Accessing Business Angels in Switzerland:

Are you Savvy

Enough to choose GAIN?

You have launched your startup, but you realize that building a successful start-up is not so easy. You need to be on all fronts: Develop a solid network, build your brand, finance your ideas…but you’re only human.

GAIN Business Angels: The Best Financing Strategy for Swiss Impact-driven Startups

When you decide to build your own start-up, you have to constantly check and verify. Strategy, goals, plans…Often, you have to make immediate decisions that will have a decisive impact on your company. Not to mention that you will not know exactly where these decisions will lead you. Perhaps you have already tested dozens of them. Maybe you even feel like you’re at a standstill, and that if you don’t find a solution quickly, the vision that you had of success will never come true.

At the same time, your business has a meaning behind it. You didn’t start your business driven by financial profits first and foremost. What you really wanted was to be part of the change. You want to build a business that provides solutions to existing and sometimes even urgent problems. In fact, you want to leave a positive mark for future generations. But you don’t know where to start and the ideas are jostling in your head.

This can be destabilizing. If only there was someone who could understand you, accompany you…things would be easier. You would be more confident in your ideas and business and your guesses could turn into concrete plans. Aiming for change means reviewing the rules of the game. How would you feel if we told you that your vision for your business can come true with GAIN?

Why should you choose GAIN to accompany you on your journey?

A professional network

To build a solid brand, you need to have a professional network. Not only does this take time, but you also have to target the right people. To solve this, GAIN can share contacts from its network with you, giving you the keys for a long-term brand identity.

Considerable fundraising

Having an idea and making a plan is one thing. But turning the plan into reality by obtaining funding for the project is another thing. If you don’t know who to turn to and where to find the right person. GAIN will be there to do the rest. 

Experts exclusively for you

The path that leads to the success of your start-up is full of pitfalls and questions. Questions mean stress, stress means rush, and rush can lead to unwarranted outcomes. To be sure that you’re on the right track, GAIN puts you in touch with experts in your topic.

How to apply?

Application Process to presenting at GAIN Impact DemoDay

To present your project at GAIN Impact Demo Day, start by filling out the online application here. Note that GAIN doesn’t sign Non-Disclosure Agreements. Therefore, please include only information that you are comfortable sharing under these terms in your application.

Then, we will begin the selection process. The process includes:

Pre-screening

The applications are pre-screened by our impact investment team. Based on the team’s recommendations, 7-10 companies are selected to present at the Deal Screening stage.

Step 1

Pre-screening

Startups have 10 minutes to present their project, using a maximum of 10 PowerPoint slides. After the presentation, there is a 10-minute Q&A session. Our impact  investment team then discusses the projects and proceeds to an anonymous vote. At the end, 4-5 companies are invited to present at the GAIN Impact Demo Day.

Deal Screening

Step 2

Interview

GAIN Impact Demo Day

The selected start-ups present in front of the GAIN Members. The presentations are 3 minutes long, followed by a 3-minute Q&A session. Following every presentation, attending jury members fill in an Interest List.

Step 3

Pitch!

If GAIN Members express an interest in a startup, the startup enters into a due diligence process with the interested GAIN Members. It is common for several Members to take the lead on the due diligence process and the negotiations with the startup. GAIN Members collaborate during the due diligence process, but make individual investment decisions.

Next step

Step 4

Due Diligence

Investment Criteria

Strong team

Ideally, we’re looking for a cross-functional team with business, marketing, and engineering expertise. In our experience, bringing together technical team members and talented product and distribution pros is a winning combination.

Impact-driven (ESG/SDG compliant)

We need to see that ESG criteria are integrated into your business model.

Concrete success

Beware of vanity metrics. We’re looking for engaged users, some revenue, and attractive unit economics that are trending upwards.

Functional prototype

You have to present us a functional prototype so that we can invest, or previous product success at the very least. Early customer usage is a plus.

Capital-efficient business

We’re looking for companies that are operational at less than USD 1M in external financing. Their CAPEX needs to be low, or we need to see revenue ticking upwards. Watch that burn rate!

Romandie based

The company must be incorporated in the Romandie region.

If you have any questions before the submission, you can contact us at
[email protected].

So, do you have a good reason not to join us?

So, do you have a good reason not to join us ?

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