Are you looking for support to open a shop, become self-employed or develop an innovation? Switzerland does not offer an automatic grant to everyone who starts a business. However, loans, guarantees, targeted contributions and coaching programmes are available. The challenge is finding the right organisation for your project.
Start with three facts: where your business will operate, what you need to finance and when you will need the money. This article identifies the main contacts in French-speaking Switzerland and explains how to prepare a useful application, without treating hoped-for support as money already available.
Business startup support: the key points
- Start with your canton: its economic promotion service can direct you according to your activity and location.
- Identify the type of support: grants, loans, guarantees and coaching affect your budget in different ways.
- Contact the organisation before committing to spending: application deadlines, rules on combining support and payment conditions vary.
- If you are unemployed: discuss the project with your regional employment office before starting the activity.
- Keep a scenario without support: submitting an application does not mean funding has been approved or paid.
What support does your business actually need?
Buying a machine, covering three months of running costs and developing a prototype are different funding needs. Before looking for a programme, calculate the expense and identify what is missing: cash, security for a bank loan or the skills to develop the project.
| Support | What it provides | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Grant | A contribution towards expenses defined by a programme. | Eligibility requirements and evidence of spending; repayment may be required if the conditions are not met. |
| Loan or microloan | Funds to use for the agreed purpose. | Repayment, interest and sometimes security. |
| Loan guarantee | A guarantee that can help secure bank financing. | The loan must still be repaid. The guarantee is not a second cash contribution. |
| Equity investment | Funds contributed by an investor. | Sharing ownership and rights in the business. |
| Coaching | Advice, contacts or help developing the business. | Skills and time saved, but not necessarily a cash payment. |
For a shop or service business, start with ordinary launch costs. A research programme does not become suitable simply because the business is new. If bank financing remains your main option, our article on loans for starting a Swiss business explains application preparation and repayment capacity.
Who should you contact in your canton?
The cantonal economic promotion service is a useful starting point for local support. It can direct you to a financing organisation, coaching provider or sector-specific programme. Making contact does not guarantee financial assistance.
| Canton | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Geneva | Cantonal business support network |
| Vaud | Business support and coaching |
| Valais | Valais economic promotion service |
| Fribourg | Cantonal economic promotion service (PromFR) |
| Neuchâtel | Economic affairs service (NECO) |
| Jura | Jura economic promotion service |
| Bern | Bern economic development agency, including its French-speaking area |
These local contact pages are in French. State the municipality where you plan to operate and describe the actual activity. A municipal scheme does not necessarily cover the whole canton. Also ask whether the programme serves all businesses or only particular sectors, such as industry, technology or tourism.
Loans and guarantees for a business launch
Fondetec: businesses in the City of Geneva
Fondetec offers direct loans and credit facilities (information in French). For its startup financing, the registered office must be within the City of Geneva. The project must demonstrate viability and contribute to local employment, while meeting the stated legal and employment conditions.
The process begins with an information meeting and preliminary assessment. Use it to check eligibility, fees and repayment terms before preparing the full application. This is repayable financing, not a grant available to every business in the canton.
Cautionnement romand: when security is insufficient
Cautionnement romand can guarantee a bank loan of up to CHF 1 million, depending on the application. Its ordinary guarantee scheme covers eligible SMEs, tradespeople and retailers in Fribourg, Geneva, Neuchâtel, Valais and Vaud. Agriculture is excluded. Its conditions are published in French.
The business must be viable and able to repay. The bank must also approve the loan. Include guarantee fees in the total borrowing cost and check any security required. The published conditions also state that the business must not receive a federal subsidy, so confirm compatibility with any other support you are considering.
Hypothetical example: do not count a guarantee twice. Your business needs CHF 60,000. A CHF 20,000 contribution and a CHF 40,000 loan provide CHF 60,000. Even if the loan is guaranteed, you do not have CHF 100,000. The guarantee protects the lender; it does not add another CHF 40,000 to your bank account.
FAE: a contact for the canton of Geneva
The Fondation d’aide aux entreprises (FAE) helps viable businesses based in the canton of Geneva access financing (information in French). It is also Cautionnement romand’s Geneva branch. Its cantonal remit distinguishes it from Fondetec. Explain the funding need and the steps already taken with banks so it can identify a suitable solution.
Innovation funding and coaching: targeted programmes
Fongit and FIF: innovation in Geneva
FIF, Fongit’s innovation financing programme, has three areas: Tech, Digital and Impact. They serve innovative projects or businesses meeting the programme’s Geneva eligibility criteria. The form of financing depends on the area and stage of development.
Check the category that fits your project before including an amount in your budget. Funding announced for a successful applicant is not an amount available to every new business.
Innosuisse and Eurostars: research and development projects
Eurostars, supported in Switzerland by Innosuisse, funds international research and development collaborations led by an innovative SME. Projects must bring together independent organisations from several countries and meet the call’s requirements.
For Swiss partners, Innosuisse states funding rates of 50% for SMEs, 25% for large companies and 50% for research institutions. These apply to eligible project costs, not all business formation expenses. Applicants must also contribute their own funding, and selection involves more than an administrative eligibility check.
Eurostars is one of several Innosuisse schemes. Do not apply its rates to a different innovation or coaching programme.
GENILEM: support to develop your sales
GENILEM’s acceleration programme serves businesses based in Vaud or Geneva, established less than three years ago, with an innovation or distinguishing feature and potential to create jobs. Applicants must already be approaching customers. The programme information is in French.
The value lies in business development support and access to expertise. This can be helpful when the main challenge is finding customers or improving the offer, even without a payment to cover business expenses.
Can you receive support when starting from unemployment?
Yes, subject to conditions. Unemployment insurance can support the planning phase of a self-employed activity, including up to 90 specific daily allowances. This does not mean 90 calendar days or a lump sum that can be freely spent on equipment.
SECO sets out the requirements for support with self-employment (in French): you must be unemployed through no fault of your own, registered with a regional employment office (RAV/ORP), entitled to unemployment benefits and at least 20 years old. You must present an outline showing that the business is economically viable. The cantonal authority decides whether to approve support.
Discuss it with your employment adviser before starting the activity. Confirm when the supported planning period begins and ends, and which obligations apply. Exemption from job-search requirements concerns the approved planning phase; it does not automatically begin as soon as you have a business idea.
What other funding options could you consider?
Microloans, competitions and advance orders
A microloan can address a modest funding need when ordinary bank financing is difficult to obtain. Neuchâtel’s economic promotion service lists Microcrédit Solidaire Suisse among the options to explore (in French). Confirm current conditions, total cost and repayment dates directly. A small loan is still a debt.
A competition may provide prize money or contacts. Choose one whose criteria fit the project and weigh the application time against the possible benefit. Do not use an uncertain prize to fund definite expenses in your base scenario.
Advance orders or crowdfunding can also help finance an initial production run. Calculate what will remain after platform fees, manufacturing, delivery and the rewards promised to contributors.
Withdrawing second-pillar savings: using your own pension capital
A second-pillar withdrawal is not public financial assistance. It may be possible when you genuinely become self-employed and are no longer subject to compulsory occupational pension insurance. Simply forming an LLC (Sàrl/GmbH) or an SA/AG does not give its director this entitlement.
The official ch.ch page explains the withdrawal conditions (in French), including applying within one year of starting the activity and obtaining the consent of a spouse or registered partner. Confirm your position with the compensation office and pension institution. Our article on withdrawing second-pillar savings to become self-employed (in French) explains the process and the implications for retirement, insurance cover and withdrawal tax.
Prepare an application the organisation can assess
An initial enquiry does not necessarily require a fifty-page business plan. It should explain the project clearly enough for the organisation to tell you whether its programme is relevant. Prepare a short summary covering the activity, municipality, project stage, funding need and resources already confirmed.
For the full application, collect the documents the organisation requests:
- The project and team: target customers, offer, experience and each person’s responsibilities.
- Verifiable evidence: supplier quotations, initial contracts, orders or test results. Distinguish a signed order from an initial customer conversation.
- The figures: launch expenses, sales forecasts, costs and requested funding. Use consistent amounts throughout the documents.
- Available resources: confirmed contributions, loans, other support requested or approved, and commitments already made.
- A downside scenario: what you will do if sales grow more slowly or financing arrives later.
Our approach to financial forecasts for a Swiss business helps connect these documents. For cash flow, show receipts and payments month by month. Their timing reveals the funding gap that must be covered.
An initial enquiry that is easier to assess
“I am preparing to launch [activity] in [municipality], with a planned start in [month]. The total funding requirement is [amount], including [amount] for [specific expense]. I have [confirmed resources] available. Could your programme be suitable for this project? Which expenses can I commit to before a decision, and what documents should I prepare?”
This outline helps you obtain an initial assessment. It does not replace the official application form or the review process.
Check the timetable before signing or paying
Approved support and money received are different things. Some programmes require an application before the project begins; others link payments to invoices or milestones. Accepting a supplier quotation, paying a deposit or beginning work can affect eligibility. Ask about your specific situation before making a commitment.
Confirm which expenses qualify, their eligibility start date, the payment timetable, rules on combining support and obligations after approval. These may include progress reports, supporting documents or maintaining particular conditions.
Then enter the funds in your cash-flow budget (method explained in French) on the expected receipt date. Keep three separate statuses: requested, approved and received. If the project only works with funding still under review, decide what could be postponed or reduced if the application is declined.
Calculate the useful amount, not just the headline rate
Consider a hypothetical example, unrelated to any particular programme. Launch costs total CHF 40,000. A scheme offers a 40% contribution, but only CHF 25,000 of the spending qualifies.
| Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total budget | CHF 40,000 |
| Eligible expenses | CHF 25,000 |
| Theoretical contribution: 25,000 × 40% | CHF 10,000 |
| Remaining funding: 40,000 − 10,000 | CHF 30,000 |
The theoretical contribution is therefore CHF 10,000, rather than CHF 16,000, subject to approval and any cap. If it is paid only after you have incurred the expenses, you must be able to advance CHF 40,000, even though the final amount to fund yourself is CHF 30,000. Any borrowing interest or financing fees must be added to the calculation.
Start with a specific funding request
The best starting point is a quantified need presented to the right organisation. Choose two or three options that fit your location and activity, then check the conditions before preparing full applications. This avoids collecting application forms without understanding what they can actually finance.
If you need to clarify the figures, our accounting team can help prepare the budget and organise the project’s accounting. The aim is sustainable funding, including if expected support is delayed or declined.
Frequently asked questions about business startup support
Is there an automatic grant for starting a business in Switzerland?
No. Creating a sole proprietorship, LLC or SA/AG does not automatically entitle you to a grant. Support depends on the project, its location and each organisation’s criteria.
Do you have to repay financial support?
It depends on the form of support. A loan must be repaid. A grant is subject to its award conditions and may have to be returned if they are not met. A guarantee does not cancel the bank debt.
Can you receive support without running a technology startup?
Yes. Some options also serve shops, tradespeople and service businesses. Loans, guarantees or local coaching may be more suitable than a research programme. The economic promotion service can help identify relevant options.
Can you combine several forms of support?
Sometimes, but you must check the rules of each scheme. Disclose applications in progress and funding already approved. Never add a loan amount to the guarantee covering that same loan when calculating available funds.
Can an invoice that has already been paid qualify for support?
Not necessarily. Some programmes require a prior application or exclude spending committed before a particular date. Ask the organisation whether an expense qualifies before accepting a quotation, paying a deposit or starting work.
What should you prepare before the first contact?
A project summary is often enough for an initial assessment: activity, municipality, progress, expenses to finance, funding gap and available resources. The organisation will then identify the documents needed for a formal application.
Sources and verification
Programme conditions were checked on 13 October 2026. The cantonal contacts are listed in the table, and each scheme is linked to its source in the relevant section. Further information:
- SECO SME portal: advice and business startup support services (in French).
- Cautionnement romand: eligibility, maximum amounts, costs and conditions (in French).
- Innosuisse: Eurostars project criteria and funding.
- Unemployment insurance: support for self-employment (in French).
- FSIO: recognition of self-employment and social insurance cover (in French).
The numerical examples are illustrative. They are not offers or promises of funding. The applicable conditions are those of the programme when you apply.
Romain Prieur is a Swiss-qualified chartered accountant and the founder of Entreprendre.ch. With more than ten years of experience in audit and business advisory in Switzerland, he advises entrepreneurs on company formation, accounting and taxation.
