Our community includes over 1600 members, and brings together various stakeholders in the Swiss Startup Ecosystem. Everyone working towards the same goal, to energize and excel the Swiss Startup Scene.
Get involved in an environment focused on knowledge exchange and constant learning opportunities. Connect with founders, investors, and entrepreneurs at over 100 events yearly, and engage in important discussions.
With your membership, you support our advocacy efforts to make Switzerland a more startup-friendly place. It also backs our initiatives for Young Minds and Female Founders, fostering a more inclusive ecosystem.
- Get featured on SSA’s website, blog, newsletter (over 6.5K subscribers), and LinkedIn (20K followers), for example,
- through Investor Membership Interview
- or promotion of other material.
- Possibility to participate in an online educational event, or engage in panel discussions, as a presenter, or keynote speaker at one of our well-attended events.
- Exclusive invitations to the over 100 events planned in 2025, for example:
- Founders Dinner – the Big one with over 100 attendees.
- SSA Founders Day
- Participation in the SSA Investor Hours
- Get featured on SSA’s website, blog, newsletter (over 6.5K subscribers), and LinkedIn (20K followers), for example,
- through Investor Membership Interview
- or promotion of other material.
- Possibility to host an online educational event, or engage in panel discussions, as a presenter, or keynote speaker at our well-attended events.
- Exclusive invitations to the over 100 events planned in 2025, for example:
- Founders Dinner – the Big one with over 100 attendees,
- SSA Founders Day
- Participation in the SSA Investor Hours and other investor events.
SSA Key Numbers
What do investors look for in a pitch deck beyond the numbers?
<A deep connection to the problem they’re addressing, along with a strong understanding of their first market. We want to see founders who truly understand the pain point they’re solving and have a clear vision for how they’ll capture that market.>
DART Ventures – Arijana Walcott
Is it better to raise a bigger round or stay lean with a smaller one?
<It depends on the company’s capital efficiency and near-term goals. We like lean startups that prove traction with limited resources – with the ultimate goal of becoming a real, i.e. revenue-generating and profitable business. Having said that, a round should be large enough to reach the next major milestones that are needed to attract follow-on investors. >
Spicehaus Partners – Teddy Amberg
How much traction is "enough" to raise a pre-seed or seed round?
<It varies, but generally we look for consistent user growth, early signs of monetization, and a clear path to scale. More importantly, we want to see that the team can execute and iterate based on market feedback.>
DART Ventures – Arijana Walcott
What makes a startup too early or too late for you to invest?
<Too early for us is when there is no product yet and thus no market validation. Too late is when the round is already oversubscribed or the valuation assumes full product-market fit before it’s been achieved.>
Spicehaus Partners – Teddy Amberg
What are typical timelines from the first meeting to the signed term sheet?
<Typically 4-6 weeks from first call to being signature ready, assuming most information is readily available. It can be shorter or longer depending on the complexity and whether it’s a priced round or convertible note.>
DART Ventures – Arijana Walcott
How do you evaluate the valuation of an early-stage startup?
<We benchmark against similar startups in our ecosystem and assess what the company needs
to achieve until the next round. The valuation should compensate the founding team for what they’ve built so far and leave enough upside for new investors, while not setting a too high or unrealistic benchmark for the next round.>
Spicehaus Partners – Teddy Amberg