Benefits

What participants receive

Visibility

Profile in ranking & NZZ environment · Placement with Selection Status (Silver/Gold/Platinum/Diamond)

Recognition

Digital Badge "Participant 2026" (immediately usable) · Official participation confirmation

Benchmarking

Aggregated insights for classification (anonymized) · Comparison with peer group

Awards

Automatic eligibility for Selection Awards · Shortlist nomination for top scores (Platinum/Diamond) · Invitation to Award Night December 2026

Process

How it works

Stakeholders can apply themselves (self-disclosure) or be nominated by others.

1

Data Collection

Structured data collection (20–40 min) and validation by ZHAW.

Deadline: 01.07.2026
2

Review & Score

Independent evaluation, plausibility checks and score calculation.

Independent
3

Ranking & Publication

Publication of rankings in NZZ environment and on this platform.

Transparent
4

Certification (Optional)

Paid Selection Label – only when criteria are met.

Paid

Timeline

May 2026
Start data collection
June/July 2026
Participation deadline
Aug–Oct 2026
Review & evaluation
Nov 2026
Ranking publication in NZZ
Nov/Dec 2026
Award Night · Zurich

Made possible by leading organisations committed to transparency and excellence.

Media Partner

Platform Partner

Research Partner

Strategic Founding Partner

Ecosystem Alliance

Brand Safety Guarantee

Independence as a mark of quality

Sponsors make the initiative possible, while its credibility rests on a clear separation of roles: they have no influence on the methodology, evaluation process, or results. Scientific leadership is provided by renowned researchers in the field of entrepreneurship, ensuring methodological rigour and academic independence. NZZ contributes editorial support and public visibility, helping to translate the results into a relevant national reference point for the Swiss startup ecosystem.

Participate now

Become part of the leading Swiss startup ranking.

Participate now