Venture Kick Gains Influential Partners in Rising Tide Foundation
November 2, 2015
The Venture Kick program is given a boost with the funding support of Rising Tide Foundation to help develop and bring to market high potential business ideas at Swiss universities and institutes of higher learnings.
Established in 2010 in Switzerland, Rising Tide Foundation is an entrepreneurial, privately-endowed foundation with an international, impact-driven philanthropic grant program focused on three main areas: cancer research, libertarian, and social/educational causes. Its mission is to maximize individual potential, build capacities through education and create opportunities to ensure that everyone can achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Rising Tide Foundation firmly believes that empowerment and the development of individual skills and lifelong learning are the most effective agents of change to bringing about a progressive society. While many individuals are eager to progress economically and socially, they are hindered not due to a lack of talent, but rather to a lack of resources or opportunities presented. As in the case of new startups, in the very early stages, innovators bear very high risks that are neither carried by public money nor by private investors. Through the Venture Kick program, innovators are empowered to pursue their vision and embrace the entrepreneurial path.
“Entrepreneurship is not just about ideas, but rather about making ideas happen. At our Foundation, we are focused on cultivating a rising tide of social change. That’s why we are very excited to partner with Venture Kick to provide innovators with the right tools and training, so that they can successfully move their innovative ideas to market, create new jobs and contribute back to the community,” said Eveline Mumenthaler, Director, Rising Tide Foundation.
The potential of Swiss universities is still not fully exploited
Pascale Vonmont, president of Venture Kick’s strategy committee and deputy director of Gebert Rüf Stiftung, underscores the importance of this new partnership: “We are very pleased to welcome Rising Tide Foundation amongst the donators of the Venture Kick Foundation. The work of Venture Kick has borne amazing ventures in the past eight years. However, an untapped potential is still to be found in the laboratories and among students at Swiss universities. Not the lack of ideas, but the scarce resources and more “kicks” are the limiting factor to fully promote all potential entrepreneurs and their top-quality business ideas. It remains of crucial importance that even more partners join our initiative to continue to support this effort in the years to come.”
Leveraging Switzerland’s innovation potential
Beat Schillig and Jordi Montserrat, managing directors of Venture Kick, are delighted to partner with Rising Tide Foundation: “More than half of the companies, which are currently ranked in the TOP 100 Swiss Startups have been supported by Venture Kick. The new partnership with the Rising Tide Foundation will leverage Switzerland’s innovative potential even more effectively and further strengthen Venture Kick’s philanthropic and entrepreneurial philosophy.”