Access free guidance and complementary skills from experienced leaders!
Boost your startup with the support of experienced coaches and focus on topics tailored to your needs during this 5-month program. Get additional insights into impact measurement practices and access to Bluelion community.
THE IMPACT ACADEMY
Mentoring program to accelerate and support impact startups.
Boost your startup journey thanks to the outside perspective and guidance of experienced managers from the corporate world with complementary skillsets. In addition, peer-learning opportunities and networking events allow you to exchange with entrepreneurial minds and help you grow your business. Online input sessions provides additional tools to track your impact and attract funding.
Current partners: Swisslife, UBS, Julius Bär, PwC
BENEFITS FOR FOUNDERS
Tailored growth support to your startup’s individual needs.
Access top Mentors
You are matched with two coaches from different corporates or department based on your needs and challenges, to support you in a wide range of business-related topics.
Open doors to new contacts
Your coaches can act as door openers in specific areas of your business growth.
Track your impact
Online input sessions provide you with the tools to track your socio-environmental impact and Impact finance insights are further allowing you to connect the dots with your impact KPIs and raise successfully.
Learn from your peers
You get the chance to exchange with like-minded entrepreneurs and potential growth partners.
Get more Visibility
At the end of the program, nominated startups have the chance to pitch in front of a community of experts and potential investors.
ALUMNI FEEDBACKS
Trust those who know best
We stayed in regular contact with our coach after the Impact Academy ended. Of course, we could not tell her the details about the sale process, but since it was a pretty stressful phase for us three founders, it was important to have someone at our side with an outside perspective – also to calm us down sometimes. Our advice to future participants: try to think of bigger topics to tackle during the program, a problem that you cannot just google. Think about the bigger picture of your business.
We would definitely recommend the Impact Academy to all start-ups that are interested in improving their impact strategy and aligning it with their business plan. The program really helped us to reflect on how we want to achieve our impact and how we could measure it better. Our coaches from UBS and Credit Suisse also brought a great, new perspective into the project by challenging our business plan from the perspective of financial experts. Together, this mix of impact and business inputs was really valuable and helped us to take the next step with our business.
APPLICATION CRITERIA
What you should bring along
Kickass Team
Your co-founding team has the skills and industry knowledge to drive the idea forward and consists of at least two fully committed founders.
Swiss Made
Your startup is based in Switzerland. The startup’s activities may have an impact beyond the national borders.
First Traction
You have proof of concept or first positive market feedback, like LOIs or pilot projects with potential clients.
Impact Focus
There is a clear link between your value proposition and its contribution to at least one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Commitment
You are motivated to commit to the 5-months coaching program and able to attend 80% of the on- and offline events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is everything else you need to know
The coaches are employees from our corporate partners. They are all in upper-level management positions and have a wide range of expertise fields. Previously, we’ve had coaches with backgrounds in marketing, communications, business development, sales, legal, project management, IT, financing and investment, among others.
We want to be able to see that there is a clear need in the market for your product or service. Although your startup might always be evolving and innovating, we expect you to be past the ideation phase. Providing information about your partnerships, current sales, or even testimonials from potential customers are some ways to show that your product/service is filling a need.
Yes, the Impact Academy is free for all startups.
We target Swiss-based startups. In exceptional cases and provided that the other applications criteria are met, we accept applications from nearby countries.
Unfortunately not.
You will not be allowed to ask for financial support from your coaches. However, we aim at facilitating introductions between high business & impact-potential startups and our investors network.
Yes, you can apply either in German or in English.
Your pitch deck is ideally in a PowerPoint format and should include elements such as: problem, solution, market potential, business model, competitor analysis, use cases, team and impact/sustainability focus.
Startups are required to list their coaching needs and challenges in their application. We do our best to pair each startup with coaches who have skill sets that best match those needs.
The kick-off event and closing pitch event are mandatory in-person event and will be held in our offices in Zürich. The input sessions will be held online or with a livestream option.
Yes. We understand that not all coaching needs can be satisfied in one cycle. Therefore, startups are encouraged to apply for a second cycle if they want to.
APPLY NOW FOR THE NEXT COHORT!
Twice a year, we carefully select around 20 startups for a 5-months coaching cycle. Don’t miss out : apply now and embark on a transformative journey with us.
CURRENT PARTICIPANTS
Meet current Program Participants
Startups with impact at the core of their mission, with a strong anchor in Switzerland and scalable business model.
PARTNERS
100% of our program alumni would recommend the Academy to a colleague.
We are committed to empowering driven entrepreneurs from all walks of life, across diverse industries, and from every corner of the globe. Within Bluelion’s Hub, founders find the ideal launchpad to grow sustainable companies. Profit from Bluelion’s well-curated network of industry experts and entrepreneurs who will share their personal success recipes and help you leverage your business.
Join our Academy
Feeling inspired by our Impact Academy?
My name is Zoé, I am responsible for the Impact Academy. If you want to be part of the journey, don’t hesitate to reach out. We are regularly looking for partners to join the adventure alongside UBS, PwC, Julius Bär and Swisslife. If you are a Swiss-based startup, always welcome to get in touch – happy to meet you!
