10 years of start-up support: what drives the Swiss Entrepreneurship Programme
For ten years, the Swiss Entrepreneurship Programme, launched by SECO as part of its private sector promotion activities, has been strengthening start-ups and their ecosystems in partner countries.
At the anniversary event on 20 November 2025 in Basel, experiences were shared with partners from Switzerland and abroad, parallels between start-up promotion in Switzerland and in emerging countries were highlighted, and new opportunities for cooperation were discussed.
The Swiss Entrepreneurship Programme supports organisations in seven SECO partner countries in developing their support services for start-ups and adapting them to changing needs, challenges and conditions. The main focus is on strengthening the entrepreneurial skills of start-ups, facilitating their access to finance and international markets, and building international networks. Successful practices are to be institutionalised and expanded.
In Vietnam, Peru, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Serbia, the programme has supported a total of 216 organisations over the past ten years, accompanying 5,370 start-ups on their growth path and helping them to advance. The Swiss Entrepreneurship Programme is financed by SECO and implemented by Swisscontact and J.E.Austin.
Further information
Swiss Entrepreneurship Program