About us
We’re building the community we wish had existed when we first started wondering about entrepreneurship.
Our story
Geneva has amazing universities, world-class research centres like CERN, and some of Switzerland’s most successful tech companies. But on campus, students do not feel like these opportunities are accessible. Many students never realise that starting a company could be a real option for them.
Geneva needs role models to spark the “Why can’t I?”.
It’s not a lack of talent or ideas, just not knowing where to begin. GSE is here to make that first step easier, and support you along the way.
You don’t need to be a “business person” or have the perfect idea. Entrepreneurship is a skill, and skills can be learned.
Setbacks are normal, useful and nothing to be embarrassed about. Some of our events are all about the things that went wrong.
Great ventures come from mixing people, so we bring students from every campus and every discipline into the same room.
Some of you will found startups, and others will join one as an early team member. Both are great ways to build Geneva’s future, and we’re here for both.
Working together
GSE works hand in hand with the incubators, accelerators and innovation programmes that already exist at Geneva’s universities, research labs and across the canton. Think of us as your starting point: we help you discover what’s out there and get to the right people when you’re ready.
Where to find us
We’re based at the University of Geneva, where we’re setting up a dedicated student hacker space: a place to work on projects, meet other builders and drop in for events. You don’t need to be a UNIGE student to come by. GSE is for everyone studying or researching in Geneva.
The team
GSE got started with the support of two of Geneva’s most successful tech founders, Andy Yen of Proton and Olivier Gaudin of Sonar, who currently sit on our board. The plan is to hand the reins to students step by step, so that GSE is truly run by the people it’s built for. That’s where you come in.