What Ernst Gohner Stiftung does

Ernst Göhner Stiftung (EGS) is a privately held Swiss charitable foundation headquartered in Zug, established in 1971 as the posthumous bequest of entrepreneur Ernst Göhner (1900-1971). The foundation has a dual character — simultaneously entrepreneurial and philanthropic — and pursues the purposes of a family foundation. Its asset base is built around two wholly-owned operating subsidiaries: EGS Beteiligungen AG, an investment company that takes long-term anchor stakes (target 8-12% holdings) in Swiss listed and private companies, and Seewarte Holding AG, which manages a portfolio of more than 40 residential and commercial properties in the Zurich and Zug economic areas. The foundation also retains a less-than-10% stake in DSV A/S, the global transport and logistics group, inherited from its original Panalpina investment.

The foundation distributes returns from these entrepreneurial activities as grants to public-benefit projects across Switzerland in five mandated areas: Culture, Environment, Social Welfare, Education and Science, and Young Entrepreneurship. EGS supports 1,500-1,900 projects annually through an application-based process requiring submission at least five months before project implementation. Through the 2021 co-founding of the Kick Foundation with Gebert Rüf Stiftung, EGS also channels philanthropic capital into Swiss startup ecosystem development via programs such as Venture Kick, and the 2021 acquisition of ROTH GERÜSTE extended its direct industrial asset base.

EGS is governed by a Foundation Council chaired by Dr. Beat Walti with Dr. Roger Schmid as vice president, and is operationally led by CEO Samuel Bon and CFO Daniel Hübscher. The organization employs 15-17 specialized staff across its funding domains. Revenue is generated through rental income (Seewarte), dividends and capital appreciation on equity holdings (EGS Beteiligungen and DSV), and returns on its broader financial portfolio; none of these streams are publicly disclosed. The foundation is supervised by the LPP and foundations supervisory authority of Central Switzerland and is a founding member of SwissFoundations, the umbrella association of Swiss grant-making foundations.

Name

Ernst Gohner Stiftung

Legal name

Ernst Göhner Stiftung

Website

https://ernst-goehner-stiftung.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ernst Göhner Stiftung is a privately held Swiss charitable foundation in Zug that funds 1,500-1,900 public-benefit projects annually in culture, environment, social welfare, education, and youth entrepreneurship, using returns from wholly-owned subsidiaries EGS Beteiligungen AG and Seewarte Holding AG, plus a minority stake in DSV A/S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Private Markets (Impact PE/VC, Private Credit, Infrastructure) (FSAAALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Impact / ESG Venture Capital (FSANAAAG)

Keywords

• Charitable foundation
• Philanthropic grants
• Foundation asset management
• Social impact funding
• Cultural philanthropy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cham

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Business Participations: The foundation holds 100% stakes in EGS Beteiligungen AG which invests in listed and private Swiss companies, and Seewarte Holding AG which manages real estate properties. Returns fund charitable activities.
2. Real Estate Investment: Seewarte Holding AG manages residential and commercial properties in the Zurich and Zug economic areas, providing rental income and long-term value appreciation.
3. Financial Portfolio: The foundation maintains a portfolio of financial assets for investment returns.
4. Venture Capital: Provides risk capital to startups in Switzerland, particularly through late-stage investments and the Kick Foundation ecosystem.
5. DSV A/S Stake: Holds less than 10% in Danish logistics company DSV A/S (formerly Panalpina), received as part of original foundation endowment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ernst Göhner Stiftung (EGS) is a Swiss charitable foundation that manages a diversified investment portfolio through two wholly-owned subsidiaries — EGS Beteiligungen AG (Swiss company investments and late-stage venture capital) and Seewarte Holding AG (real estate in Zurich and Zug) — and uses the returns to fund public-benefit projects in culture, environment, social welfare, education, science, and youth entrepreneurship across Switzerland.

Product overview

Ernst Göhner Stiftung (EGS) is a Swiss charitable foundation headquartered in Zug with both entrepreneurial and philanthropic character. The foundation operates as a unified organization consisting of core grant-making programs and wholly-owned subsidiaries. The main foundation manages five funding programs (Culture, Environment, Social, Education & Science, and Youth Entrepreneurship via Kick Foundation) that support over 1,900 public-benefit projects annually across Switzerland. Two wholly-owned subsidiaries—EGS Beteiligungen AG (investment company) and Seewarte Holding AG (real estate company)—form the entrepreneurial foundation that generates returns to fund the charitable activities. The Kick Foundation, established in 2021, operates separately to strengthen the Swiss startup ecosystem through programs like Venture Kick. The foundation also holds a minority stake in DSV A/S, the global transport and logistics company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kick Foundation: A foundation established in 2021 by the Ernst Göhner Stiftung together with the Gebert Rüf Stiftung to strengthen the Swiss startup ecosystem through various philanthropic initiatives under the Kick program, including Venture Kick.

Products and services

• Culture Funding Program Grants supporting professional cultural creation across all disciplines throughout Switzerland, with emphasis on supranational impact and promotion of young talents, including project funding and infrastructure contributions for cultural institutions.
• Environment Funding Program Grants for sustainable preservation, restoration, or enhancement of natural habitats, flora, and fauna in Switzerland, including animal protection and environmental education initiatives aimed at children and youth.
• Social Funding Program Grants supporting socially disadvantaged, physically or psychologically disabled, or ill individuals and promoting their integration into society and the workforce, including healthcare, addiction, and violence prevention initiatives.
• Education and Science Funding Program Grants supporting initial and continuing education of talented young people in all professional fields, contributions to selected training programs, infrastructure projects at training institutions, and support for scientific research across all disciplines.
• Venture Kick (under Kick Foundation) Pre-seed capital initiative that promotes innovation transfer and youth entrepreneurship at Swiss universities, supporting entrepreneurs from idea stage through studies to startup creation. Delivered via Kick Foundation (co-founded 2021 with Gebert Rüf Stiftung).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500-1,900 public benefit projects supported annually

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kick FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-founded by Ernst Göhner Stiftung and Gebert Rüf Stiftung in 2021 to strengthen Swiss startup ecosystem through various philanthropic initiatives. Venture Kick, launched in 2007 as the foundation's largest project, is now part of Kick Foundation. Programs support young entrepreneurs from idea stage through studies to startup creation.
• SwissFoundationsminorOthersFounding member of SwissFoundations, the umbrella association of Swiss grant-making foundations. Provides networking and representation for Swiss philanthropy sector.
• Gebert Rüf StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of Kick Foundation together with Ernst Göhner Stiftung in 2021 for Swiss startup ecosystem development through the Kick program.
• Pestalozzi StiftungminorOthersScholarship partner organization. Handles evaluations and selection for scholarship recipients in collaboration with foundation.
• Fondation suisse d'étudesminorOthersScholarship partner organization for education support. Organizes evaluations for scholarship beneficiary selection.
• Aide Sportive Suisse / Swiss Sport AidminorOthersScholarship partner for sports talent support. Collaborates on athlete scholarship programs.
• Fondation Kiefer HablitzelminorOthersCulture partner for visual arts and music scholarships. Handles evaluations for young artist scholarship selection.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jacobs Foundation: Swiss family foundation based in Zurich focused on youth development, education, and research globally. Comparable as a long-term oriented Swiss family foundation with both philanthropic programs and substantial investment portfolio, though with a more global geographic reach.
• Pestalozzi Stiftung: Swiss foundation focused on education and child welfare, named after the famous Swiss pedagogue. Directly comparable as a Swiss grant-making foundation; also an implementation partner of Ernst Göhner Stiftung for scholarship distribution, confirming operational similarity.
• Gebert Rüf Stiftung: Swiss charitable foundation focused on education, science, and innovation, co-founded the Kick Foundation with Ernst Göhner Stiftung in 2021. Directly comparable as a Swiss grant-making foundation with venture philanthropy activities and similar ESG-aligned mandate.
• Fondation Hans Wilsdorf (Rolex): Swiss foundation established by Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf, supporting education, social, and cultural causes in Geneva. Comparable as a Swiss philanthropic foundation with substantial endowment and family foundation character.
• Stiftung Vontobel: Swiss foundation tied to the Vontobel financial group, supporting education, environment, and cultural projects. Comparable as a Swiss family-connected foundation combining entrepreneurial heritage with grant-making activities.
• Christoph Merian Stiftung: Major Basel-based Swiss family foundation supporting social welfare, culture, and nature projects with a substantial endowment portfolio. Comparable as a Swiss charitable foundation combining philanthropic grant-making with significant entrepreneurial asset management for endowment returns.

Broad incumbents

• Oak Foundation: Large international foundation originally established by Swiss entrepreneur Anton J. Büechi, funding social and environmental causes globally. Comparable as a Swiss-origin family foundation operating a substantial endowment with multi-thematic grant-making.

Others

• SwissFoundations: Umbrella association of Swiss grant-making foundations of which Ernst Göhner Stiftung is a founding member. Indirect peer as the sector-wide industry body representing Swiss philanthropic foundations with similar mandates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ernst-g%C3%B6hner-stiftung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A1 record

Investments3 records

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Frequently asked questions about Ernst Gohner Stiftung