SGKB honours two startups by female HSG graduates

Two startups by HSG female graduates have been awarded for their work and business ideas: Co-founder Anna Rosenkranz's health platform Health Yourself received the Startfeld Diamond and prize money of 30,000 Swiss francs. The startup makes health services such as tests for diseases, health checks or allergy consultations digitally accessible. Not only do patients benefit from this, but also the entire health system thanks to lower costs, according to the jury's praise. 

Co-founder Rosenkranz has a Master's degree in Business Innovation from HSG. On LinkedIn she writes: "My personal highlight was that exclusively female founders won the awards." 

HSG support programme for business ideas by female students

HSG actively promotes entrepreneurship among its female students: for example, the Startup@HSG ini-tiative launched the programme "HSG Female Founder Program", in which diamond winner Anna Rosenkranz participated. 

In the programme, HSG female students receive coaching to further develop their business ideas or startups. "We want to use it to encourage more young women to start businesses," says Maria Luisa Fuchs, who heads the programme. "There is a great potential of female founders and leaders at HSG. But they often need support to dare to build a startup," says Fuchs, who is doing her doctorate on entrepre-neurship and gender at Bocconi University in Milan.

As a highlight of the programme, female founders can pitch to investors twice a year - once in St.Gallen, once in Zurich. HSG organises these pitches together with the ETHZ. 

Two HSG doctoral students have the best business idea

The startup ConcentrAid received the “Rohdiamant”. This prize is endowed with 10,000 Swiss francs and honours the best business idea. ConcentrAid has developed a digital co-working platform through which two people can arrange to work together in a concentrated manner. The social commitment this creates is intended to promote concentrated work.

The founders Elisabeth Essbaumer and Caroline Obolensky both have doctorates from HSG. During their doctorates, they participated in the Entrepreneurial Talents Programme. This programme supports ten startups by HSG students each semester with coaching, workshops and financing. "As an economist, I have benefited greatly from this support. Before, I had little contact with entrepreneurship," says Ess-baumer. In addition, there are various HSG doctoral students who are founding their own start-ups. "This environment is inspiring.