forum Stans).
• Appenzeller Kantonalbank (AKB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership for programs in Appenzell. Patrick Küng, member of AKB management, serves on Education Council.
• Glarner Kantonalbank (GLKB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership for programs in Glarus canton. Sven Wiederkehr serves on Education Council.
• Obwaldner Kantonalbank (OKB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership for programs in Obwalden canton.
• InnovationsTransfer Zentralschweiz (ITZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with ITZ for entrepreneurship education in Central Switzerland. ITZ is the central innovation hub providing coaching, checkups, and patent/trademark consulting.
• HdW Academy (Haus der Wirtschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Wirtschaftskammer Baselland for compact seminar 'Unternehmensführung für KMU kompakt' in Pratteln. Members receive discounted pricing.
• Höhere Fachschule Bürgenstock (HFB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for programs in Nidwalden, providing academic pathway and venue support.
• MobiliarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSwiss insurance company partnership for SME education offerings.
• Schweizerische Mobiliar GenossenschaftminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as partner organization for regional offerings.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fernfachhochschule Schweiz (FFHS): Swiss distance-learning university offering business, management, and entrepreneurship programs to working professionals across Switzerland. Comparable in target market (Swiss working adults and SME managers) and in offering flexible formats, though operating primarily in the degree and certificate academic market.
• WBS Akademie (Schweiz): German continuing education provider with Swiss operations offering business, management, and SME courses. Comparable target audience and delivery model, though typically delivered through broader content categories and a larger national footprint.
• HWZ Hochschule fuer Wirtschaft Zuerich: Swiss private university of applied sciences offering management and business education programs in Zurich, overlapping with Wyrsch's SME and executive education market but at a degree-granting academic level. Comparable as a Zurich-based business education provider targeting professionals, though it issues credentials rather than practice-oriented diplomas.
• Kalaidos Fachhochschule: Swiss private university of applied sciences with strong continuing education and SME-focused management offerings, including EMBA and executive programs. Comparable in serving Swiss SME owners and executives, though positioned at a higher academic tier than Wyrsch's practice-oriented diplomas.
• KV Bildungsgruppe Schweiz: Large Swiss vocational and continuing education group offering business administration, management, and SME-relevant courses across multiple cantons. Directly comparable target audience (SME owners, employees, successors) and delivery format (regional in-person courses), though more diversified across vocational tracks.

Direct peers

• BZ Bildungszentrum (Wirtschaftskammer Baselland): Regional business education arm of the Baselland chamber of commerce offering SME continuing education, already partnered with Wyrsch for the compact seminar in Pratteln. Closest comparable as a regional SME-targeted education provider in German-speaking Switzerland with a chamber-of-commerce distribution model.
• Grundig Akademie Schweiz: Continuing education provider offering business and management courses for working professionals in Switzerland. Comparable in the practice-oriented SME and executive education market, with similar course-based format and diploma-style programs.
• SAWI Schweizerisches Ausbildungszentrum fuer Marketing, Wirtschaft und Handel: Swiss continuing education provider focused on marketing, sales, and management for SMEs and practitioners. Direct peer in the practice-oriented, non-degree Swiss continuing education market, with comparable target audience (Swiss SME professionals and executives) and similar course-based delivery model.

Emerging players

• Management School St. Gallen: Emerging private management school in Eastern Switzerland offering part-time executive and SME management programs. Comparable target customer (Swiss SME executives and successors) and part-time format, though newer and less established than Wyrsch's 37-year history.

Others

• InnovationsTransfer Zentralschweiz (ITZ): Innovation hub for SMEs in Central Switzerland providing coaching, checkups, and patent/trademark consulting. Already partnered with Wyrsch, but acts as an adjacent ecosystem player rather than a direct competitor, channeling SME clients between coaching and education services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/dieunternehmerschule
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unternehmerschule
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@unternehmerschule

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Wyrsch Entrepreneur School