ROCK YOUR LIFE! Schweiz

What ROCK YOUR LIFE! Schweiz does

ROCK YOUR LIFE! Schweiz is a Swiss non-profit (ROCK YOUR LIFE! GmbH, CHE-495.548.913) founded in Bern in 2013 by Anna Leuenberger and four co-founders. It delivers a free one-to-one mentoring program that pairs volunteer mentors (over 18) with young mentees aged 15–25 for a one-year relationship, with the goal of supporting school-to-vocational transitions, social participation, and self-efficacy. The organization operates across ten sites covering all three Swiss language regions — German-speaking (Basel, Bern, Chur, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Zurich), French-speaking (Fribourg, Geneva, Vaud), and Italian-speaking (Lugano, Bellinzona) — and serves two primary target groups: socially disadvantaged secondary-school students in grades 10–11 and young migrants/refugees with a secure residence status.

Its core product is the 1:1 Mentoring Program, supplemented in April 2026 by a digital platform for mentors that delivers content, podcasts, event dates, and downloads (with an Italian version planned for H2 2026). Underlying technology is operationally lightweight: Typeform for online applications, Matomo for web analytics, Intuit Mailchimp for newsletters, and consumer-grade AI tools (ChatGPT, DeepL, Magic Studio/Canva) for content production, with all AI inputs anonymized. The organization uses the IOOI (Input-Output-Outcome-Impact) framework to track outcomes and has been independently validated by two three-year academic studies — the ifo Institute (2021, educationally disadvantaged youth) and HETS Fribourg (2025, refugees/migrants), reporting 81% positive transition steps, 84% self-efficacy growth, 87% training continuity, and over 70% refugee transition outcomes.

The business model is grant-funded: the program is entirely free to mentees and referring institutions. Revenue streams comprise multi-year grants from major Swiss foundations (Beisheim, Ernst Göhner, Minerva, Vontobel, Drosos, Aporta, Binding, Hirschmann, Bangerter-Rhyner), a seven-year corporate partnership with UBS (principal funder, including UBS Helpetica employee volunteering), and public-sector contracts from SECO, SEM, and cantonal integration programs (PIC) in Lucerne, Nidwald, Graubünden, Geneva, and Fribourg. Mentors are unpaid, contributing approximately 20,000 volunteer hours per year against ~24,000 paid staff hours from a team of 28.

Name

ROCK YOUR LIFE! Schweiz

Legal name

ROCK YOUR LIFE! GmbH

Website

https://rockyourlife.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Swiss non-profit founded in 2013 that delivers a free one-to-one mentoring program pairing volunteer mentors with disadvantaged youth and young refugees (ages 15–25) across ten trilingual sites in Switzerland, funded by foundations, UBS, and public-sector grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentoring Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mentoring, Coaching, Alumni Networking & Peer Support Platforms (EDAFAMAN), Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Refugee integration programs
• Vocational transition support
• Corporate volunteering partnerships
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation & Corporate Grants/Sponsorship: Primary funding from private foundations (Beisheim Stiftung, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Minerva Stiftung, Vontobel Stiftung, Drosos Stiftung, Aporta Stiftung, Gottfried-Julia-Bangerter-Rhyner Stiftung, Binding Stiftung, Hirschmann Stiftung) and major corporate sponsors (UBS as primary sponsor). Multi-year partnerships are common (e.g., Beisheim Stiftung, 3-year partnership). Funding supports program operations across 10 sites.
2. Public Sector Funding: Funding from cantonal integration programs (PIC) in Lucerne, Nidwald, Graubünden, Geneva, and Fribourg; support from SECO (Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft) and SEM (Staatssekretariat für Migration). Bundeskredit also listed as a public backer.
3. Volunteer In-Kind Contribution: Approximately 20,000 hours of volunteer work per year from mentors. Mentors are not paid; they contribute time (~4 hours/month per mentee over one year). This represents an essential non-monetary input enabling program delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ROCK YOUR LIFE! Schweiz delivers a free one-to-one mentoring program that pairs volunteer adult mentors (over 18) with young people aged 15–25 for a one-year engagement, helping them transition into vocational training, participate in social life, and strengthen self-confidence. The program operates at ten sites across Switzerland's German-, French-, and Italian-speaking regions and serves two target groups: socially disadvantaged secondary school students and young migrants/refugees. In April 2026 the organization launched a Digital Platform for Mentors providing specialized content, podcasts, and resources to support mentoring activities.

Product overview

ROCK YOUR LIFE! Schweiz operates a unified 1:1 mentoring program as its core product, available at ten sites across Switzerland's three language regions (German, French, Italian-speaking). The program connects mentors with mentees (young people aged 15-25) for one year. The organization serves two target groups: socially disadvantaged youth in secondary school and young migrants/refugees. In April 2026, a new Digital Platform for Mentors was launched to support mentors with content, podcasts, and practical resources. The organization also offers corporate volunteering opportunities for businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 1:1 Mentoring Program One-on-one mentoring program that connects one mentor (over 18 years old) with one mentee (15–25 years old) for one year, aiming to help young people find vocational training, participate socially, and build self-confidence. Delivered free of charge at ten sites across Switzerland.
• Mentoring for Socially Disadvantaged Youth Targeted 1:1 mentoring for young people in 10th and 11th grade who face difficulties managing the transition from school to vocational training independently, including those with unstable family or social environments.
• Mentoring for Young Migrants and Refugees Program for young migrants and refugees aged 16–25 with secure residency and A2 oral language skills, supporting social and professional integration in Switzerland.
• Digital Platform for Mentors Digital platform providing volunteer mentors with specialized content, expert podcasts, links for deeper learning, practical downloads, and current event dates to support their mentoring activities beyond in-person meetings.
• Corporate Volunteering Offerings for companies to engage employees in mentoring, including financial sponsorship of mentoring pairs, cultural leadership training, and thematic workshops for youth.

Quantifiable outcome

• 81% of mentees achieve at least one positive step towards the professional world (cohort 2023-2025)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration4 records

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• MovetiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovetia is a Swiss exchange organization that funded a three-day cross-border exchange between ROCK YOUR LIFE! and Refugees Welcome Italia in Milan (September 2024), enabling best practice sharing in mentoring methodologies.
• Check Your ChancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerROCK YOUR LIFE! is a longstanding member of Check Your Chance, a national platform against youth unemployment. RYL! participated in the first Ticino conference organized by the Check Your Chance Ticino working group (November 2024). The platform includes partners: ProJuventute, IPT, SOS Ticino, LIFT, YES, and RYL!. Supported by SECO and multiple foundations.
• Refugees Welcome ItaliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border mentoring best practice exchange partner. ROCK YOUR LIFE! participated in a three-day conference in Milan (September 2024) with Refugees Welcome Italia, supported by Movetia. Both organizations share a conviction that mentoring is a powerful tool for social and professional integration of youth with migration backgrounds.
• ifo Institut (University of Munich)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted a three-year longitudinal study (2018-2021) evaluating the effectiveness of RYL!'s mentoring program for educationally disadvantaged youth. Study findings confirmed significant improvements in school performance and labor market readiness. Led by Prof. Wößmann.
• HETS Fribourg (Haute École de Travail Social)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted a three-year study evaluating the effectiveness of RYL!'s mentoring program for young migrants and refugees. Findings confirmed over 70% of participants found a transition solution, with improved self-confidence, language skills, and clearer future perspectives. Published 2025.
• UBS HelpeticamajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUBS Helpetica is a Swiss volunteering mediation platform that connects non-profits with corporate volunteers. RYL! partners with UBS Helpetica to facilitate corporate employee volunteering as mentors. Featured in joint media coverage (e.g., Sonntagsblick, October 2024).
• SwissSkillsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwitzerland's largest vocational training event (4th edition, September 2025, Bern). ROCK YOUR LIFE! maintained a booth to recruit mentors and mentees among the 3,000+ young attendees.
• University Partners (ETCS Credit Recognition)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple Swiss universities and Fachhochschulen formally recognize mentoring engagement with RYL! through ETCS credits. Partners include HETS (L, GE, FR), UNIGE, UNIFR, Unibas, FHNW, BFH, ZHAW, PHLU, HSLU, PHSG. This enables student mentors to earn academic credit for volunteer work.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ROCK YOUR LIFE! Deutschland: German sister organization and original source of the model RYL! Schweiz was founded on. Operates a near-identical 1:1 mentoring model in Germany, making it the most direct functional peer; it represents both a reference implementation and a potential cross-border scaling partner for the Swiss entity.
• IPT (Intégration Pour Tous): Swiss organization supporting professional integration of migrants, also part of the Check Your Chance network. Operates a comparable mentoring-style accompaniment model for the same refugee/migrant youth cohort as RYL!'s second program line.
• LIFT Schweiz: Swiss foundation running structured weekly mentoring/coaching for socially disadvantaged children and adolescents in school settings. Direct competitor within the same Check Your Chance national platform, with overlapping target group and similar volunteer model.
• SOS Ticino: Swiss nonprofit supporting migrants in Italian-speaking Switzerland, co-member of Check Your Chance with RYL!. Comparable in its migrant integration mandate and its regional presence in Ticino, but uses a broader mix of services rather than 1:1 mentoring.
• Stiftung MENTOR Basel: Basel-based foundation providing volunteer mentoring for children and adolescents, including migrants. Operates a 1:1 mentoring model in the same Swiss city ecosystem as RYL!'s Basel site, making it a regional direct peer in the same niche.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters Switzerland: Swiss affiliate of the global Big Brothers Big Sisters network, providing one-to-one youth mentoring. Closely comparable to RYL! in target population, 1:1 matching model, and reliance on volunteer mentors, though it focuses more broadly on at-risk youth rather than the school-to-work transition niche RYL! dominates.
• YES (Young Enterprise Scheme Switzerland): Swiss mentoring program for school-to-work transition, co-member of Check Your Chance alongside RYL!. Targets similar youth populations and operates comparable school-based referral flows, making it a directly comparable Swiss youth mentoring peer.

Broad incumbents

• ProJuventute Schweiz: The largest Swiss foundation for children and youth, providing a wide portfolio of support services. It addresses some of the same target populations as RYL! but as a broad incumbent rather than a specialist in 1:1 vocational mentoring.
• Caritas Schweiz: Major Swiss social services organization with integration programs for migrants and disadvantaged youth. Comparable on the social assistance/migrant integration dimension and a potential complementary service provider rather than a head-to-head competitor.

Emerging players

• MENTOR – Die Leselernpaten Stiftung (Germany / expanding to CH): German foundation running 1:1 mentoring (literacy-focused) that has begun expanding into German-speaking Switzerland. Comparable volunteer-driven 1:1 model with a different primary focus (reading support vs. school-to-work transition), making it an emerging peer in the same niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rockyourlife-schweiz
• Instagraminstagram.com/rockyourlife.suisse

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ROCK YOUR LIFE! Schweiz