Blandine MalhetIMD business school rankings
At the top of the charts
Our executive education programs are ranked highly by the world's most influential business publications.
IMD Startup Competition 2022 /2023
OPENING ON SEPTEMBER 30th!
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.
November 7, 2022: Registration Deadline
December 2, 2022: Formal notification to all selected startups
December 9, 2022: 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 2023 graduating class) |
EMBA 2nd Intake (Apr 2024 graduating class) |
EMBA 3rd Intake (Sept 2024 graduating class) |
| At IMD Lausanne |
Tuesday June 20*, 2023 (pm)
Friday June 23*, 2023 (am) (optional) |
Tuesday May 2*, 2023 (am)
Friday May 5*, 2023 (am) (optional) |
Tuesday October 3*, 2023 (pm)
Friday October 6*, 2023 (am) (optional) |
| In Palo Alto, California | Sept 10-15, 2023 |
Sept 17-22, 2023 |
Nov 12-17, 2023 |
*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 |
| January 31, 2023 | MBA-selected companies meet with their MBA teams at IMD in Lausanne that evening |
| February 4, 2023 | In-company introductory visits for MBA participants at the company's site (wherever possible or desirable) |
| January 31 - April 8, 2023 | MBA-selected companies collaborate with their MBA teams |
IMD Startup News
*2009 EMBA Startup winner*
CE-Mark for Aleva’s Deep Brain Stimulation
After receiving approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, Aleva Neurotherapeutics has obtained the CE approval of its MRI labeling for the directSTIM™ DBS System in Neuromodulation - supporting a new category of patients who are likely to undergo an MRI exam after DBS surgery. The commercial journey has started as the company partners with neurological clinics across Europe.
*2020 EVONIK Startup winner*
Aero41 on the rise
Driven by growing demand and satisfied customers, Aero41 is building momentum. Counting more than 25 clients today in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and France, the Swiss smart agriculture pioneer led by Frédéric Hemmeler just raised a significant amount in seed funding from Boundary Holding, a European deep-tech investment firm. A series A round is currently considered to further fuel the startup's growth.
*2021 EMBA Startup Winner*
Yasai reaches €1.4 million in crowdfunding campaign
With the introduction of vertical farming, ETH spinoff Yasai provides locally produced pesticide-free herbs, available in 80 locations at Switzerland’s largest grocery retailer, Coop. More than 400 investors on Crowdcube have supported this modern farming technology, raising €1.4 million for Yasai’s crowdfunding campaign.
*2022 MBA Startup winner*
Aseptuva banks half a million Swiss francs
Based at Technopark Winterthur, Aseptuva is a Medtech startup aiming to combat Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI). The startup has raised CHF 500’000 in a pre-seed round to support its research and development activities. Valuemaker AG and Fortyone AG participated in the round.
*2018 MBA Startup winner*
CHF 400,000 to speed KOMP-ACT Market Roll-out
Since 2018, KOMP-ACT has designed and manufactured electric motion technologies for the automation industry to overcome the current performance limit. KOMP-ACT’s actuators find applications to activate moving parts in equipment ranging from food-packaging machines and robotic arms to the landing gear on airplanes.
*2018 MBA Startup winner*
Change of management in pursuit of growth
In line with its European expansion, Agtech startup Ecorobotix, providing ultra-high precision crop treatment and plant-by-plant data, welcomed Silicon-valley executive Simon Aspinall as its new CEO to drive global growth. Other startups, and the venture capital firm Maximon, have also had a change in management.
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