About GEN in Switzerland

The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) has a unique and multifaceted relationship with Switzerland, shaped by both the country’s role as the home of many of the international organizations with which GEN partners and the growing Swiss innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. 

GEN’s earliest activities in Switzerland centered on Geneva, where United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is headquartered. GEN and UNCTAD have collaborated extensively over the years on enterprise development, youth entrepreneurship policy, and national enterprise strategies – participating in each other’s Ministerials and engaging governments at the highest levels.  

GEN’s work with UNCTAD also extends to the organization’s Digital Government team, which led to the creation of Global Enterprise Registration (GER), a joint initiative of GEN, UNCTAD, and the U.S. Department of State that helps governments simplify and automate administrative procedures impacting entrepreneurs. The GER platform was launched at the 2015 World Investment Forum in Geneva and has since been implemented in countries including Iraq, Lesotho, Benin, Bhutan, and beyond. In September 2024, the GEN team worked with UNCTAD colleagues in Geneva on a series of implementation workshops to help the Government of Lesotho digitalize its business registration process. 

Switzerland was also one of the earliest participating nations in Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), with activities initially organized out of the Geneva area. The GEW campaign has been led by a succession of Swiss institutions over the years, including the University of Geneva in 2017, BeAdvanced in 2018, and the University of Basel in 2024.  

In January 2018, an official kick-off event for GEN Switzerland formalized the country’s engagement under the leadership of Marcel Gasser, who has been one of GEN’s strongest advocates in the country over the years. Carsten Sudof subsequently led GEN Switzerland from 2022. Switzerland was one of 34 countries where startup teams participated in the Global Startup Battle during GEW 2011, with Geneva-based MySollars finishing in the top 10 globally. 

Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is a member of GEN’s Startup Nations community, the network of policymakers and program leaders focused on exploring regulatory changes and policy levers to accelerate entrepreneurship. Martin Godel, Head of SME Policy at SECO, has represented Switzerland in Startup Nations gatherings alongside peers from more than 80 countries on six continents. 

GEN also maintains a long-standing partnership with the Argidius Foundation, a Swiss-based organization that has been a funder member of the Global Entrepreneurship Research Network (GERN) since the network’s early years. Argidius has published detailed guidance on the evaluation of entrepreneurship support organizations (ESOs) and an assessment of entrepreneurial ecosystem development organizations globally – work that complements GEN’s research mission. Argidius works with many GEN member organizations and its leadership has been active within the GERN community.  Further, Swisscontact, a Swiss development organization, has worked alongside GEN partners in Ecuador and other countries to support local ESOs and entrepreneurs.  

Three Swiss startups have made their way to the finals of the Entrepreneurship World Cup, run by GEN and Monsha’at, where they had access to free training resources, mentorship, and exposure to potential investors. Virtual i Technologies (2021) and Swiset (2024) reached the EWC 100 and pitched for a share of $1 million at the EWC Global Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In 2025, Swijin AG took home the top prize out of 100 live finalists at the EWC Global Finals, marking a landmark achievement for Switzerland’s startup community. 

GEN maintains relationships with key Swiss ecosystem stakeholders, including SECO, UNCTAD, the Argidius Foundation, the University of Geneva, the University of Basel, BeAdvanced, Swisscontact, SINGA Switzerland, and continues to deepen connections with Switzerland’s multilateral, research, and entrepreneurial communities. 

GEN President Jonathan Ortmans has been a regular visitor to Zurich and Geneva through GEN’s partnership with UNCTAD, engagements at the World Investment Forum, and of course the World Economic Forum headquartered in Geneva. Ortmans was first invited to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos in 1994 and has participated regularly since then. In January 2026, GEN began announcing the location of its Global Entrepreneurship Congress at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting – a fitting reflection of the country’s role as a convening point for global conversations about international economic development.