STAGE UP

DO YOU HAVE A PROMISING BUSINESS IDEA?

Call for projects! We are starting the tenth edition of STAGE UP. Are you in?

Register now with your business idea for the Bern Business Creation Competition STAGE UP. We are looking forward to new, promising projects! The registration window is open until Mon, December 1, 2025.

You are unsure if STAGE UP is right for you and your idea? Then come to our inspirational event Pitch & Punch on Thursday, November 20, 2025. In a relaxed atmosphere and with like-minded people, we’ll talk about pitching and, if you feel like it, you can practice your pitch (perhaps for the first time) in front of an audience: More info & registration

Participation in the competition is free of charge and is open to individuals or teams resident in Switzerland. The company must not have been founded more than 18 months ago, i.e. not before June 30, 2024. You can find the detailed provisions in the conditions of participation (at the bottom of the page).

REGISTER NOW
REGISTRATION

Are you curious about what happened in the previous year?
Take a look at the 2025 yearbook!

DOWNLOAD

Some impressions of the Award Night 2025

Do you have a promising business idea?

The next entry period for STAGE UP begins on September 1, 2025. From this date, you will find the entry form by clicking on the following button:

The STAGE UP winners 2025 have been announced! The five finalist teams pitched their business ideas and the jury decided on the three podium places live – in front of around 200 guests.

From over 60 business ideas, these teams overcame several selection hurdles and convinced two independent committees. But they all deserved it – as the intensive jury discussion about places 1-3 showed.

The STAGE UP podium places

Beyond Diagnostics aims to revolutionize diabetes care by developing a point-of-care test for insulin efficacy that enables more precise dosing during treatment. This will reduce insulin wastage, reduce serious health complications and healthcare costs, and improve care worldwide.

Team

Maren Schinz
Stefanie Dobitz
Ema Grabenweger
Hanne Ballhausen
Hanna Boëthius

1/3 of food is wasted and is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. GoNina helps restaurants, bakeries and retailers reduce waste and costs by using AI to predict demand with 90% accuracy and selling surplus to consumers at a discount through its platform.

Team

Matthieu Ochsner
Ferdinand von Hagen
Luke Tilsley
Shiraz Hasni
Richard Lichtenberg

wearefreemovers is the first one-stop-shop platform for freemovers, connecting independent study abroad students with universities and service providers to usher in a new era of international mobility.

Team

Andrea Pellini
Fabio Pellini

TOP5

The other finalist teams:

Duatic

Duatic AG builds human-sized robots for intralogistics that navigate and handle objects like humans, enabling rapid deployment and low acquisition costs. Using advanced actuators, they have developed a unique robotic arm that provides solutions for industries such as manufacturing, retail and many more.

Team

Eris Sako
Timo Schwarzer
Michael Schlappbach
Antonis Kantounias
Daniel Kaufmann
Dimitris Sako

EPOcell_Therapeutics_Logo

EPOcell Therapeutics

EPOcel Therapeutics is developing an autologous cellular therapy for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. The therapy is intended to prevent further degeneration of the kidney and thus save patients from dialysis.

Team

Benjamin Lüscher
Faik Imeri
Michael Daskalakis
Mariana Clar

Stageup_Kampagnenbild_Raster_12px klein

Press reports

TOP13

The other teams in the Top 13 who unfortunately did not make it to the Award Night:

PAWER Solutions

PAWER Solutions offers an innovative technology for the production of plasma-activated water, a liquid enriched with compounds that are highly beneficial for plant growth and development. This transformative solution supports farmers by reducing dependence on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides while promoting sustainable farming practices.

Team

Yacine Babou
Martin Mecchia
Edvin Lund

Physiosense Logo Blue

PhysioSense

PhysioSense is revolutionizing physiotherapy and rehabilitation with innovative sensor technology that records movement data in real time and provides patients with haptic feedback for safe and effective exercise – at any time and from any location.

Team

Cyril David Ferro
Tim Ogi
Christian Zielasek

DigeHealth_Logo_resized

DigeHealth

DigeHealth helps you listen to your gut better – the wearable medical device monitors bowel sounds and key body metrics to create digital biomarkers. By enabling early detection of post-operative complications such as ileus, it improves patient outcomes through personalized, accurate and objective healthcare insights.

Team

Nour Ghalia Abassi
Lyle Halliday

Logo_Soully_transparent

Soully

At Soully, the Japanese philosophy of elegant simplicity has been incorporated into every sip. The lemonade is carefully crafted using only Matcha +3 ingredients.

Team

Camille Zingg
Maria Theresa Tennigkeit

Examzone

Examzone enables educational institutions to implement secure, digital and practical exams easily and efficiently.

Team

Sebastian Gygax
Anja Mühlemann
Lukas Diener

Auto-Mate Robotics

Auto-Mate Robotics

Auto-Mate Robotics enables the efficient automation of multiple workflows in high-mix, low-volume production. Thanks to the user-friendly interface, employees of SMEs can work independently and contribute to automation without any special prior knowledge of robotics or programming.

Team

Lucas Renfer
Christian Wyss
Charly Blanc

MaiQ_2

MayQ

MaiQ combines AI-supported testing and real user feedback in an all-in-one SaaS platform – for more efficient, data-based and cost-saving product development. This enables companies to reduce testing resources and bring marketable digital products to market faster.

Team

Cinzia Bonetta
Sandro Toneatto

logo

ValTech Lifesciences

ValTech Lifesciences is a B2B company that helps heart valve manufacturers improve the performance of their devices.

Team

Shaokai Zheng
Till Zeugin
Dominik Obrist

Do you have a promising business idea?

The registration deadline for STAGE UP 2025 has expired. 69 business ideas are currently being evaluated by our expert panel. Who will pitch in front of the jury at the Elevator Pitch on January 28, 2025? We will keep you up to date in our newsfeed and on our social media channels!

The next entry period for STAGE UP begins in September 2025.

Do you have a promising business idea?

The registration deadline for STAGE UP 2025 has expired. Over the past few weeks, our expert panel has evaluated the 69 business ideas received and nominated 25 teams for the elevator pitch on January 28, 2025. You can find out more in our newsfeed.

The next entry period for STAGE UP begins in September 2025.

NEWSFEED

The Award Night is coming up!

Register now to secure your place at the Award Night 2025. The number of participants is limited, so it’s worth registering early!

Over the past few weeks, the teams have been working diligently with their coaches on their business models in order to face another round of evaluation. Our experts then assessed the projects again. The selected teams will pitch in front of our renowned jury at the Award Night on May 20 to compete for the podium places. We are delighted to announce the Top 5 of this year’s STAGE UP edition:

PROGRAM & REGISTRATION AWARD NIGHT

The coaching sessions are in full swing!

On January 28, 2025, we spent an exciting day in the dome room of the University of Bern and listened to 25 innovative pitches.

After intensive discussion, the jury reached a consensus and nominated 13 teams for the next round. The next step for the top 13 is the coaching and workshop phase.

The final business models are being evaluated!

After the next round of evaluation, only the best of the best make it through to the next round and are allowed to take part in Award Night 2025. From the original 69 projects, only 25 teams were selected after intensive evaluation and assessment in the pre-selection by our experts. These then presented their business ideas in just a few minutes at the Elevator Pitch on January 28, 2025 and 13 teams qualified for our workshops and coaching sessions. They recently had to submit their final business models, which are currently being assessed again by the experts. The top 5 will then be announced on Friday, May 2, 2025.

At the Award Night, only the five finalist teams will be left to pitch for prize money worth a total of CHF 18,000. The tension mounts as we prepare for the big evening. Be there when these talented teams present their innovative ideas. This will be an evening you will never forget!

Design ohne Titel (13)

TightValve

TightValve is a novel surgical device for aortic valve repair. Today, there is no established and reproducible way to measure intraoperatively if a repaired valve is really closing tightly. The device offers the surgeon immediate feedback during the critical phases of surgery.

Team

Pascal Buchs
Dr. Silje Ekroll years
Dr. med. Emmanuel Zimmer
Dominik Obrist

Design ohne Titel (6)

Pathy

Pathy aims to simplify medical image analysis in histopathology. Their Software-as-a-Service platform provides AI-powered digital staining solutions that enable pre-screening of patients in urgent biopsy analyses, and assist pathologists in both diagnosis and research.

Team

Rina Mehmeti
Nhi Luong
Aous Khadhraoui
Oussama Ben Ghorbel

Design ohne Titel (4)

Kidemis

Kidemis produces a fish and animal feed ingredient based on fermented mycoprotein. The ingredient has both functional and nutritional properties, and was developed as a sustainable alternative for fishmeal and soy. The innovative bioprocessing solution allows for a zero-waste conversion of low-value agricultural side-streams into high-quality ingredient.

Team

Constantin Marakhov
Sean Wassermann

Design ohne Titel (5)

painbreaker

The aim of painbreaker is to offer people with chronic pain additional support in the form of an online course. The online course is the ideal complement to existing pain therapies and allows patients to work on their symptoms at their own pace.

Team

Sandra Zimmermann
Oliver Ludwig

Logo_CleanStent_2024

CleanStent

Obstructions of the ureter can increase pressure in the kidney, leading to potential kidney failure if left untreated. Current ureteral stents restore urine flow but their frequent clogging requires stent replacement every few weeks. CleanStent’s innovative technology eliminates this need, ensuring long-term stent performance.

Team

Pedro Amado
Dr. Cornel Dillinger
PD Francesco Clavica
Daniel Ahmed

Stageup_Kampagnenbild_Raster_12px klein

Press reports

COURSE OF THE COMPETITION

ELEVATOR PITCH


January 27, 2026

If your business idea is convincing in the pre-selection, you are admitted to the elevator pitch. Present your business idea in three minutes to our jury of renowned Bernese entrepreneurs. If the idea is convincing again, you will be invited to take part in the rest of the competition. Coaching sessions and workshops permitted.

AWARD NIGHT


MAY 19, 2026

With your developed business model you apply for a presentation of the top 5 in the final round in front of the audience and the jury. First place winners receive CHF 10,000, second place winners CHF 5,000 and third place winners CHF 3,000.

NETWORK

JURY

A high-caliber jury of well-known personalities from the world of business, with a track record from their own business activities and public commitment, independently evaluates the business ideas and models of the participating teams. In both the elevator pitch and the final round, the jury evaluates the quality and potential of the business idea or business model.

Dr. Antje-Christin Knopf

Antje-ChristinKnopf

Director of the sitem-insel School
sitem-insel AG

Dr. Nina Hobi

NinaHobi-modified

Founder, Scientifc Director & Co-CEO
AlveoliX AG

Dr. Patrick Hofer-Noser

Patrick_Hofer-Noser_Portrait1

Owner & Managing Director
3S Solar Plus AG

Andrea B. Roch

AndreaRoch

Owner & Managing Director
Business4you
&
Initiator and advisory board member
Entrepreneur Club

Roger Siegenthaler

RogerSiegenthaler1

CEO
mb-microtec AG

Representative of the Board of Directors
Traser

Philippe Stüdi

Philippe Stuedi

Founder and Managing Partner


SME Equity Partners AG

COACHES

People with many years of practical experience and a connection to entrepreneurship support the qualified participants in the business management development of the idea into a business model. As sparring partners, they accompany the participants and are available to answer specific questions about the positioning of the project on the market and the next steps towards success.

Daniel Schwab

DanielSchwab

Co-Founder & Managing Director


Frytz

Co-Founder & Managing Director


Stängeli Chünig Popsicles

Fabrice Moser

FabriceMoser

Co-CEO & Chairman of the Board of Directors


honestmonday

CEO


innofab GmbH

Iris Flückiger

IrisFlückiger

Partner


DIFF’RNT

Project employee


Nana’s lunchbox

Patrick Perler

PatrickPerler

Holder

Perler Consulting GmbH

Roderich Hess

RoderichHess

Business Project Key Account Manager


V-Zug AG

Thomas Meier

1558016844319-modified

Managing Director / CEO


you-can.biz

TRAINERS

Experts share their specific knowledge and valuable tips & tricks on topics such as financial planning, legal matters and design in our workshops and are available in the evenings for a general exchange, specific professional feedback or further recommendations.

Cristina Zimmermann

christinazingg

Senior Manager I Assurance I Audit Service


EY

Fabio Studer

fabiostuder

Senior Manager Audit Services
EY

Kathrin Enderli

kathrin-enderli

Attorney at Law and Counsel
Kellerhals Carrard

Marcel Hofstetter

MarcelHofstetter

Scientific Officer in the Start-up and Next Generation Innovators Division
Start-Up Internationalization, Innosuisse

Marta Gehring

MartaGehring

HealthTech business development and marketing strategist


sbg Lifesciences

Melchior Glatthard

MelchiorGlatthard

Attorney at Law and Notary Public
Law Office & Notary Glatthard

Michèle Remund

michèle_remund

Attorney at Law and Partner
Kellerhals Carrard

EXPERTS

The experts bring practical knowledge and experience in start-up promotion. They support the jury in evaluating the business models and their feedback benefits the further development of the projects.

Anita Jörg

anitajörg

Head of Marketing/Communications
Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne AG

Anna-Leena Marti

AnnaleenaMarti

Entrepreneur, Coach & Expert Entrepreneurship

Anthony Smith

anthonySmith

Managing Director & Owner InnoSmith GmbH

Innovation Coach at be-advanced

Christine Weber

christineweber

Owner & Founder
Venturize

Emanuel Roth

emmanuelroth

Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Youngpreneurs Association

Florian Baumann

FlorianBaumann

Innovation Manager


VNTR & PostFinance

Florian Kühni

web_IMG_7632-modified

Head of Innovation


Ypsomed AG

Guy Giuffredi

guygiuffredi

Investment Director
Serpentine Ventures

&

Board Member
Aare Ventures

Julian Liniger

julian liniger

Co-Founder & CEO


Relai AG

Linda Aerne

LindaAerne-modified

Innovation & Opportunity Manager


VNTR by PostFinance

Manuel Fankhauser

manuelfankhauser

Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Arven Partners GmbH

Monika Sattler

MonikaSattler-modified

Managing Director, Change & Performance Coach & Trainer for Leaders, Keynote Speaker


Sattler Consulting GmbH

Nicolas Gasser

NicolasGasser

CEO & Co-Founder
IMPLANZ

Patrick Felder

PatrickFelder

Head of Region Bern-South
Berner Kantonalbank AG

Philippe Wenger

Wenger-Philippe-CV Grey-modified

Partner Audit Services
EY

Pol Budmiger

PolBudmiger

Coach
Innosuisse

&

Owner & Managing Director


Via Diversa GmbH

Simon Nobs

SimonNobs

PhD Candidate and Corporate Entrepreneurship Scholar


Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, University of Bern

Stefan Moser

StefanMoser

Leiter Marktgebiet Bern, Emmental, Oberaargau sowie Leiter BEKB fokus@kmu


BEKB

Thomas Bähler

thomasbaehler

Lawyer, Partner & Investor/Business Angel
Kellerhals Carrard

Tom Schlup

Thomas_Schulp-modified

Partner / CFO on Demand


FS Partners AG

Yasmin Wieland

yasminwieland

Project Manager


BKW

CONDITIONS

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION
PRIVACY POLICY

CONTACT

Entrepreneurship Center
University of Bern

Joëlle Prisi

stageup.imu@unibe.ch
+41 31 684 53 24

IN COOPERATION WITH

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SPONSORS & PARTNERS

GOLD SPONSORS & MAIN PARTNERS

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Unbenannt
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SILVER SPONSORS

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OTHER PARTNERS

Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne
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SEF.Growth
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