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IMD Startup Competition 2022 /2023
THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER 2023 FOR THE NEXT EDITION!
IMD Startup News
*2021 EMBA Startup winner*
Yasai attracts investment and industry experts to accelerate growth
The Bell Food Group has invested an undisclosed amount in YASAI’s convertible loan round to scale the business. In line with the investment, the startup has welcomed the Group’s CEO, Lorenz Wyss, to its board, joining Theo Stolze, a former shareholder of the Stolze Group. The Industry veterans bring a wealth of experience and business acumen to accelerate vertical farming.
*2020 EMBA Startup winner*
Fresh capital for Dufour Aerospace
Vista Global Holding, a leading global private aviation group, and two investors have invested in Dufour’s series B financing round to support its expansion. During the past months, the startup has been winning customers for its unmanned Aero2 and flagship manned Aero3 aircraft, which foster sustainable aviation.
*2021 MBA Startup winner*
USD 2.7M Series A for Bionomous product rollout and expansion
Bionomous, the Swiss-based startup who builds devices to automate processes in Life Science research, announces today it has raised a USD 2.7 million Series A funding round. Bionomous' first device obtained CE certification in December 2022. Currently, the company already counts customers in Europe, USA and China.
*2012 EMBA Startup Winner*
BioVersys secures an additional CHF 8.4 million to advance clinical studies
The AMR Action Fund, the world’s largest public-private partnership investing in biotech companies developing antimicrobials, has made its first investment in Europe following its participation in the Bioversys series C round. The additional capital brings the proceeds of the Series C round to CHF 32.6 million.
*2018 EMBA Startup winner*
Bruker acquires a majority stake in Biognosys
The newly formed strategic partnership saw Bruker Corporation make a majority-ownership investment in Biognosys, the provider of mass spectrometry-based proteomics solutions. In addition to leveraging Brucker’s expertise to advance precision proteomics, Biognosys will retain its existing team and expand into the US.
*2020 Evonik Startup winners*
Blent Hospitality Business Intelligence gets FIT - EHL boost
Founded in 2019 by Christopher Meignier, BLENT has set up at the EHL Innovation Village. The start-up has just received a Food & Hospitality loan by EHL of CHF 200’000 from the Foundation for Technological Innovation (FIT). The new funds enable Blent to develop its team and expand with its data collection platform into several markets.
*2023 MBA Startup winner*
CHF 4 million for Bottneuro
Bottneuro, a startup of the University of Basel, is working on a personalized, patient-specific, multifocal electrical stimulation therapy for Alzheimer’s patients. The startup has closed the first tranche of the bridge round, bringing its total capital raised in 2022 to CHF 4 million. The company will start clinical trials in 2023 in Switzerland to validate the efficacy of its Miamind Neurostimulator.
Seize your chance now!
Could your startup benefit from highly talented, experienced and motivated individuals who have been carefully screened to participate in two of the most selective and rigorous business programs in the world?
If so, this competition provides a unique opportunity for you to get the help and insights of participants in IMD’s MBA and Executive MBA programs.
This offer is open to all Swiss-based startups and runs in collaboration with the Swiss government's Innosuisse-Swiss Innovation Agency, VentureKick, MassChallenge Switzerland, Verve and Amazon Web Services.
We select up to 38 different startups to work with IMD MBAs and Executive MBAs.
We are looking for early-stage companies that have a solid chance of market success, have a team that is curious and willing to open themselves up to a small group of management "students", are pleased to enter into both strategic and business model discussions, and can provide a good learning opportunity for our participants with timing that aligns with the IMD programs.
2023 date tbd, 5pm CET: Registration Deadline
2023 date tbd: Formal notification to all selected startups
2023 date tbd: Deadline for the selected startups to accept or decline the IMD offer
Grow your business, test your concepts, get new insights:
work with our MBA and EMBA participants
Many ventures got lasting value from working with our MBAs and EMBAs. In the most recent Swiss Top 100 report, IMD-supported startups captured 28 of the 100 places, including 2 out of the top 10, and six of the top 25 scaleups! Do you want to be in that group next year?
As additional support for Swiss startups, and to help the Swiss entrepreneurial ecosystem, winners of the IMD Startup Competition will now receive a CHF 5,000 Startup Scholarship to be used to participate in any of IMD's online or open programs!
And this year we’re pleased to announce that Amazon Web Services is partnering with us once again and will support the winners of the IMD Startup Competition: “From Airbnb to Zocdoc, the world's top startups build on AWS. But they didn't do it alone. So whether you need help solving a technical challenge, hiring the right engineers, or finalizing a fundraising round, AWS has all the resources you need to get started. There’s a reason more startups build on AWS than any other provider: AWS is there to help you succeed, from inception to IPO. With this partnership, the Startups winning the IMD Startup Competition get access to the network of opportunities through AWS Startups.
Recent Winners of the Startup Competition
Boost your chances of funding and success
Get fresh input on your business ideas
Gather new information with the help of IMD talent
Executive MBA project opportunity
- Up to eighteen startups will be chosen to work with three Executive MBA classes
- Split into small teams each working with a dedicated startup, our EMBAs help analyze and challenge your business plans and company strategies
- Their ultimate goal is to make a pitch on your behalf to venture capitalists and angels in Silicon Valley in September or November (with the presence of your founders)
| Location |
EMBA 1st Intake (Dec 2024 graduating class) |
EMBA 2nd Intake (Apr 2025 graduating class) |
EMBA 3rd Intake (Sept 2025 graduating class) |
| At IMD Lausanne |
2024 date tbd |
2024 date tbd |
2024 date tbd |
| In Palo Alto, California | 2024 date tbd |
2024 date tbd |
2024 date tbd |
*Subject to change
MBA project opportunity
- Up to 20 startups will receive the support of our MBA class
- Split into small teams, each working with a dedicated startup, our MBAs put in an average of 6-8 hours per person on this project each week, for a total support of at least 500-600 work-hours
| Dates | Description |
| 2024 dates tbd | MBA-selected companies meet with their MBA teams at IMD in Lausanne that evening |
| 2024 dates tbd | In-company introductory visits for MBA participants at the company's site (wherever possible or desirable) |
| 2024 dates tbd | MBA-selected companies collaborate with their MBA teams |
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