Swiss entrepreneurs thrive in Silicon Valley: AI, innovation, and investment opportunities at Venture Leaders Technology roadshow 2025

14.04.2025 16:00, Rita Longobardi

Silicon Valley is a dream destination for entrepreneurs, offering unparalleled access to venture capital, top tech talent, and a culture of innovation that turns startups into billion-dollar unicorns, with AI dominating discussions. The Venture Leaders Technology roadshow, now in its 20th year, 2025 brought 10 handpicked Swiss entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley in early April. The Swiss National Startup Team members entered Silicon Valley with a clear objective: to build traction in the US market. Throughout the week-long roadshow, they benefited from market exposure, direct feedback from investors and experts, and hands-on business development sessions tailored to their expansion goals. Venturelab organizes the roadshow in cooperation with our partners DPD, EPFL, ETH, Kellerhals Carrard, Rothschild & Co, Unicorn Anchor, and Canton of Vaud.

Venturelab has been organizing international investor and business development roadshows for the Swiss National Startup Teams since 2006. The ambitious entrepreneurs and their promising startups are introduced to high-class investors and potential customers in leading technology hubs such as Silicon Valley, Boston, Asia, Barcelona, Munich, and London.

"Any AI startup needs to spend time in San Francisco to succeed,” commented Jason Corkill, Co-Founder of Rapidata. “Going blind would be a mistake, but the Venture Leaders Technology program was the perfect vessel for us to land in Silicon Valley, introducing us to VCs and helping us build our first network.”


Now in its 20th edition, the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow provides a week-long immersion into Silicon Valley’s startup ecosystem. Silicon Valley is a dream destination for entrepreneurs due to its unique ecosystem. It offers unparalleled access to venture capital, a culture of risk-taking, and a concentration of tech talent from top universities like Stanford and UC Berkeley. The region is renowned for turning startups into billion-dollar companies. This environment supports innovation and provides the resources needed to scale ambitious ideas into successful businesses. Right now, everyone talks about AI, creating a networking effect where investors and entrepreneurs connect easily, with innovations like Agent2Agent for AI collaboration or AI-powered voice assistants enhancing complex workflows and communication. The Venture Leaders Technology program features pitch sessions with US investors, expert-led workshops, and industry discussions. Alumni comprise high-flying startups such as Lemoptix and Composyt Light Labs (acquired by Intel), Faceshift (acquired by Apple), Kooaba (acquired by Qualcomm), Dacuda (acquired by Magic Leap), Sevensense Robotics (acquired by ABB), the unicorns GetYourGuide and Scandit, and many more.

"Venture Leaders has been a unique experience, allowing us to meet top VCs from Silicon Valley and engage in deep exchanges with fellow founders and startup CEOs,” highlighted Felix Bünning, Co-Founder of Viboo. “Seeing that San Francisco is now all about AI further motivates us to continue combining AI with hardware for autonomous buildings at Viboo!"

Swiss tech startups impress US investors
The ten Venture Leaders Technology, selected from 180 applications, had the opportunity to build connections in the Bay Area and strengthen ties with one another as entrepreneurs facing similar goals and challenges. They also pitched their ventures to investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Cota Capital, Five Arrows, Fyrfly Ventures, Intel Capital, NGP Capital, Partech, and Tenacity Fund, receiving direct exposure and constructive feedback which helped them refine their strategies for approaching the US market and pursuing international expansion despite current global uncertainties.

Participants were not only able to build a strong network in the Bay Area but also amongst one another as part of a team of entrepreneurs sharing similar objectives and challenges. Beyond investor engagements, the ten startups joined workshops with NVIDIA, a pricing session led by Jeffrey Tjiok, a scale-up workshop with Gabor Cselle, an HR workshop led by Jodi Johnson, and a legal session at Silicon Legal Strategy.

"Participating in the Venture Leaders Technology Roadshow is a must for any startup founder aiming to do business in the US,” added Ligia Colina Delacqua, Co-Founder of PROUD. "It was an intense and enlightening week of pitching and networking, offering a glimpse of the challenges that await in Silicon Valley. Totally worth it!"



The week-long roadshow in San Francisco also included networking opportunities, such as the Swiss Business Reception with Consul Balz Abplanalp, the Swiss Business Hub USA, and a pitch and BBQ event hosted by Swisscom Outpost.

"The Venture Leaders Technology program immersed us in a dynamic environment of investor interactions, accelerating our journey to becoming Silicon Valley-ready,” concluded Aziz Belkhiria, Co-Founder of DPhi Space. "The true hidden gem was the opportunity to collaborate with nine other exceptional Swiss founders in such an inspiring setting."

Venturelab organizes Venture Leaders Technology in cooperation with our partners DPD, EPFL, ETH, Kellerhals Carrard, Rothschild & Co, Unicorn Anchor, and Canton of Vaud.

The Venture Leaders Technology 2025 that traveled to San Francisco: