What Talent Kick does

Talent Kick is a Swiss-wide, cross-university excellence program run as an initiative of the Kick Foundation. It targets entrepreneurial PhD and Master's students enrolled at 19 Swiss universities, helping them form interdisciplinary co-founder teams, validate problems and early solutions, and gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience alongside their studies. The program operates over a 1–2 year cohort cycle across three Swiss locations (Zurich, Lausanne, Bern), with cohort-based admissions (e.g., TK-S26, TK-S27) managed through a direct website application portal.

The program's core product is the Talent Kick Program, supported by two add-ons: the Team Kick Award (CHF 5,000 in non-dilutive funding for top-performing teams that achieve milestones of stable team formation and mentor acquisition) and the Founders Agreement Masterclass (a free public resource for co-founder alignment on roles, equity, vesting, and commitment). Participants receive bootcamps, 1:1 coaching, mentorship access, and connections to follow-on programs such as Venture Kick and Venturelab. The organization itself is not a technology company; it provides structured human coaching, networking infrastructure, and ecosystem navigation rather than software or AI tooling.

Talent Kick operates as a non-profit foundation initiative with no commercial revenue. The program is valued at approximately CHF 20,000 per student but is provided free of charge, with no equity taken from participants. Funding flows from Swiss foundations including Gebert Rüf Stiftung (founding partner), Ernst Göhner Foundation, Hasler Foundation, and Hirschmann Foundation, with the Kick Foundation serving as the parent organizational vehicle. Strategic partners include Venture Kick, Venturelab, ETH AI Center, Startup@HSG, ETH Zurich, EPFL, Swissnex, and the Swiss Startup Association. As of 2025, the program reports 121 teams formed, applications from 19 Swiss universities, 390K CHF awarded directly to teams, and 50M+ CHF raised by Talent Kick alumni startups collectively.

Name

Talent Kick

Legal name

Talent Kick

Website

https://talentkick.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Talent Kick is a Swiss non-profit excellence program supporting PhD and Master's students from 19 Swiss universities to form interdisciplinary co-founder teams and gain hands-on entrepreneurial experience during their studies, funded by Swiss foundations and provided free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education & Startup Incubation

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education programs
• Startup incubation services
• University student programs
• Founder team formation
• Non-dilutive startup funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants & Non-Dilutive Funding: Talent Kick operates as a funded initiative of the Kick Foundation, supported by Swiss foundations including Gebert Rüf Stiftung, Ernst Göhner Foundation, Hasler Foundation, and Hirschmann Foundation. The program provides 5,000 CHF non-dilutive Team Kick awards to top-performing teams and is provided free to participants (valued at ~20,000 CHF per student).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Talent Kick runs a highly selective 1–2 year cross-university excellence program for entrepreneurial PhD and Master's students at Swiss universities, supporting interdisciplinary co-founder team formation, problem/solution validation, and access to mentorship, coaching, and initial non-dilutive funding (CHF 5,000 Team Kick Award). The program also offers the Founders Agreement Masterclass, a free educational resource on co-founder alignment. The program is provided free to selected participants (valued at ~20,000 CHF per student) and is funded entirely by Swiss philanthropic foundations.

Product overview

Talent Kick is a Swiss-wide, cross-university excellence program run by the Kick Foundation that supports entrepreneurial PhD and Master's students from Swiss universities. The core offering is the Talent Kick Program, a 1-2 year initiative that helps students form interdisciplinary co-founder teams, validate problems and solutions, and receive hands-on entrepreneurial experience alongside their studies. The program includes complementary offerings such as the Founders Agreement Masterclass (a free resource for team alignment) and the Team Kick Award (CHF 5,000 non-dilutive funding for top-performing teams).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Talent Kick Program A highly selective, cross-university 1–2 year excellence program enabling entrepreneurial PhD and Master's students from Swiss universities and Universities of Applied Sciences to form interdisciplinary co-founder teams, validate problems and first solutions, leverage synergies with their studies, and receive hands-on support and initial non-dilutive funding for their entrepreneurial journey during their studies. Provided free to selected participants (valued at ~20,000 CHF per student).
• Founders Agreement Masterclass A free masterclass series teaching aspiring founders how to align with co-founders on roles, equity, commitment, and vision, covering personal goals, responsibilities, equity splits, vesting, and commitment discussions. Open to program participants and the broader Swiss startup community.
• Team Kick Award Non-dilutive grant of CHF 5,000 awarded to the strongest Talent Kick teams who achieve milestones of forming a stable team and securing an entrepreneurial mentor, for use in validation activities. Funded by supporting Swiss foundations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50M+ CHF raised by alumni teams
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Venture KickcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenture Kick was launched in 2007 with the vision to double the number of spin-offs from Swiss universities. Talent Kick encourages teams to continue to Venture Kick's nine-month kicking process to solidify their journey from science to market.
• VenturelabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenturelab has been improving and expanding support offered to Switzerland's top entrepreneurs, developing new tools and programs. Has backed more than 1,000 startups supporting over 50,000 people in the ecosystem.
• Swiss Startup AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmbrella organization of the Swiss startup ecosystem focusing on bringing stakeholders closer together to achieve more startups and improve conditions. Has 1,600 members.
• RreadyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZurich-based startup using KICKBOX methodology in the Talent Kick program. KICKBOX works bottom-up by tapping into distributed knowledge of employees.
• SwissnexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss global network connecting Switzerland and the world in education, research and innovation. Supports outreach and active engagement in international exchange of knowledge, ideas and talents.
• SwisspreneurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit promoting entrepreneurship in Switzerland through audio content, Swisspreneur Syndicate funding, events, and online community.
• ETH AI CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong partner from the beginning offering office space and organizational infrastructure. Close links creating exchange between communities. Startups and talents from both networks benefit.
• Startup@HSGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajorly involved in developing Talent Kick Program, shaping structure and content of first-semester bootcamps and events. One of first institutions to support the pilot program.
• ETH ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented on Strategy Board by Prof. Roland Siegwart. Key university partner encouraging interdisciplinary team formation across Swiss universities.
• EPFLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented through Marius Aeberli (Programs Lead, Vice-Presidency for Innovation) and Prof. Marc Gruber on Steering Committee. Strong representation in Talent Kick batches.
• University of ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented by Dr. Maria Olivares. Fostering interdisciplinary co-creation with Talent Kick across Swiss universities.
• University of St. GallencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented by Prof. Dietmar Grichnik and Maria Luisa Fuchs. Strong student representation in batches and program shaping.
• University of GenevaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented by Julien Levallois (Innovation & Entrepreneurship). Supports student entrepreneurship and team formation.
• University of NeuchatelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented by Emmanuelle Reuter (Innovation Management). Important addition to university initiatives with focus on soft skills and interdisciplinary teams.
• University of BernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented by Sebastien Hug (Innovation Office). Key role in connecting students from lab with ecosystem through Talent Kick.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator that runs structured programs helping founders build businesses through mentor-matching, curriculum, and access to investor networks. Comparable to Talent Kick's structured 1-2 year model and emphasis on early-stage idea validation.
• Entrepreneur First: London-headquartered talent investor that brings together exceptional individuals to form startups from scratch, including strong representation from doctoral researchers. Directly comparable to Talent Kick's co-founder matching and pre-idea focus, though operates across multiple geographies.
• Antler: Global venture builder and early-stage investor that explicitly focuses on co-founder team formation from top talent across universities and professional backgrounds. Runs cohort-based residency programs similar to Talent Kick but operates globally and takes equity.

Emerging players

• Pioneer: Global talent community and accelerator program targeting young founders, with cohort-based programs and founder matching. Operates at a similar upstream stage as Talent Kick but with a younger undergraduate focus rather than PhD/Master's students.

Regional players

• EPFL Innovation Park: EPFL's startup incubator and ecosystem hub supporting student and academic spin-offs, with strong ties to western Switzerland. Represents the Western Swiss competitor within the same university ecosystem Talent Kick serves.
• ETH Student Project House: ETH Zurich's dedicated space and program for student-driven entrepreneurial projects, providing workspace, community, and resources. A single-university competitor to Talent Kick's cross-university model, particularly strong in the engineering and science segments.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Large global accelerator network with mentorship-driven cohort programs. While Talent Kick is more upstream (pre-team-formation stage) than Techstars (which works with formed teams), both serve the early-stage entrepreneurship talent market.
• Y Combinator: The dominant global accelerator that takes equity and provides seed funding plus mentorship. Talent Kick operates upstream of VC-backed accelerators like YC, and many Talent Kick teams eventually apply to YC, making it a downstream peer in the venture-creation stack.

Others

• Venturelab: Swiss non-profit supporting the top entrepreneurs in Switzerland through programs and tools, working closely with Talent Kick in the broader Swiss venture ecosystem. Partner and complementary program rather than direct competitor.
• Venture Kick: Talent Kick's sister initiative under the Kick Foundation, focused on helping science-based Swiss university spin-offs bridge from research to market. Talent Kick alumni are explicitly encouraged to continue to Venture Kick, making this a complementary program in the same venture-creation pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwtJkssFl9LjeRc10seBvQw
• Facebookfacebook.com/talentkick.ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/talent-kick
• Instagraminstagram.com/talentkick.ch

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

Investments4 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Talent Kick