Celebrating 10 Years of the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program
🎉 You’re Invited: Celebrating 10 Years of the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program supporting Startup Ecosystem Development and International Cooperation in SECO partner countries🎉
Hosted during Global Entrepreneurship Week Basel
Join us as we mark a decade of engagement with impact through the Swiss Entrepreneurship Program (Swiss EP), initiated by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO and implemented by Swisscontact and J.E. Austin Associates. Since 2015, Swiss EP has supported startup ecosystem development, entrepreneurial and institutional capacity building, access to finance and internationalization in seven SECO partner countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Peru, Serbia, Vietnam, and Kosovo, —creating jobs, accelerating startups, and fostering innovation.
We will use this special moment in time to take stock, explore different approaches to startup ecosystem development and compare lessons learnt both from Switzerland and Swiss EP’s countries of engagement.
🌟 What to Expect?
🎤 Keynote by the State Secretariat of Economic Affairs SECO (Economic Cooperation and Development)
💬 Panel Discussion: “From Fragmented Initiatives to Integrated Ecosystems: Comparative Perspectives from Switzerland and SECO Partner Countries” Featuring key ecosystem players from Serbia & Peru, and leading voices from the Swiss startup scene
🚀 Startup Pitches: Hear from Swiss EP-supported startups from Albania, Vietnam, Peru and Bosnia Herzegovina
🔥 Fireside chat: What startups really need to thrive
🥂 Networking Apéro with ecosystem actors, investors, private and public sector partners
🎯 Why Attend?
Discover lessons from 10 years of start-up ecosystem building, with focus on transition/emerging countries
Connect with international and Swiss startup leaders and support organisations
Explore opportunities for sharing experiences, collaboration and investment
Celebrate the power of entrepreneurship to drive private sector development, competitiveness and sustainable development
👥 Who Should Join?
Swiss and international startup ecosystem representatives
Angel Investors, VCs, and Family Offices
Economic development professionals
Other experts linked to startup and Innovation-focused initiatives
⏱️ Program Rundown
13:00 – 13:30 - Arrival and Registration
13:30 – 13:35 - Start of event: Swiss EP stocktaking film
13:35 – 13:40 - Welcome & Context - Malin Borg – Head of Program, Swiss EP
13:40 – 13:45 - Welcoming Remarks from Tech Park Basel - Representative of Tech Park Basel
13:45 – 13:55 - Keynote Address - Ambassador Pietro Lazzeri - Head of Economic Cooperation and Development Division, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO
13:55 — 14:45 - Panel Discussion: From Fragmented Initiatives to Integrated Ecosystems—Comparative Perspectives from Switzerland and SECO Partner Countries
This panel discussion will explore different approaches and lessons learned from efforts to build a successful ecosystem. It will compare efforts in Switzerland to facilitate the entrepreneur’s journey and access to funding with experiences from two SECO partner countries, Serbia and Peru.
Participants:
Kosta Andric – Executive Director, ICT Hub, Serbia
Luis Narro – Director of the Board, Peruvian Association of Seed and Venture Capital - PECAP, Peru
Karin Sartorius, Innovation Manager Life Sciences - AWA BS, Initiator und Board member POWHER – Female Entrepreneurs Basel
Sébastien Hug - Head Innovation Office, University of Bern
Facilitator:
Camila Cordero – Country Manager, Peru, Swiss EP
14:45 – 15:30 - Startup Pitches and Fireside Chat
This part of the event will illustrate how Swiss EP support impacts the end beneficiary—the entrepreneur—and will shine a light on which support, from a founder's perspective, is particularly essential for success.
Startups:
Dragana Mujanović – CEO & Founder, AIsthesis (Bosnia Herzegovina)
Arber Kadia – CEO & Founder, Patoko (Albania)
Thang Nguyen – CEO & Co-Founder, A-Star Group (Vietnam)
Natalia Cardenas – CEO & Co-Founder, Eolic Wall (Peru)
Facilitators:
Enrico Fantini & Blagica Eftimova, Swiss EP
15:30 – 15:45- Closing Remarks
Brigitte Bruhin - Program Manager - State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO
Stephanie Dreifuss – Deputy CEO & Director Partners & Clients, Swisscontact
Kevin Murphy – Chief Technical Advisor, J.E. Austin
15:45– 16:00 - Celebratory Moment
16:00 – 17:00 - Networking apéro
📣 Let’s Celebrate, Reflect on the Past, and Build the Future Together.
For more information, please contact: Malin Borg, [email protected]