Startup Events

Must Attend Startup Events in Zurich, Switzerland

Zurich's startup calendar is packed from early November to early December 2026: LAUNCH at ETH (3 November), Startup Nights in Winterthur (5–6 November), Swiss Robotics Day, FFX Zurich and SICTIC's Fintech & AI Investor Day. In 2027 come the DeepTech Investor Summit, GenAI Zürich, Swiss Fintech Week (28–30 June) and the first Startup Nights in Zurich (7–8 October).
This guide lists startup, tech, investor and women-founder events in Zurich and its region from November 2026 to the end of 2027. We checked every date on the organiser's own website. We mark each event as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (date from a reliable second source) or Expected (based on past editions only). For Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Bern and St. Gallen, see our startup events in Switzerland guide.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.

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Must Attend Startup Events in Zurich 2026–2027: Calendar from November 2026 to October 2027

DatesEventVenueTypeStatus
3 Nov 2026LAUNCHETH Main BuildingStartup fair and investor dayConfirmed
5–6 Nov 2026Startup NightsEulachhallen, WinterthurStartup festivalConfirmed
9 Nov 2026Startup Stories: Female Founders EditionZentrum GlockenhofWomen founders eveningConfirmed
10 Nov 2026Machine Intelligence SummitInnovation Park, DübendorfAI conferenceConfirmed
12 Nov 2026Female Founders & Investors UnpitchedOAT ETH ZürichWomen founders and investorsConfirmed
13 Nov 2026Swiss Robotics DayStageOneRobotics conferenceConfirmed
16 Nov 2026Swiss AI SummitKunsthaus ZürichAI business conferenceConfirmed
23 Nov 2026FFX ZurichZurichWomen founders (by application)Confirmed
26 Nov 2026Open-iKongresshaus ZürichInnovation conferenceConfirmed
1 Dec 2026Swiss Fintech & AI Investor DayErgon InformatikInvestor pitch eveningConfirmed
25–26 Jan 2027DeepTech Investor SummitZurichDeep-tech investor summitConfirmed
24–25 Feb 2027GenAI ZürichVolkshaus ZürichGenerative AI summitConfirmed
10–15 May 2027Climate Week ZurichAcross ZurichClimate week (mostly free)Confirmed
12 May 2027A3FKaufleutenFounder conferenceConfirmed
28–30 Jun 2027Swiss Fintech WeekZurichFintech weekConfirmed
7–8 Oct 2027Startup NightsMesse ZürichStartup festivalAnnounced

Autumn 2026: November

LAUNCH at ETH Zurich: 3 November 2026

📅 LAUNCH 2026Confirmed
DatesTuesday 3 November 2026, 10:00–19:00
WhereETH Zurich Main Building, Rämistrasse 101
TypeUniversity startup fair and investor day
Who it's forFounders, students, investors and corporates
TicketsStartup ticket CHF 92.51; students free; corporates and investors CHF 277.52
Official sitesictic.ch
The ETH Entrepreneur Club and SICTIC expect 2,000+ visitors, 80+ exhibiting startups and 200+ investors, with a dealflow zone. One of the cheapest ways to meet many Swiss investors in a day. Tickets on Luma

Startup Nights, Winterthur: 5–6 November 2026

📅 Startup Nights 2026Confirmed
Dates5–6 November 2026
WhereEulachhallen, Wartstrasse 73, Winterthur
TypeNational startup festival
Who it's forFounders, investors and corporates
TicketsSee the website
Official sitestartup-nights.ch
Switzerland's largest startup festival, in the canton of Zurich, with talks, side events and the Impact Tech and Dual Use Tech pitch awards (applications closed). From 2027 it moves to Zurich.

Startup Stories, Female Founders Edition: 9 November 2026

📅 Startup Stories: Female Founders Edition (Women & AI)Confirmed
DatesMonday 9 November 2026, 18:00–21:00
WhereZentrum Glockenhof, Sihlstrasse 33
TypeTalks and panel (in English)
Who it's forWomen founders and people building with AI
TicketsFree; register by 9 November
Official sitestartup-campus.ch
Startup Campus, the Female Founders Initiative Switzerland and Z-Kubator host Zurich female founders on leading change with AI.

Machine Intelligence Summit, Dübendorf: 10 November 2026

📅 Machine Intelligence SummitConfirmed
Dates10 November 2026, 09:00–20:00
WhereSwitzerland Innovation Park Zurich, Wangenstrasse 68, Dübendorf
TypeFrontier AI conference
Who it's forAI founders, researchers and investors
TicketsFree general admission on Luma
Official siteluma.com
Hosted by ellipsis Venture, with six founder lightning talks and 50 student posters. See our AI startup events for 2027.

Female Founders & Investors Unpitched: 12 November 2026

📅 Female Founders & Investors UnpitchedConfirmed
DatesThursday 12 November 2026, 17:30–20:00
WhereOAT ETH Zürich, Andreasstrasse 5
TypeNetworking evening, no pitches
Who it's forEarly-stage female founders, diverse teams, angels and VCs
TicketsFree (CHF 40 no-show fee; cancel by 11 November)
Official siteluma.com
No decks and no stage: founders and investors simply talk. A relaxed first contact with Zurich's angel scene.

Swiss Robotics Day: 13 November 2026

📅 Swiss Robotics Day 2026Confirmed
Dates13 November 2026
WhereStageOne Event & Convention Center, Elias-Canetti-Strasse 146
TypeRobotics conference and exhibition
Who it's forRobotics spin-offs, industry, VCs and researchers
TicketsCHF 400; start-up/postdoc CHF 250; students CHF 100 (incl. VAT)
Official siteswissroboticsday.ch
ETH Zurich RobotX's national robotics day, with Thomas Zurbuchen among the keynote speakers and startup pitches in the afternoon. More in our robotics startup events.

Swiss AI Summit: 16 November 2026

📅 Swiss AI Summit 2026Confirmed
Dates16 November 2026
WhereKunsthaus Zürich
TypeAI business conference
Who it's forCorporate AI buyers, founders and investors
TicketsDay ticket CHF 790 + VAT (normal CHF 950); start-up ticket on request for companies under three years old
Official siteswissaisummit.com
About 40 speakers and 400 participants, many of them buyers at large Swiss companies. Ask for the start-up ticket.
On 19 November the Swiss digital industry meets at the Hallenstadion for swissICT's Digital Economy Award (CHF 280, members CHF 220).

FFX Zurich: 23 November 2026

📅 FFX Zurich 2026 (Female Founders Experience)Confirmed
DatesMonday 23 November 2026, 09:00–19:30
WhereZurich; the address is sent after approval
TypeApplication-only day for about 120 people
Who it's forFemale founders, investors and senior leaders
TicketsCHF 199 + VAT; early bird ended
Official sitefemale-founders.org
Female Founders' yearly Zurich gathering; FFX Barcelona and Paris follow in 2027. Apply on Luma.

Open-i: 26 November 2026

📅 Open-i 2026Confirmed
Dates26 November 2026, 08:00–18:00
WhereKongresshaus Zürich, Claridenstrasse 5
TypeInnovation conference
Who it's forFounders, SMEs, corporates and investors
TicketsStart-up ticket CHF 250; conference CHF 890; students CHF 99
Official siteopen-i.swiss
NZZ Connect's innovation conference (formerly the Swiss Innovation Forum). Its Innovation Challenge deadline passed on 9 October.

December 2026 to March 2027

Swiss Fintech & AI Investor Day: 1 December 2026

📅 Swiss Fintech & AI Investor Day 2026Confirmed
DatesTuesday 1 December 2026, from 17:00
WhereErgon Informatik AG, Merkurstrasse 43
TypeInvestor pitch evening (also online)
Who it's forFintech, insurtech and AI startups
TicketsNot published; startups apply by 5 November
Official sitesictic.ch
SICTIC, Switzerland's largest angel club, runs 90-second elevator pitches and 5-minute pitches, with keynotes by Alexandra Beckstein (QAI Ventures) and Yassine Zaied. SICTIC also holds investor days on 17 November (applications closed) and 10 December at NEST Empa, Dübendorf (apply by 12 November). All SICTIC events

DeepTech Investor Summit: 25–26 January 2027

📅 DeepTech Investor Summit 2027Confirmed
Dates25–26 January 2027
WhereZurich (venue not published)
TypeInvestor summit for ETH deep-tech spin-offs
Who it's forDeep-tech founders and investors
TicketsApply to attend
Official siteethz.ch
ETH Zurich and UBS bring 120 investable deep-tech spin-offs together with more than 600 investors. See our deep tech startup events.

GenAI Zürich: 24–25 February 2027

📅 GenAI Zürich 2027Confirmed
Dates24–25 February 2027
WhereVolkshaus Zürich
TypeApplied generative AI summit with a hackathon
Who it's forAI founders, builders and corporate teams
TicketsEarly-bird conference pass CHF 200 until 31 October 2026
Official sitegenaizurich.ch
The GenAI Zürich Award has a track for startups building GenAI products; apply by 22 November 2026, and the finalists pitch on the main stage.
Also in early 2027: Voxxed Days Zürich, a developer conference at Arena Cinemas Sihlcity on 9 March (voxxeddays.ch), and the M01N Startup Camp on 17–18 February in Rapperswil-Jona on Lake Zurich, with a pitch final for six startups (apply by 12 February; moin.camp).

Spring to autumn 2027

Climate Week Zurich: 10–15 May 2027

📅 Climate Week Zurich 2027Confirmed
Dates10–15 May 2027
WhereVenues across Zurich
TypeBusiness-led climate week
Who it's forClimate-tech founders, corporates and investors
TicketsMost events free, with a ticket
Official siteclimateweekzurich.org
More than 270 events in 2026. Partner registration for 2027 is open. See our climate tech startup events.

A3F: 12 May 2027

📅 A3F 2027Confirmed
DatesWednesday 12 May 2027, 08:50–22:00
WhereKaufleuten, Pelikanplatz
TypeFounder conference with masterclasses
Who it's forFounders in deep tech, AI, robotics and blockchain
TicketsCHF 319.77–366.05 on Eventfrog today; prices change
Official sitealanfrei.com
Alan Frei's yearly conference; the first speakers include Yaël Meier (ZEAM), Merlin Ouboter (Microlino) and Prof. Vanessa Wood (ETH). Tickets on Eventfrog
On 31 May, SDS2027, the Swiss conference on data science and AI, fills The Circle at Zurich Airport: good for meeting corporate data buyers.

Swiss Fintech Week: 28–30 June 2027

📅 Swiss Fintech Week 2027Confirmed
Dates28–30 June 2027
WhereZurich (venue not published)
TypeFintech week with forum, startup fair and awards
Who it's forFintech founders, banks, insurers and investors
TicketsNot published
Official siteswissfintechweek.com
Monday 28 June has the FuW FinTech Forum, the startup fair and Tenity's Startup Night with the Swiss Fintech Awards; the Point Zero Forum follows on 29–30 June. See our fintech startup events.

Startup Nights in Zurich: 7–8 October 2027

📅 Startup Nights 2027Announced
Dates7–8 October 2027
WhereMesse Zürich
TypeNational startup festival
Who it's forFounders, investors and corporates
TicketsNot published
Official sitecash.ch
The festival moves from Winterthur to Messe Zürich for the first time, with about 14,000 visitors expected. The official site does not show 2027 yet.

Dates not announced yet

  • Techstars Startup Weekend Zurich: listed for November 2026, but no days or venue yet. startupweekend.ch
  • Swiss InsurTech Summit & Awards: listed for 1 December 2026 in Zurich by a fintech news site; no official page found. fintechnews.ch
  • Zurich AI Festival with the AI+X Summit: 28 September–3 October in 2026. zurichaifestival.ch
  • #wetechtogether 2027: Switzerland's women-in-tech conference was on 25–26 September in 2026. techface.ch
  • Web3 Banking Symposium: November 2027 in Zurich, day not published. cryptovalley.swiss
On hold: HackZurich and the Digital Festival are on hiatus. Kickstart Innovation, Finance 2.0 and Worldwebforum have no new dates.

Past events

  • SECA Evening Event: Swiss VCs on Stage: 28 October 2026 at Europaallee 36, Zurich.
  • SURGE 2026: AI, Energy, Robotics: 29 October 2026 at Novu Campus, Zurich Airport.
  • Digital Health Accelerator DemoDay, Batch 4: 29 October 2026 at Ergon Informatik, Zurich.

Recurring meetups and communities

  • SICTIC Investor Days: about one a month, where startups pitch to Switzerland's largest angel club. sictic.ch
  • SECA: venture and private equity events, including Young SECA evenings. seca.ch
  • GDG Cloud Zürich: free tech talks, the next on 5 November 2026. luma.com
  • Founder Institute Switzerland: pre-seed programme, next cohort spring 2027. fi.co
  • Startup Campus and Venturelab: founder trainings and Startup Stories evenings. startup-campus.ch
Quiet now: Startup Grind Zurich has run only online events since mid-2026, and the old GDG Zurich chapter page is gone.

Events for women founders in Zurich

  • Startup Stories: Female Founders Edition (9 November 2026, Zentrum Glockenhof, free): women founders building with AI.
  • Female Founders & Investors Unpitched (12 November, OAT ETH Zürich, free): founders meet angels and VCs without pitching.
  • FFX Zurich (23 November, CHF 199 + VAT, by application): a day for about 120 female founders and investors.
  • Female Founder Coworking Mornings at Impact Hub Zürich Viadukt: 20 November and 11 December 2026, 09:00–12:00. impacthub.ch
Run an event for women founders in Zurich? Send it to us and we'll add it. See also our female entrepreneurship events for 2027.

Funding and support to know before you go

  • Founders from outside the EU/EFTA: Canton Zurich's Office for Economy and Labour (AWA) decides on self-employment permits; a business plan and a planned balance sheet are mandatory, and the business must serve the overall economic interest. Canton of Zurich (PDF)
  • Registering a company: the Zurich commercial register charges CHF 420 for a new GmbH or AG and CHF 80 for a sole proprietorship. To be sure of registration in 2026, file complete documents by 1 December. zh.ch
  • Wealth tax on founder shares: until a startup has representative results, Zurich values its shares at their substance value, not the price of the latest funding round. Zurich tax manual
  • ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark: CHF 100,000 for a Zurich tech startup; the 2026 winner was RTDT Laboratories. Applications for 2027 closed on 21 September 2026. Zürcher Kantonalbank
  • Innovation Sandbox for AI: the canton helps AI startups test projects with regulators; 8 of 57 applicants were chosen in 2026. zh.ch

How to get the most out of Zurich startup events

  1. Go to LAUNCH on 3 November. A CHF 92.51 startup ticket puts you in a room with 200+ investors.
  2. Use the free evenings. Unpitched, Startup Stories and the Machine Intelligence Summit cost nothing.
  3. Apply for pitch slots. SICTIC's Fintech & AI Investor Day closes on 5 November, the GenAI Zürich Award on 22 November.
  4. Buy GenAI Zürich by 31 October. The early-bird conference pass is CHF 200.
  5. Check VAT. Swiss prices are often shown without 8.1% VAT; see more startup competitions.

List your event in this guide

Do you run a startup, tech or investor event in Zurich? Send us the name, dates, venue and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this guide. We list events for founders, with a real date and an official page.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.

🔗 Add an awesome event

Startup events in other places

FAQ

What are the main startup events in Zurich?

LAUNCH at ETH (3 November 2026), Startup Nights in Winterthur (5–6 November), Swiss Robotics Day (13 November), FFX Zurich (23 November), the DeepTech Investor Summit (25–26 January 2027), GenAI Zürich (24–25 February 2027), Swiss Fintech Week (28–30 June 2027) and Startup Nights at Messe Zürich (7–8 October 2027).

Where can I pitch to investors in Zurich?

At SICTIC's investor days, including the Swiss Fintech & AI Investor Day on 1 December 2026 (apply by 5 November), the GenAI Zürich Award (apply by 22 November) and the DeepTech Investor Summit for ETH spin-offs.

Are there events for women founders in Zurich?

Yes: Startup Stories: Female Founders Edition (9 November 2026, free), Female Founders & Investors Unpitched (12 November, free), FFX Zurich (23 November) and Impact Hub's Female Founder Coworking Mornings.

Are there free startup events in Zurich?

Yes: the Machine Intelligence Summit (10 November), Unpitched (12 November), Startup Stories (9 November) and most Climate Week Zurich events.

How much does it cost to register a company in Zurich?

The Zurich commercial register charges CHF 420 to register a new GmbH or AG, and a GmbH needs at least CHF 20,000 of share capital.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
2026-10-27 09:46 By city