RiseUp Summit 2023

On October 20th we celebrated the first ever RiseUp Summit in Switzerland. The RiseUp Summit brought together over 200 participants, 40 speakers and 30 partners all with the motivation to move towards more diversity in the Swiss startup ecosystem.

During the day we carefully curated an experience that brought together a dynamic blend of founders, investors, leaders and experts from diverse sectors in a variety of formats, including Fireside Chats, Investor Speed Dating, Workshops, Keynote Speeches, Pitching and Panel Discussions.
The summit, organised by the Female Founders Initiative, aims to promote greater collaboration and ensure that founders of all genders and backgrounds have equal opportunities for success.
Our aim is to create a more diverse ecosystem by giving space and a platform to inspire and empower women and by welcoming all who recognize and value the power of diversity and collaborative spirit.

Everyone’s participation was crucial in our joint effort to drive progress towards gender equality. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable startup landscape. We are already planning the next RiseUp Summit in 2024 - if you want to know more or partner up with us, then please reach out to Merle Zur.

Female Founders Initiative

Women are still highly underrepresented in the startup sector with currently only around 20% female (co-)founders. This is a societal and systemic issue for gender equality, as well as a missed opportunity for the economy. With the Female Founders Initiative, which was founded by Impact Hub Zurich and Startup Campus in 2020, we aim to tackle this problem and alter the narrative about women entrepreneurs in Switzerland. Our goal - to significantly increase the number of female founders in Switzerland!