Startup and Innovation Manager I Venture Creation — Universität Zürich
NewCHF 124'000 - 173'000
Universität Zürich · Zürich (ZH)
- Location
- Zürich
- Contract
- full-time
- Posted
- Yesterday
SalaryCHF 124'000 - 173'000
Role overview
Innovation Hub Office
Start of employment 1.2.2027 or upon agreement, temporary
The University of Zurich (UZH) is the largest university in Switzerland, with a long-standing tradition of innovation that has shaped the world in which we live.
- Innovation Hub Office
- Start of employment 1.2.2027 or upon agreement, temporary
- Your responsibilities
- In this new role, you will be responsible for the development of the UZH venture pipeline, focusing on the stage of product-market fit.
- University degree in any field.
- Several years of direct experience in developing technology- or science-based startups, e.g., as a co-founder, venture builder, or member of a very early startup leadership team.
Main responsibilities
- Your responsibilities
- In this new role, you will be responsible for the development of the UZH venture pipeline, focusing on the stage of product-market fit.
- You will work with our team, coaches, and experts to develop high impact pro-jects towards successful ventures. Your tasks include:
- Continuously develop and improve pathways to guide diverse startup teams from the value proposition stage through to investment readiness.
- Support teams in the technological, market-related, and entrepre-neurial development of their projects (e.g., strategic development of proof-of-concepts, setting up pilot projects, building a team, and go-to-market strategies).
- Coordinate cooperation with internal and external entrepreneurship coaches and mentors, including founder-coach matching, onboarding, and feedback processes.
- Further develop the portfolio and performance monitoring system for the venture pipeline, providing transparency regarding the progress, quality, and long-term success of projects and delivering data-driven insights to inform the continued development of support offerings.
- Work with the team to strengthen the identity of UZH Founders and foster an active entrepreneurial com-munity.
- Strengthen teams' investor readiness by preparing them for meetings with investors, pilot-, and industry-partners.
- Participate in internal and external startup ecosystem events in different roles (speaker, ambassador, assistant) to inspire and inform stakeholders about the work of the UZH Innovation Hub.
Key requirements
- University degree in any field.
- Several years of direct experience in developing technology- or science-based startups, e.g., as a co-founder, venture builder, or member of a very early startup leadership team.
- In-depth knowledge and direct practical experience with startup development - from idea validation through product development, pivoting, and go-to-market to fundraising and investor relations.
- Direct experience with accelerator/incubator program management, startup coaching, investor relations, or other key startup ecosystem activities.
- Strong ability to build and maintain trust-based relationships to achieve UZH goals with diverse stake-holders including researchers, founders, mentors, and investors.
- Fast-thinking, analytical, and strategic mindset combined with strong execution skills, initiative, and a hands-on approach.
- Passion for taking on responsibility in a dynamic work environment, and a willingness to go the extra mile to help UZH members to achieve their entrepreneurship goals.
- Experience with benchmarking and process improvement in any startup or commercial context.
- An existing local and/or international startup-related network (investors, customers, etc.) is an advantage.
- A team-oriented personality and a strong communicator with a passion for enabling talents to become entrepreneurs, translating research insights into economic and societal impact.
- Excellent command of written and spoken English; good working knowledge of German required. What we offer
- Find out more: https://www.uzh.ch/de/explore/work.html. Work-Life Balance
What the company offers
- Our employees benefit from a wide range of attractive offers.
Application process
- The UZH Innovation Hub supports students and researchers in translating ideas into real-world impact through the full disciplinary diversity of UZH – by inspiring entrepreneurial thinking, empowering people with innovation capabilities, building pathways for research to application, and nurturing the ecosystem that enables new ideas to thrive.
- The Venture Creation Team within the UZH Innovation Hub Office supports UZH members to develop promising market- and impact-oriented ventures.
- To strengthen the Venture Creation team, we are looking for an experienced and entrepreneurial individual who will actively develop our innovation pipeline by supporting projects on their path to becoming successful ventures.
- As we expand our Venture Creation activities, we aim to increase the number of qualified projects in the pipeline and extend our support to help teams progress towards higher maturity, market readiness and potential for success.
- This position is offered on a three-year contract, with the possibility of extension.
Additional details
- You will work with our team, coaches, and experts to develop high impact pro-jects towards successful ventures. Your tasks include:
- Excellent command of written and spoken English; good working knowledge of German required.
- Find out more: https://www.uzh.ch/de/explore/work.html.
- Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH Learning and Development
- Language Center run jointly with ETH Zurich
- Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution
- Special conditions on the Academic Sports Association ASVZ Free seasonal flu vaccinations
- Rest and relaxation at the quiet room in the university tower
- Digitalization: Hardware, software, mobile phone subscriptions Conditions of Employment Policies of the UZH
- Most UZH staff are employed according to public law International Services
Notes and original content
- You will work with our team, coaches, and experts to develop high impact pro-jects towards successful ventures.
- Your tasks include:
- Your profile
- What we offer
- Work-Life Balance
- Childcare at the kihz foundation of UZH and ETH
- Learning and Development
- Food and drinks at reduced prices in the UZH cafeterias
- Lunch-Check-card with UZH contribution
- Healthcare
Questions about this listing
What salary does Universität Zürich offer for this role?
Universität Zürich lists CHF 124'000 - 173'000 gross per year for this position in Zürich. This is the salary published in the original listing (or, when the employer omits a figure, a realistic estimate for the role and sector) — the calculator on this site converts it to your actual net take-home once cross-border tax and social contributions are applied.
Is this a full-time role, and what type of contract does Universität Zürich offer?
This listing is a full-time position. The contract type shown here comes directly from the employer's original posting; always confirm exact hours, notice period and probation length with Universität Zürich during the application process, since these details can vary by role even within the same contract category.
Do I need a cross-border work permit for a role in Zürich?
EU/EFTA residents living in the border zone of the country adjoining Canton Zürich can apply for a G permit; the Swiss employer files it with that canton's migration office after the contract is signed. Border-zone rules and processing times vary by neighbouring country and canton, so confirm the specifics with Zürich's cantonal migration office or with HR during the application.
How do I apply for this position at Universität Zürich?
Use the "Apply now" button on this page — it links directly to Universität Zürich's original listing at jobs.uzh.ch, so your application goes straight to the employer's own applicant-tracking system. Frontaliere Ticino does not collect or forward applications itself.
