Draft:START Global
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 | |
| Formation | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | St.Gallen |
| Location |
|
Volunteers | 500 |
| Website | https://www.startglobal.org |
START Global is a student-run non-profit organisation that aims to empower young entrepreneurs around the world by providing them with the necessary resources to take their first steps into entrepreneurial ecosystems.[1] The organisation is currently active in 16 locations throughout Europe and Latin America, employing more than 400 people.
History
[edit]START Global was founded in 1996 by Bettina Hein, Herman Arnold and Jan Bomholt. Its journey began in 1997 at the University of St. Gallen by holding the first START Summit, a key event in the entrepreneurial landscape with just 100 participants. From 1998 onwards, START Summit experienced high growth, taking place in various locations throughout St.Gallen such as the Pfalzkeller St.Gallen and even on top of Säntis Mountain, each year proving their affection to innovation and out-of-the-box thinking.
In 1999, START received a significant boost with a CHF 1 million investment from UBS. However, in 2000, the organisation faced financial difficulties, leading to a depletion of funds and a strategic reassessment. Despite these challenges, the event continued to innovate, incorporating unique elements like helicopter rides in subsequent years.
In 2003, START expanded internationally with events in Munich and Nuremberg, and the establishment of its first local hubs. START Summit was revived in 2012, and by 2014, a hackathon was integrated into the event.
By 2015, START Summit had grown significantly, attracting over 1,000 attendees to the University of St. Gallen. This growth in popularity resulted in a change of venue in 2016, with START Summit moving to the larger Olma Halls in St.Gallen. That same year, START Hack was launched as an individual project on the University campus. START Summit and START Hack continued to grow, attracting around 2,000 participants and 350 Hackers by 2019. However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of START Summit just three weeks before the event with an expected participation of 3'500 people. START Hack on the other hand was held online, attracting even more people from around the world.[2]
Despite the challenges, 2020 also saw the launch of another project, the accelerator program und the name of START Fellowship, which initially welcomed 19 founders from Colombia and Romania in February 2020. In 2021, START Fellowship shifted its focus exclusively to Latin America, expanding its reach to 11 countries and supporting 35 founders. That year, START Summit adapted to the pandemic by hosting a hybrid event at Square on the University of St. Gallen campus.
With START Hack moving to the Olma Halls as well and branding the events as START Summit x Hack for the first time both events marked their post pandemic comeback in 2022 hosting 3500 attendees.[3]
In March 2024, START Summit reached another milestone with its move to the newly available Olma Hall 1, marking the first event to be hosted in this newly constructed venue[4], Further, START Global expanded its reach to another continent, Latin America, by founding three local hubs in Columbia, Ecuador and Peru.
Projects
[edit]START Global offers three different projects for different target groups. Covering all steps of the entrepreneurial journey from ideation to investments and relationship building.[5]
START Summit
[edit]
START Summit is the largest student-run innovation and tech conference in Europe held annually in St.Gallen[6], Switzerland with the mission to inspire the founders of tomorrow by connecting them to the leaders of today. The event fosters exchange between founders and investors by offering different formats such as the pitching competition START Summiteer, workshops for multiple target groups or interesting Side-Events hosted by partners like Sequoia Capital or Cherry Ventures.
In 2024 START Summit brought together more than 7000 attendees despite the economic downturn, solidifying its position as one of the Europe's premier Startup conferences. With over 200 speakers, including renowned names such as Max Hodak and Bryan Johnson, the event offered valuable insights on company building, technology, and emerging trends.[4]
Road to START Summit
[edit]A substantial part of START Summit is the pitching competition START Summiteer. It offers 30 earl-stage Startups the opportunity to present their venture in front of industry leaders, serial founders and Europe's most renowned VCs. Road to START Summit is a series of smaller pitching competitions held in every local hub leading up to this format.[7]
Event Summary since 2022
[edit]| Year | Theme | Notable Speakers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The world in 2042 - Boulder Founders, Better Future. | Luciana Lixandru (Sequoia), Lena Jüngst (air up) | 3500 |
| 2023 | Reaching for Resilience | Yung Son (Samsung), Andy Bechtolsheim, Esther Wojcicki | 6000 |
| 2024 | Dare to Evolve | Bryan Johnson, Max Hodak, Harry Stabbings | 7000 |
| 2025 | TBA | TBA | N/A |
START Hack
[edit]
At START Hack, different groups of innovators and problem-solvers come together in the city of St. Gallen to showcase their skills and ideas. With the help of 9 Case Partners and 600 dedicated participants, START Hack creates an environment to fosters creativity, collaboration, and innovation with the goal to merge business and technology.[8]
Throughout the hackathon, participants from various backgrounds are working together for 36 hours to develop innovative prototypes addressing key societal challenges. These include sustainable energy solutions, healthcare technologies, and other pressing issues, demonstrating an exchange of ideas and interdisciplinary collaboration.[9]
A significant development at START Hack 2024 was the introduction of the "Hack App[10]", a proprietary platform designed to manage and host live hackathons. This platform will be available for licensing to other hackathons starting in mid-2025, offering a complete and standalone solution for organising such events.
Event Summary since 2016
[edit]| Year | Location | Winner | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Online | N/A | 530 |
| 2021 | Online | Mammut | 550 |
| 2022 | Olma Hall 2.1 | Supercell | 350 |
| 2023 | Olma Hall 2.0 | Bell Food Group | 500 |
| 2024 | Olma Hall 9 | Canton St.Gallen | 600 |
START Fellowship
[edit]
START Fellowship is a student-run incubator and accelerator program aimed at empowering young entrepreneurs from Latin America and Africa through an interdisciplinary program. The goal is to build a world of equal opportunities for entrepreneurs. So young founders can, regardless of their background, be empowered and have the resources to put their ideas into reality as well as to challenge the problems of tomorrow. To achieve this, the participants are connected with the European Startup ecosystem over a 4 month period and get multiple opportunities to accelerate their Startup. In particular the program is split into two parts, the Incubator and Accelerator program.[11][12]
Incubator
[edit]START Fellowship Incubator is designed to empower tech and business talents from Latin America and Africa on their entrepreneurial journey from a first idea to an MVP. During the eight-week online incubator, they have the opportunity to develop their idea further and gain insights from experienced entrepreneurs. The program includes the Design Thinking series, a tech academy, founder stories, workshops, community activities and a demo day.[13]
Accelerator
[edit]START Fellowship Accelerator prepares founders for a first round of investment. Over a 3.5-month period in Switzerland, the accelerator connects 30 founders with the European Startup ecosystem and provides them with professional mentorship, coaching, funding opportunities and workshops to grow their Startup. At the end, participants will have a new network of like-minded entrepreneurs forming a community, and potential investments to help get their Startup off the ground.[14]
Global Reach and Local Hubs
[edit]START Global operates through various local hubs around in Europe and Latin America, each functioning in regards to their respective ecosystems. These chapters to serve as local hubs for entrepreneurship, connecting founders, investors, and mentors while organising events, workshops, and other initiatives to drive Startup growth and community building. The network of hubs helps to expand START Global's impact, enabling it to reach and support entrepreneurs in diverse locations.
| Local Hub | Founding Year | Members | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| START Munich | 2003 | 80 | https://www.startmunich.de/ |
| START Nuremberg | 2003 | 45 | https://www.startnuremberg.com/ |
| START Lausanne | 2003 | 30 | https://www.startlausanne.ch/ |
| START Vaduz | 2004 | 20 | https://www.startvaduz.li/ |
| START Berlin | 2013 | 30 | https://www.start-berlin.de/ |
| START Stuttgart | 2018 | 20 | N/A |
| START Barcelona | 2018 | 10 | N/A |
| START Helsinki | 2018 | 20 | https://www.starthelsinki.com/ |
| START Maastricht | 2020 | 30 | https://www.startmaastricht.nl/ |
| START Lisbon | 2021 | 25 | https://www.startlisbon.pt/ |
| START Hamburg | 2023 | 20 | N/A |
| START Paris | 2024 | 10 | N/A |
| START Quito | 2024 | 10 | N/A |
| START Lima | 2024 | 8 | N/A |
| START Bogotá | 2024 | 5 | N/A |
Besides their local hubs START Global is also active in other ecosystems, hosting different events with partners like Violet Ventures in Abu Dhabi[15] or Kickstart in London[16] according to their respective ecosystems.
References
[edit]- ^ AG, DV Bern. "START Global". Commercial register of canton St. Gallen. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ gruenderszene (2016-02-10). "Der START Summit 2016 in St. Gallen". Business Insider (in German). Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ "START Summit". www.usi.ch. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ a b Lege, Madita (2024-04-08). "Start Summit 2024: Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen in St. Gallen". Business Insider (in German). Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Stavrinos, Melina (2019-04-05). "Nach dem Studium Startup gründen | Bildungsmagazin - eduwo.ch" (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Newsroom (2024-03-25). "Is the calm before the storm over?". HSG - Uni SG. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "🚀 Join us for the Road to START Summit Abu Dhabi!". Startup Grind. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Newsroom (2024-06-10). "Die Universität St.Gallen am START Hack 2024". HSG Startseite - Universität St.Gallen (in German). Retrieved 2024-08-30.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Strohm, Charlotte (2018-06-07). "START". HSG Stiftung. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ "Start Hack". starthack.eu. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ HSGStart (2024-06-18). START Fellowship – What is START. Retrieved 2024-08-30 – via YouTube.
- ^ "START Fellowship Accelerator". Startups Latam (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ Yusuf, Aminu (2024-08-14). "Apply for START Fellowship Incubator 2024". HausaDrop.Com.Ng. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ "START Fellowship | Perfil Startuplinks". startuplinks.world. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ "Road To Start Summit Abu Dhabi – UAE National Incubator Network". Retrieved 2024-08-30.
- ^ "Road to Start Summit by Kickstart & START Global | Kickstart Global". Huzzle. Retrieved 2024-08-30.