Startup Events

A glimpse of our
past events

Our Flagship Event

Founders Day 2024

At the SSA Founders Day, 250 founders, investors, and partners of the SSA gathered at the Google Campus in Zurich. The event was filled with insightful keynote sessions, panel discussions, and opportunities for participants to engage in smaller deep-dive sessions.

In today’s fast-paced startup ecosystem, the value of networking cannot be overstated. It’s not just about exchanging LinkedIn connections; it’s about building relationships with like-minded individuals. That’s what Founders Day 2024 was all about.

The 2024 edition speakers included: Thomas Dübendorfer/SICTIC, Pascal Bieri/Planted, Andy Schwarzenbach/BlackRiver, Matthias Schranner/Schranner Negotiation Institute, Enzo Wälchli/ANYbotics, Michael Baier/Wenger Vieli, Charles Vaslet/Emerald Ventures, Craig Cooper/Serpentine Ventures, Lauent Decrue/Holycode, Patrick Griss/Zühlke Ventues, Marc Kowalsky/Bilanz, and many more.

Stay tuned for more information about the next SSA Founders Day on the 15th of April, 2025!

Founders Day 2024 Gallery

A glimpse of our Founders Dinners and Drinks

Founders Dinners

Founders Dinners or Founders Drinks offer the opportunity to meet like-minded startup founders in the Swiss startup ecosystem in a relaxed atmosphere across various locations in Switzerland, such as Zurich, St. Gallen, Basel, Bern, Lucerne, Lausanne, Lugano, Zug, Winterthur, and more.

Additionally, twice a year, we host big editions of the Founders Dinners, bringing together over 120 founders, investors, and SSA Partners for memorable evenings.

SSA Summer Night 2024 Gallery

XMAS edition 2023 Gallery

A glimpse of our in-person education sessions

Founders Academy

At these in-person education sessions, you have the opportunity to learn from industry experts and dive deep into various topics such as fundraising, taxation, intellectual property, talent acquisition, and much more.

The events take place at multiple locations across Switzerland and feature interactive workshops, keynote speeches, engaging panel discussions, and opportunities to ask all your questions. These sessions also offer the chance to connect with like-minded individuals, learn from different entrepreneurial journeys, and grow your network.

Founders Academies are free of charge for SSA Premium Members. Are you not a member yet? Register here. If you are a Basic member and want to upgrade, upgrade for the Premium Member here.

A glimpse of our online education sessions

Webinars

These online education sessions are a great way to gain new skills and ask questions to subject matter experts.

The recorded past webinars are available to SSA members in our Education Session Video Library. With over 40 videos and regular updates, covering startup essential topics such as:

Product-market-fit (see on the right)
Funding strategies, pitching, and investor relations
How to set up a high-performing BoD
Growth hacking and marketing tactics
Team building and leadership skills
And many more…

What Participants Are Saying About Our Startup Events

Founders Drinks: Lausanne

Date:
05.12.2024 / 18:30-21:00
Location:
Lausanne

Join this Webinar, co-hosted with Holycode, where we’ll explore practical steps and proven strategies to help your startup find the perfect alignment between your product and its market demand.

Webinar: Finding Your Market: How Early-Stage Startups Can Validate Product-Market Fit

Date:
04.12.2024 / 12:00 - 13:00
Location:
Online

The Founders Dinner in Jura with Swiss Startup Association (SSA) is an event that brings together Swiss founders and entrepreneurs.

Founders Drinks: Jura

Date:
03.12.2024 / 17:30 - 21:00
Location:
Jura

Join this Webinar and discover steps to help your startup thrive by embracing ESG practices, paving the way for sustainable growth and investor confidence!

Webinar: Unlocking Growth: Why Startups Should Embrace ESG for Sustainable Success

Date:
03.12.2024 / 12:00 - 13:00
Location:
Online

Founders Academy: Startup Funding: Everything you need to know about Convertible Loans

Date:
27.11.2024 / 16:00 - 18.00
Location:
Zurich

Startup Success Forum: AI-Powered Customer Success Strategies for Scaling and Growth

Date:
26.11.2024 / 10:00 - 13.00
Location:
Zurich

Join us for this online event, co-hosted with Privilège Ventures, where we will explore topics such as finding your first hires, the importance of diversity and how to navigate a co-founders relationship

Webinar: A Startup’s Handbook on Team building, Diversity and Company Culture

Date:
26.11.2024 / 12:00 - 13:00
Location:
Online

Big Founders Dinner: Xmas edition

Date:
20.11.2024 / 18:00 - 22:00
Location:
Zürich

Founders Dinner: Basel

Date:
19.11.2024 / 18:00 - 21:00
Location:
Basel

Webinar: M&A Readiness for Startups: What Founders need to know

Founders Academy: M&A Readiness for Startups: What Founders need to know

Date:
19.11.2024 / 16:30 - 20.00
Location:
Zurich

Female Founders Drinks

Date:
14.11.2024 / 18:00 - 21:00
Location:
Zürich

Join Eversheds Sutherland lawyers from both countries (US and Switzerland), as they explore the legal challenges and opportunities on both sides of the pond.

Webinar: Conquering the US Market

Date:
13.11.2024 / 17:00 - 18:00
Location:
Online

Founders Dinner: Lucerne

Date:
13.11.2024 / 18:00 - 21:00
Location:
Lucerne

Webinar: Common pitfalls that could hinder your tech startup’s growth

Date:
12.11.2024 / 12:00 - 13:00
Location:
Online

For startups in digital health sector only – Founders Drinks: Zurich

Date:
07.11.2024 / 18:30-21:00
Location:
Zurich

Founders Dinner: St. Gallen

Date:
05.11.2024 / 18:00 - 21:00
Location:
St. Gallen

Join SSA for an online session, co-hosted with Swiss Post Ventures, where you will learn how to effectively prepare for a successful exit.

Webinar: Mastering Exit Strategies: From Selling Products to Selling the Company

Date:
05.11.2024 / 12:00-13:00
Location:
Online

Webinar: Venture Capital’s perspective on early-stage startup capital raising

Date:
29.10.2024 / 12:00-13:00
Location:
Online

Join us for the upcoming Founders Dinner in Zurich and meet like-minded founders together with Wenger Vieli

Founders Dinner: Zurich

Date:
17.10.2024 / 18:00-21:00
Location:
Zurich

Join the Swiss Startups Association (SSA) Founders Drinks in Bern. Founders and entrepreneurs to come together, network, share insights.

Founders Dinner: Bern

Date:
16.10.2024 / 18:00-21:00
Location:
Bern

Webinar: ESOP & VSOP: Exploring Forms, Valuation and Accounting Implications for Startups

Date:
16.10.2024 / 12:00-13:00
Location:
Online

Founders Academy: Investor Readiness: Developing Your Pitch Deck and Financial Plan

Date:
15.10.2024 / 18:00-20:30
Location:
Zurich

Webinar: Maximize B2B Sales Efficiency for your Startups

Date:
15.10.2024 / 12.00 - 13.00
Location:
Zurich

Female Founders Breakfast

Date:
11.10.2024 / 8:30 - 10:30
Location:
Zurich

Founders Dinner: Ticino

Date:
09.10.2024 / 18:45-21:30
Location:
Lugano

Webinar: CRMs for Startups: Why, How, What? Building a Scalable Growth Engine

Date:
08.10.2024 / 12:00 - 13:00
Location:
Online

Founders Dinner: CTO Edition

Date:
07.10.2024 / 18:00 - 21:00
Location:
Zurich

Join SSA for the Founders Academy: Unlocking Growth with ESOP: A Strategic Tool for Startup Scaling and Talent Acquisition with Prager Dreifuss

The ESOP Playbook: Legal Perspectives, Tax Implications, and How to Attract and Retain Top Talent Through ESOPs

Date:
02.10.2024 / 17.45 - 21.00
Location:
Zurich

Founders Dinner: CFO Edition

Date:
26.09.2024 / 18:00 - 21:00
Location:
Zurich

Webinar: Navigating Management Incentive Plans: Accounting & Tax Insights for Startups

Date:
25.09.2024 / 12:00-13:00
Location:
Zurich

Founders Academy: Scale B2B sales with processes, not people

Date:
24.09.2024 / 18.00 - 20.30
Location:
Zurich

Webinar: Prepare Your Startup for a Successful IPO: Pros, Cons and Where

Date:
24.09.2024 / 12:00 - 13:00
Location:
Online

Founders Drinks: Zug

Date:
18.09.2024 / 18:00-21:00
Location:
Zug

Webinar: Mastering Growth – Scaling at any Price?

Date:
18.09.2024 / 12:00-13:00
Location:
Online

Founders Academy: Integrating IP into Your Startup’s Success

Date:
17.09.2024 / 15:00 - 18:30
Location:
Zurich

Webinar: How to internationally expand your startup to the Brazilian and Latin American Markets

Date:
12.09.2024 / 17:30-18:30
Location:
Online

Founders Dinner: Winterthur

Date:
11.09.2024 / 18:00-21:00
Location:
Winterthur

Founders Academy: Cyber security best practices for startups

Date:
10.09.2024 / 16:30-18:00
Location:
Zurich

Webinar: Maximizing Your Swiss Startup’s Potential with Nearshoring and Offshoring

Date:
05.09.2024 / 12:00-13:00
Location:
Online

Webinar: How to do SEO with ZERO Budget

Date:
03.09.2024 / 12:00 - 13:30
Location:
Online