Venture Kick
Venture Kick is a Swiss philanthropic pre-seed funding program, based in Schlieren near Zurich, that backs spin-offs from Swiss universities with up to CHF 150,000 in startup-friendly capital rather than buying equity like a classic venture fund. As of 2026, Leviathan tracks 2 of its bets in water.
Compiled by Antoine Walter, (don't) Waste Water, from official filings and direct intelligence in Leviathan.
The take
Venture Kick is the rare investor on this directory that does not actually want your equity. Launched in 2007 and run by the Venturelab team, it hands science founders coming out of ETH, EPFL and other Swiss research labs up to CHF 150,000 in three jury-judged stages, the first slice a flat grant and the rest founder-friendly convertible loans. It behaves like philanthropic catalytic capital rather than a return-seeking fund.
Venture Kick works as a feeder for the whole Swiss deep-tech pipeline, not a water specialist. Since 2007 it has put roughly CHF 102 million into more than 1,250 startup projects, and in 2025 alone it funded 130 of them with CHF 8.3 million, a 34% jump on the year before. Water is a thin but real slice of that: Leviathan tracks 2 water companies in its book, both first backed in 2025.
Venture Kick's two water bets show what catches its eye in the sector: research turned into hardware. Riverkin, an ETH Zurich spin-off, builds ultra-low-power sensors and software for live freshwater monitoring, while CellX Biosolutions works on microbial solutions for environmental cleanup. Both are classic pre-seed, lab-to-market stories, which is exactly the stage Venture Kick exists to de-risk before commercial investors arrive.
As of 2026, Venture Kick has said it aims to double its annual intake to 200 startups by 2027, which would widen the funnel that occasionally surfaces a water company. For a newcomer, that is how to read this page: Venture Kick works as Switzerland's earliest filter on science startups, and water shows up here when the science does.
Water Commitment Score
Compiled from official filings, third-party records, and direct intelligence from investors and founders, in Leviathan · recomputed monthly · as of Jun 2026.
How they invest
Portfolio · 2 water companies
Invests alongside
Highlighted = profiled on (don't) Waste Water.
Frequently asked
- What does Venture Kick invest in?
- Venture Kick funds early-stage spin-offs from Swiss universities and research institutions across all deep-tech sectors, from biotech to cleantech. In water, Leviathan tracks 2 of its companies, Riverkin and CellX Biosolutions. Its money targets the pre-seed, lab-to-market stage rather than later venture rounds.
- How much does Venture Kick give startups?
- Venture Kick provides up to CHF 150,000 per startup across three jury-judged stages. The first CHF 10,000 is a grant and the later tranches are founder-friendly convertible loans, so founders give up little or no equity. Winners can also unlock follow-on funding through the linked Kickfund.
- Who runs Venture Kick?
- Venture Kick is operated by the Venturelab team, led by co-managing directors Jordi Montserrat, Beat Schillig and Philip Hassler, who have built the program since its 2007 launch. The Venture Kick Foundation behind it is backed by Swiss philanthropic partners such as Gebert Ruf Stiftung.
- Is Venture Kick a venture capital fund?
- No. Despite the name, Venture Kick is a philanthropic pre-seed funding initiative, not a return-seeking venture capital fund. It supports Swiss science startups with grants and convertible loans instead of buying equity stakes, and is financed by Swiss foundations and private donors rather than limited partners.
- Where is Venture Kick based?
- Venture Kick is based in Schlieren, in the Zurich area of Switzerland, and supports startups from across the country's universities and research institutions. It launched in 2007 and has since invested more than CHF 102 million into over 1,250 Swiss startup projects.