GründenSolothurn / GZS GmbH - Gründungsdienstleistungen

What GründenSolothurn / GZS GmbH - Gründungsdienstleistungen does

GZS GmbH – Gründungsdienstleistungen, operating under the brand "Gründen Solothurn," is a Swiss private limited company (GmbH) established in 2020 to deliver free entrepreneurship advisory services in the Canton of Solothurn on behalf of the Standortförderung Kanton Solothurn (Cantonal Economic Development Agency). The organization operates from a single headquarters at Grabackerstrasse 6 in Solothurn with approximately five employees and serves individual founders and young entrepreneurs within the canton. Service delivery consists of free initial consultations, downloadable checklists and guides, workshops, intensive training courses delivered in partnership with IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen AG, and recurring networking events including the annual "Tag des Gründens Solothurn" and regular "Gründerstammtisch" meetups. The customer base is segmented into two personas: founders seeking to establish businesses and young entrepreneurs pursuing first ventures.

The product portfolio is service-oriented rather than technology-driven. Core offerings include personal founding consultations (Gründungsberatung), scheduled expert discussions (Experten-Gespräch), the annual flagship event, recurring networking meetups, and a library of PDF resources covering business idea validation, SWOT analysis, business planning, and legal formation structures (Einzelfirma, AG, GmbH, Kollektivgesellschaft). Course content is delivered in partnership with the national IFJ. The organization's web presence is built on TYPO3 CMS, and operations integrate with my.so.ch, the Canton of Solothurn's online administrative portal (easygov), enabling founders to handle official business registration procedures digitally around the clock. Marketing channels comprise the website, an email newsletter, and in-person events.

Gründen Solothurn operates as a government-funded public service rather than a commercial enterprise and does not generate revenue from end users. All services are provided free of charge, with operations funded through a mandate from the Standortförderung Kanton Solothurn. Geographic scope is explicitly restricted to the Canton of Solothurn, with no commercial expansion beyond cantonal borders. The business model is structurally a freemium-style service where the "paying customer" (the cantonal government) is decoupled from the end user, and the organization depends on a network of partner organizations including Startup Academy Mittelland, BEKB cantonal bank, SOHK chamber of commerce, KGV SO trade association, and multiple municipal economic development offices.

Name

GründenSolothurn / GZS GmbH - Gründungsdienstleistungen

Legal name

GZS GmbH – Gründungsdienstleistungen

Website

https://gzs.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GZS GmbH (Gründen Solothurn) is a government-commissioned free advisory service for founders in the Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, providing consultations, expert referrals, workshops, and networking events, funded by the cantonal economic development agency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Advisory Services

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Entity Setup & Expansion Advisory (Market Entry, Subsidiary Formation) (BPACAHAM)

Keywords

• Business startup consulting
• Entrepreneurship advisory services
• Company formation support
• Founder mentorship programs
• Small business development

Headquarters

HQ city

Solothurn

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government-funded public service: Operated as a free public service funded by the Standortförderung Kanton Solothurn (Cantonal Economic Development Agency). No direct revenue generation from founders; service is provided at no cost to entrepreneurs in the canton.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GZS GmbH – Gründungsdienstleistungen, operating as GründenSolothurn, provides free founding advisory services for individuals looking to start a business in the Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland. The offering covers initial consultations, expert appointments, downloadable checklists and guides for business planning and company formation (Einzelfirma, AG, GmbH, Kollektivgesellschaft), events and workshops, networking meetups, and referral access to the easygov online government portal for official business registration.

Product overview

GründenSolothurn (GZS GmbH – Gründungsdienstleistungen) is a free advisory service for founders and young entrepreneurs in the Canton of Solothurn, operated on behalf of the Canton's location promotion agency. The offering consists of core consulting services (free initial consultation, expert appointments), downloadable educational resources (infoblätter/checklists for business ideas, business plans, and company types), event organization (annual founding day, regular meetups, intensive workshops), and referral access to the easygov online government portal. Course offerings are delivered in partnership with IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen AG. The service operates as a unified consultancy model rather than a software platform, providing personal guidance through the founding process rather than automated or AI-powered tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gründungsberatung (Founding Consulting)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

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.

• Standortförderung Kanton SolothurncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary mandate holder and sponsor of GründenSolothurn. The economic development agency commissions and funds the GZS GmbH to provide free entrepreneurship support services throughout the canton. This is the core strategic relationship enabling all operations.
• IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Swiss institute for young enterprises providing courses, resources, and materials. IFJ offers free intensive courses for founders. GZS promotes IFJ courses and provides IFJ materials and checklists to its clients.
• Förderverein GründenSolothurn (GZS Support Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting association for GründenSolothurn with its own membership base of local business supporters and experts.
• Start-Up Academy MittellandminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional startup academy offering programs for entrepreneurs. Listed as a partner providing additional startup support services.
• Business Park BLminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness park organization supporting startups and businesses in the Basel-Landschaft region.
• Wirtschaft Region OltenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEconomic development organization for the Olten region, facilitating local business support and networking.
• Kantonaler Gewerbeverband KGV SOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCantonal trade and commerce association representing small businesses and trades in Solothurn.
• Solothurnische Handelskammer (SOHK)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChamber of commerce for Solothurn, representing business interests and providing networking opportunities.
• BEKB (Berner Kantonalbank) GründungminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional cantonal bank offering startup and founding-related financial services. Partnership facilitates referral of entrepreneurs seeking banking services.
• Stadt Grenchen WirtschaftsförderungminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMunicipal economic development office for the city of Grenchen, providing local support to founders in that municipality.
• Schwarzbubenland Tourismus & WirtschaftminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional economic and tourism organization for the Schwarzbubenland region in the canton.
• Espace SolothurnminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional development organization for the Solothurn area.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Standortförderung Kanton Solothurn: The cantonal economic development agency that commissions and funds GZS GmbH. Not a competitor but the principal stakeholder and de facto parent; comparable as the underlying public-sector economic promotion entity across Swiss cantons.
• Solothurnische Handelskammer (SOHK): Cantonal chamber of commerce representing business interests in Solothurn and providing networking support to founders. Listed as a GründenSolothurn channel partner; comparable as an adjacent ecosystem organization serving the same founder constituency.
• Kantonaler Gewerbeverband Solothurn (KGV SO): Cantonal trade and commerce association representing SMEs and trades in Solothurn. Acts as a referral channel for GründenSolothurn and shares the same constituency of small-business founders in the canton.

Broad incumbents

• Innosuisse: Swiss Innovation Agency funding and supporting science-based startups and innovation projects nationally. Broader incumbent in Swiss startup promotion with significantly larger mandate and budget, but serves overlapping founders at the pre-commercial stage.
• Venturelab: Switzerland's leading national startup development program offering coaching, workshops, and founder events. Operates at broader national scale but covers overlapping target audience (early-stage Swiss founders) and delivers similar advisory and event formats.

Direct peers

• Start-Up Academy Mittelland: Regional startup academy operating in Switzerland's Mittelland region offering founder programs and workshops. Direct regional peer in the same startup-support category, and explicitly listed as a GründenSolothurn channel partner.
• IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen AG: Switzerland's national institute for young enterprises providing free courses, checklists, and startup formation resources. Directly comparable to GründenSolothurn in mission and target customer (pre-foundation entrepreneurs), with GZS actively promoting IFJ courses as a partner service.

Emerging players

• BEKB Gründerzentrum: Cantonal bank (Berner Kantonalbank) subsidiary offering financial and advisory services specifically for founders. Comparable target customer segment and partial overlap with GZS's advisory offering; listed as a GründenSolothurn GTM partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gruenderzentrumso

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 GründenSolothurn / GZS GmbH - Gründungsdienstleistungen