Talent Kick

Committed to enabling students to become future leaders, implement their vision and explore the entrepreneurial career path during their studies, ETH AI Center is one of the co-founding partners of this highly selective cross-university program external page Talent Kick.

Transferring cutting-edge research into scalable startups is a key driver of innovation and economic success. Since many young talents shape their career paths before completing their degrees, it is essential to provide early exposure to entrepreneurship and clear pathways toward entrepreneurial careers.

The success of a startup depends not only on the product but also on the team. By connecting top talents across universities in Switzerland, Talent Kick fosters diverse, interdisciplinary teams that enhance startup success and create global impact. Unlike most programs, Talent Kick starts early in the entrepreneurial journey: it brings together students from different Swiss universities, helps them form strong teams, and supports their first steps toward launching a startup while still in university. Participants receive leadership coaching to develop their leadership style, and transition confidently from student or researcher to entrepreneur. Talent Kick also provides CHF 5,000 in funding to validate ideas, along with continued support to help teams secure further funding, gain traction, and successfully transition into running their own startups after their studies.

The program is personalized and integrative, creating synergies between academic education and entrepreneurship. It also ensures strong teams transition smoothly into the broader Swiss startup ecosystem, including into established programs specializing in later-stage development. In doing so, Talent Kick fills a critical gap and helps turn more research into impactful startups and also trains the top talents to become proactive responsible entrepreneurial leaders. Talent Kick equips them with the mindset, structure, tools and network needed to shape the future, fostering positive social and economic impact on a global scale.

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