Submit your startup on Round Funded if you want to explore direct investor fundraising alongside considering Venture Kick. We at AI Perks raised our round through Round Funded after looking at the Swiss program and choosing a direct outreach workflow.
What is Venture Kick, and who can apply?
According to Venture Kick, it is a Swiss startup funding program for early-stage founders developing innovative ideas or bringing Swiss academic research to global markets. The program has specific eligibility criteria, so founders should check their circumstances against the current requirements before applying.
Venture Kick says an applicant or co-founder needs a current or very recent affiliation, within six months, with a Swiss academic institution or research center. A research collaboration with a Swiss academic institution may also be considered.
The program also expects applicants to plan to establish their company and create jobs in Switzerland. In general, founders must apply before launching the company. Venture Kick says it may consider a recently incorporated company if it has no employees or commercial revenue. Applicants must not have received funding from professional investors.
That makes eligibility an important early question. Founders can review their academic connection, incorporation status, plans for Switzerland and funding history before deciding whether the program fits.
How much funding does Venture Kick provide?
Venture Kick describes a three-stage program over nine months. According to its materials, the top 50% of cases presenting at each stage receive Venture Kick financing.
The stated start capital is CHF 150,000. Venture Kick also mentions a separate CHF 150,000 research grant. Its stage-level description breaks down the start capital like this:
- Stage one: CHF 10,000 as a grant for business-development expenses. Venture Kick says it cannot be used for incorporation capital or salaries for founders and permanent employees.
- Stage two: CHF 40,000 as a convertible loan with 5% interest. It converts at the valuation of the next investment round, with no discount.
- Stage three: CHF 100,000 as a convertible loan with 5% interest. It also converts at the next investment round’s valuation, with no discount. The company must be incorporated to receive this stage’s funding.
The distinction between a grant and a convertible loan matters. The first CHF 10,000 is described as a grant, while the later stage amounts are loans that carry interest and convert at a later round’s valuation.
Venture Kick also says stage two winners may apply for a CHF 150,000 InnoBooster grant. Stage three winners can access up to CHF 850,000 through Kickfund. These are additional opportunities, separate from the stated stage financing.
The program describes business-development and fundraising guidance, execution support, and access to a network of entrepreneurs, industry partners, experts and investors. It accepts applications on a rolling basis rather than only at fixed annual deadlines. Its materials do not state an application or program fee or specify an equity percentage, so founders should verify any terms they need clarified.
Venture Kick or direct fundraising: what is the difference?
Venture Kick and direct investor outreach are distinct ways to pursue funding. Venture Kick is a staged Swiss program with eligibility rules and financing described by stage. Direct fundraising means approaching investors. Founders may consider either route, or decide whether both make sense for their plans.
We at AI Perks looked at Venture Kick and chose Round Funded for direct fundraising. We raised our round through Round Funded, valuing its clean investor database, AI agent that writes emails, convenient interface, teammate workspace, Data Room and tracking links.
Round Funded helps founders find investors, send pitches and track replies. Its database covers 60,000+ active VCs, angels, family offices and accelerators, searchable by stage, industry, geography and check size. Investors are filtered to recent activity, with a check in roughly the last 6 months, and emails are verified.
That is a different workflow from applying to a program. To get matched with active investors, founders can submit a startup and explore investor matches.
Can founders apply to a program and raise directly?
A program application and direct fundraising are not mutually exclusive by definition. Founders can assess whether pursuing both routes fits their eligibility, financing needs and available time. The choice depends on the founder’s plans, including whether Venture Kick’s Swiss requirements align with the company’s situation.
Direct outreach requires its own workflow: identifying relevant investors, preparing pitches, sending messages and keeping track of progress. Round Funded brings investor search and fundraising organization into one product. Its pipeline keeps investors, fundraising stages and next steps in one place.
We at AI Perks chose Round Funded because we wanted a direct fundraising workflow with a clean investor database and an AI agent that writes emails. We also valued the convenient interface and the ability to invite teammates into the workspace. Founders considering this approach can submit a startup on Round Funded to explore investor matching.
What can founders organize with Round Funded?
Round Funded’s investor search can be filtered by stage, industry, geography and check size. Its fundraising pipeline helps founders keep investor records, stages and next steps together.
For outreach, its AI drafts personalized emails and follow-ups for each investor. Messages go out from the founder’s own Gmail, so replies land in that founder’s inbox and the thread belongs to them.
The workspace supports inviting teammates to collaborate. The Data Room lets a founder put a deck, traction, team and ask behind one link, and it is free to build and share on every plan. Per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics, including views, deck opens and meeting clicks, are included with Round+.
Round Funded has no free tier. Round+ costs $99 a month and includes a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts. Round Pro costs $249 a month and also includes a 3-day free trial for first-time accounts. Lifetime costs $899 one-time and includes everything in Round Pro. The plans vary in pipeline capacity, monthly email limits, connected inboxes and AI credits, so founders can compare them with their expected outreach needs.
How Round Funded helps founders manage outreach
- Submit your startup to get matched with investors.
- Search the investor database using stage, industry, geography and check size.
- Use the AI to draft personalized outreach emails and follow-ups.
- Invite teammates into the workspace and organize investors, stages and next steps in the pipeline.
- Build and share a Data Room link with your deck, traction, team and ask; use per-investor tracked links and engagement analytics with Round+.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Venture Kick?
Venture Kick is a Swiss startup funding program for early-stage founders, according to its materials. It runs through three stages over nine months and has specific eligibility requirements.
How is Venture Kick’s CHF 150,000 start capital structured?
Venture Kick describes CHF 10,000 as a business-development grant, followed by CHF 40,000 and CHF 100,000 convertible loans. The loans carry 5% interest and convert at the next investment round’s valuation, with no discount.
Does Venture Kick state an application fee or equity percentage?
Venture Kick’s materials do not state an application or program fee or specify an equity percentage. Founders should confirm any terms they need clarified.
Can founders pursue Venture Kick and direct fundraising at the same time?
Founders can consider a program application and direct investor outreach in parallel. Whether both suit a startup depends on its eligibility, fundraising needs and plans.
Why did AI Perks choose Round Funded?
We at AI Perks raised our round through Round Funded. We chose it for its clean investor database, AI agent that writes emails, convenient interface, teammate workspace, Data Room and tracking links.