Campus - 18.03.2026 - 08:00
“For a young start-up, visibility is almost everything in the early stages,” says William Beiskjaer. Together with Vincent Vida, he is building up the start-up Upgrain, which extracts proteins from by-products of the brewing process. At START Summit 2025, Upgrain CEO Vida and COO William Beiskjaer – both graduates of the University of St. Gallen – received the Swiss Sustainability Impact Award. “START Summit is one of those places where you meet an incredible number of fascinating people in a short space of time – and get a good sense of the issues currently driving the start-up world,” says Beiskjaer.
“The award means a lot to us. It shows that our business model, with which we already won at START Summit in 2021, is not only economically viable four years later, but can also demonstrate genuine sustainability,” says Beiskjaer.
Around 7,000 founders, investors, business representatives and young talents from over 30 countries will gather at START Summit in St. Gallen on 19 and 20 March 2026. The conference is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and is organised entirely by HSG students.
Andreas Göldi has been active in the start-up and technology scene for around 30 years. A native of St. Gallen and an HSG graduate, he has founded several companies in Switzerland and the US and is now a partner at venture capital firm b2venture. Its network includes around 350 angel investors who finance start-ups and often advise them as well.
“At START Summit, you can visit over 100 start-ups at their exhibition stands in just two hours. That’s incredibly efficient,” says Göldi. During the summit, his team holds up to 40 pre-arranged meetings with start-ups. In addition, there are many spontaneous encounters – for example at what Göldi calls the “legendary after-party” – and the b2venture team takes part in panel discussions or pitch sessions.
Göldi estimates that 15 to 20 per cent of b2venture’s investments originate at start-up conferences. “The face-to-face meetings also help assess whether the people behind a start-up are truly a good fit for the business idea. That often determines long-term success.”
The start-up Maeva, founded by HSG Master’s student Chiara Böhme, is still in its early stages. Maeva is a digital, lifelong companion for women’s hormonal health. Using AI, complex cycle and symptom data is translated into proactive symptom management, highlighting relevant abnormalities at an early stage.
“We are in the midst of developing our first functional product,” says Böhme. A test phase with initial users is planned for the coming months. Maeva will be present at START Summit at the HSG stand. “I hope to engage with investors and win partners for our vision. At the same time, I’m keen to draw inspiration from other start-ups – the best ideas often emerge from spontaneous conversations.” Böhme has also completed HSG’s Entrepreneurial Talents Programme with her start-up.
Carmel Imhof, an HSG graduate and participant in the HSG Entrepreneurial Champions Programme, is also attending the START Summit with her start-up ZoneIn. The ZoneIn platform connects patients with psychologists and therapists and facilitates collaboration between professionals.
“We have already scheduled meetings with investors and other founders, but we are just as open to spontaneous discussions and feedback,” says Imhof. “The encounters at the summit often provide concrete inspiration for our own start-up.”
In addition to start-ups and investors, the location also benefits: “For St. Gallen, START Summit strengthens its profile as a hub for innovation,” says Barbara Schmid, project manager for start-up support at Switzerland Innovation Park Ost. “For a short time, the city becomes a hub for the European start-up scene – with a reach extending far beyond the region.”
