SCIENCE.OLYMPIAD.CH

What SCIENCE.OLYMPIAD.CH does

Wissenschafts-Olympiade (Science Olympiad Switzerland) is a non-profit association founded in 2004 and headquartered at the University of Bern that operates as the umbrella federation for 11 national science Olympiad competitions spanning Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Informatics, Linguistics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Robotics, and Economics. It serves approximately 10,000 student participations annually across Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein, running online first-round examinations, national finals, training camps, and selecting Swiss teams for international Olympiads including IChO, IBO, IMO, IPhO, IOI, iGeo, IOL, IEO, and EGEO. The organization is volunteer-driven, with approximately 500 volunteers—many of them former participants—and a small secretariat of roughly six part-time staff.

The core technology is the OlyExams online examination platform, which administers the first round of all 11 Olympiad competitions; supporting digital assets include the Brain Food educational resource library, a quarterly newsletter system, and the Olympic Knowledge Challenge quiz. The organization is not a commercial enterprise and does not charge students—participation is free—and it generates revenue through four streams: donations from individuals and corporates (tax-deductible in Switzerland), public funding from the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), and Swiss cantons; Liechtenstein co-sponsorship; membership fees from the 11 discipline-specific olympiad associations; and corporate sponsorships from firms including Roche, Novartis, Merck, Jane Street, and Quantco alongside multiple Swiss foundations.

The go-to-market is community-led: students enter through teacher recommendations at Swiss gymnasiums and through self-registration on the online platform, while teacher outreach is supported via a dedicated school newsletter dispatch. The federation has progressively expanded its discipline surface (adding Robotics and Economics in 2017, Linguistics in 2021, and Astronomy in 2024) and is pursuing the hosting of the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2030 in Lausanne with a target budget of 3 million CHF.

Name

SCIENCE.OLYMPIAD.CH

Legal name

Wissenschafts-Olympiade

Website

https://science.olympiad.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wissenschafts-Olympiade is a Swiss non-profit federation that organizes 11 national science Olympiads across disciplines including Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Informatics, serving approximately 10,000 secondary school students annually in Switzerland and Liechtenstein through competitions, training camps, and international representation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education and Academic Competitions

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAMAGAE

Academic Olympiads & Subject Competitions (Science, Math, Informatics)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Academic Clubs & Competitions (Debate, Model UN, Olympiads)

SECONDARYEDAMABAL

STEM Competitions & Olympiads (Science Bowls, STEM Challenges)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/STEM Enrichment & Science Programs

SECONDARYEDANAKAF

Advanced STEM & Competition Coaching (MathCounts/AMC/AIME/USAMO, Science Olympiad, Physics/Chem Olympiads)

Education/Tutoring & Test Preparation/Enrichment & Advanced/Accelerated Tutoring (Gifted/AP/IB)

SECONDARYEDAMAEAD

Olympiad-Style Proof & Advanced Topics Programs (Number Theory/Combinatorics/Geometry)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Math Enrichment & Competitions

SECONDARYEDAMAGAL

Research & Science Fair Competitions (Science Fairs, Research Symposiums)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Academic Clubs & Competitions (Debate, Model UN, Olympiads)

Keywords

• Science olympiad competitions
• STEM talent development
• Student academic competitions
• Secondary school enrichment
• International science competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: The organization relies on donations from individuals, companies, and institutions. Donations are tax-deductible in Switzerland.
2. Public Funding: Receives support from government bodies including the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), and cantonal authorities.
3. Membership Fees: Eleven member Olympiad associations (Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Informatics, Linguistics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Robotics, Economics) contribute to the federation structure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SCIENCE.OLYMPIAD.CH coordinates 11 national science olympiad programs (Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Informatics, Linguistics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Robotics, and Economics) for secondary school students in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The federation organizes qualifying exams, multi-day training camps, workshops, and preparation cycles that culminate in Swiss team selection for international olympiads. Participation is free for students and supported by donations and sponsorships.

Product overview

The Science Olympiad Switzerland (Wissenschafts-Olympiade) is a federation of 11 national olympiad competitions spanning Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, Informatics, Linguistics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Physics, Robotics, and Economics. Organized as an association with approximately 500 volunteers, it facilitates workshops, camps, exams, and competitions with approximately 10,000 participations annually. The organization selects and trains the best participants to represent Switzerland at international olympiads. Supporting offerings include the Brain Food educational resource library, a quarterly newsletter, and an Olympic Knowledge Challenge quiz platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Astronomy Olympiad (Astro-Olympiade)

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 10,000 student participations annually across 11 disciplines
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• University of BerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution for the Science Olympiad federation secretariat; provides office space and administrative support at University of Bern.
• ETH ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Federal Institute of Technology providing venue support, volunteer involvement, and sponsorship for multiple Olympiads including Physics and Mathematics.
• EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne providing venue, coaching, and administrative support for Physics, Mathematics, and other Olympiads.
• University of Zurich (UZH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Swiss university providing support for Geography and Philosophy Olympiads through venue access and academic involvement.
• Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization offering practice-oriented economics and opinion-forming programs; co-organizer of the Economics Olympiad with Science Olympiad.
• IAETHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Association of Physics Olympiads; Swiss Physics Olympiad is a member enabling international competition participation.
• Swiss Geography Association (ASG)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization for Swiss Geography Olympiad; supports national competition organization.
• University of BaselminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss university providing support for Linguistics and Philosophy Olympiads.
• University of St. Gallen (HSG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss university providing support for Informatics Olympiad programs.
• Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmbrella organization for Swiss scientific societies supporting science Olympiads and education.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• International Physics Olympiad (IPhO): IPhO is the international governing competition for secondary-school physics, which Switzerland has hosted (2016 in Zurich). As the destination federation for the Swiss Physics Olympiad's top performers, IPhO is the closest structural counterpart at the international level.
• International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO): The IMO is the international governing body for the mathematics competition that Swiss students attend annually. The Science Olympiad acts as Switzerland's national organizing federation for IMO participation, making it both an upstream partner and structural peer in the global Olympiad ecosystem.
• International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO): IChO is the international governing body for the chemistry competition that Switzerland has hosted (2023 in Zurich) and has participated in since 1987. It mirrors the Science Olympiad's chemistry track at the global level.

Direct peers

• Science Olympiad Foundation (India): India's Science Olympiad Foundation runs large-scale national science, math and English Olympiads for school students, providing exam-based enrichment. Comparable in operating model (federation of subject Olympiads, school-based recruitment, competitive exams) and serves a similarly structured population albeit at vastly larger scale.
• Kangourou sans Frontières: Kangourou sans Frontières is an international mathematics competition federated across European countries including Switzerland. It is a peer in operating model (federation of national organizers, school-based mass participation, free or low-fee entry) and competes for the same math-talented secondary audience.
• Science Olympiad (USA): The US national Science Olympiad is the most direct analogue: a non-profit running multi-discipline STEM competitions for secondary school students, reliant on volunteers and teacher networks. It shares the same multi-subject competition model across biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and informatics.
• World Robot Olympiad (WRO): WRO is the international federation for school robotics competitions, and Science Olympiad's Robotics Olympiad follows the WRO format. WRO is the global counterpart for Science Olympiad's robotics track, with similar volunteer-driven national organizing structures.

Regional players

• United Kingdom Mathematics Trust (UKMT): UKMT coordinates the UK's mathematical challenge and olympiad programs for secondary students, feeding into the International Mathematical Olympiad. Directly comparable in function for the math track, with a similar volunteer-and-academic-institution model.

Emerging players

• Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES): YES is a Swiss non-profit that co-develops the Economics Olympiad with Science Olympiad and provides practice-oriented economics programs for youth. It is a direct operational partner and structural peer in delivering subject-specific enrichment competitions to Swiss secondary students.
• Schweizer Jugend forscht: Schweizer Jugend forscht is Switzerland's national competition for young researchers, complementary to the Science Olympiad in fostering STEM talent among Swiss secondary students. It overlaps in target audience and sponsors (e.g., ETH) but focuses on research projects rather than Olympiad exam competitions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkxGvx4udPfBiDXI80wohJA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/science-olympiad-ch
• Instagraminstagram.com/science.olympiad.ch
• TikToktiktok.com/@science.olympiad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SCIENCE.OLYMPIAD.CH