This prestigious award celebrates the most outstanding startup founders from the University of St.Gallen. Recognizing innovative ideas, exceptional leadership, and impactful business ventures, the HSG Founder of the Year award highlights the achievements and contributions of leading entrepreneurs within the HSG community. Discover the stories of past winners and learn how their startups have made a significant impact.
HSG alumnus and serial entrepreneur Tobias Reichmuth was named "HSG Founder of the Year 2026" at the START Summit.
Reichmuth, who is also widely known to the public as an investor on the TV show Höhle der Löwen Schweiz (the Swiss version of Shark Tank), has founded various companies in sectors ranging from climate finance and crypto-finance to longevity. With his company builder, Maximon, he is focusing on the field of longevity. His goal is to extend "healthspan", i.e., the number of healthy years of life, through targeted prevention to stop diseases before they even begin. Under the Maximon umbrella, he has already launched several companies, including the longevity supplement provider AVEA and the longevity clinic AYUN. As a passionate entrepreneur, he dislikes repetition and is constantly seeking new ways to change the world for the better through entrepreneurial thinking. His work personifies the goals of the University of St.Gallen’s "Strategic Plan 2030": strengthening cooperation and mutual exchange, creating value within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and promoting knowledge transfer and practical engagement. In doing so, he brings the university's motto "From Insight to Impact" to life.
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If you want to start a business, have a business idea or are unsure which offer is right for you, you can book a coaching session with HSG Entrepreneurship. The coaching provides individual guidance and helps you define your next steps.
In the Ideation phase, HSG Entrepreneurship helps you assess and develop your idea. This includes validating your idea, identifying critical assumptions and defining the next steps.
The CoFounder MatchMaking Platform connects business and tech co-founders. In addition, the Co-Founder's Garage brings together HSG business talent with technology-oriented projects and talent from Empa.
In the Incubation phase, HSG Entrepreneurship supports founders in developing their ideas further and bringing them to market. A range of programmes and additional resources for founders are available.
The Entrepreneurial Talents Programme (ETP) supports early-stage startup teams with at least one enrolled HSG student in validating their ideas and building strong entrepreneurial foundations. The one-semester programme includes weekly workshops, coaching and financial support.
The Entrepreneurial Champions Programme supports selected technology- and knowledge-intensive projects with close mentoring and financial support. Its focus includes market readiness, first customers, product-market fit and the further development of prototypes and MVPs.
In the Acceleration phase, HSG supports startups in becoming investor-ready and scaling sustainably. The available programmes include the HSG START Accelerator and the HSG Scale-Up Navigator.
The HSG Startup and Spin-Off Labels recognise qualified companies with a connection to the University of St.Gallen. The requirements differ depending on the label; the HSG website provides the relevant criteria, guidelines and application information.
The HSG Spin-Off & Startup List provides an overview of companies from the HSG ecosystem, including information on their industries, founding years and locations.
The HSG Entrepreneurship Monitor provides current developments and key figures on the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the University of St.Gallen. It offers insights into programmes as well as the development, funding and impact of HSG spin-offs and startups.
HSG supports students, faculty and alumni in strategically developing and commercialising research results, ideas and intellectual property (IP). This includes advice on patent applications, licensing opportunities and the commercialisation of innovations developed at HSG.
Companies and organisations can collaborate with HSG in various ways, including consulting services provided by HSG institutes, research collaborations, student projects and tailored programmes.