“Being an entrepreneur is the most difficult job in the world,” said Antonio Gambardella, Director of FONGIT (Geneva Foundation for Tech Innovation), during the EMBA Alumni Networking Event in Geneva. Luckily, Geneva comes with a great support team and is proud to already be home to bold, disruptive startups.
That spirit of resilience set the tone for an inspiring evening on April 10, 2025, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Over 50 alumni and guests gathered to explore how the city is becoming a launchpad for startups – from bold ideas to lasting impact. Three guest speakers, all shaping the region’s innovation landscape, shared their perspectives.
Geneva’s support for entrepreneurs is built on more than vision – it’s backed by infrastructure, funding, training, and a growing ecosystem of innovation.
Delphine Bachmann, State Councillor from the Department of Economy and Employment in Geneva, highlighted how these elements are coming together to help startups succeed. Over the past 30 years, FONGIT has supported more than 450 groundbreaking projects. In 2024 alone, OPI (Office de Promotion des Industries et des Technologies) supported 159 companies, while FAE (Fondation d’aide aux entreprises) distributed CHF 16.9 million in loans. In 2024 the State of Geneva launched the Guichet Entreprises – a one-stop platform offering tailored guidance for starting, relocating, or growing a business in Geneva (soon available in English).
“The mindset of an entrepreneur is to move from failure to failure – without ever losing momentum.” That line from Antonio Gambardella, Director of FONGIT (Geneva Foundation for Tech Innovation), captured the essence of the startup journey. Resilience is critical – especially in the early days, during the so-called “Valley of Death,” where ideas are fragile, resources limited, and uncertainty high. FONGIT helps founders push through that phase by providing coaching, seed funding, and strategic support. The State’s CHF 40M in financial support over the years has helped to attract CHF 1B of private investments to Geneva startups, showing how early help can unlock long-term success.
One standout example of a startup founded in the region in 2019 and supported by FONGIT is Transmutex, with its bold ambition to turn nuclear waste – often viewed as a costly global liability – into a valuable and sustainable resource. Co-founder and CEO Franklin Servan-Schreiber shared the company’s vision to develop a revolutionary nuclear energy system called START (Subcritical Transmuting Accelerated Regenerative Technology), which uses a particle accelerator and thorium to safely produce energy while dramatically reducing radioactive waste. The concept was originally developed by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Carlo Rubbia, who worked at CERN in Geneva.
Transmutex took its first steps with seed support from FONGIT and has since expanded significantly, raising $43 million and gaining the backing of global institutions such as USA Los Alamos National Laboratory, Germany Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation, and the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI). This strong support reflects the global relevance of Transmutex’s mission – a commitment to turning nuclear waste into a clean energy resource, rather than letting it go unused. “It’s a waste to waste nuclear waste,” says Franklin Servan-Schreiber.
The Mandarin Oriental offered the perfect backdrop for this evening of ideas and connection, which ended with a lively cocktail hour to keep the conversations going.
About MBA UNIGE Alumni events
The MBA Alumni Career Coaching group organizes two networking events each year. Each evening focuses on a different business topic and brings together alumni for learning, inspiration, and meaningful connections. The April event showed how Geneva is more than just a beautiful city – it’s a place where world-changing ideas can grow.
Association Alumni EMBA UNIGE
MBA Alumni Career Coaching team :
Zeng Zhou, Marzena Lapka, Lone Le-Floch, Joelle Morlet, Yousri El Antri, Alain Sigrist
Contact:
With the support of: Geneva School of Economics and Management
