The START Fellowship Accelerator is the in-person half of START Fellowship, a philanthropic program run by START Global, a student-run entrepreneurship organisation based in St. Gallen, Switzerland and partnered with the University of St. Gallen. Thirty young founders from Latin America and Africa spend four months in St. Gallen working on their startups full time, with mentoring, university classes, investor input sessions, a demo day and an investment committee review. An online pre-accelerator runs in the weeks before arrival, and a separate seven-week online incubator takes idea-stage founders to an MVP so they can apply here.
START Global and its partners cover travel, accommodation, living costs and startup-related costs, so a place costs the fellow nothing beyond personal spending money. Since 2020 the fellowship has supported 156 founders behind 117 startups, which together report raising more than USD 12 million.
Benefits & funding
- Four months in St. Gallen, Switzerland, February to mid-May, with shared accommodation offered in the city close to the program facilities and to other fellows.
- Travel, accommodation, living expenses and startup-related costs covered by START Global and its partners; fellows bring only personal pocket money.
- No participation fee for either the accelerator or the seven-week online incubator that leads into it.
- Classes at the University of St. Gallen worth eight ECTS credits in total, four of them mandatory.
- Mentoring with a matched mentor, coaching from experts, and input sessions with investors and experienced founders.
- Round-the-clock access to a co-working space, plus a demo day and an investment committee that opens the door to potential investment.
- 30 places per cohort.
Eligibility
- Aged 18 to 25.
- Enrolled at one of the program partner universities in Latin America or Africa. Applicants who are not yet enrolled are still encouraged to apply — the program can help them enrol if selected — but enrolment is required for legal and visa reasons before the accelerator starts. The partner list is published on a separate program page.
- Working full time as a founder of the startup.
- The startup already has an MVP or first prototype that performs the basic function of the solution and can be shown to customers. Idea-stage founders are pointed to the online incubator first.
- Good level of English.
- Solo founders are accepted; only the person taking the accelerator place has to meet the age and partner-university conditions, not every co-founder.
- Fellows live in Switzerland for the whole four months, so the place suits founders who can relocate.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Age requirement
18–25 yrs
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Application process
- 1Apply online through the accelerator page during the annual window. In the most recent cycle applications opened on 4 August 2025 and closed on 14 September 2025.
- 2Take a first interview round with program alumni.
- 3Take a second interview round with the program team.
- 4Take a third interview round with venture capital partners.
- 5Wait for the final selection decision, announced on 26 October 2025 in the most recent cycle.
- 6Join the online pre-accelerator in January, then travel to St. Gallen for the start of the main program in February.
Program timeline
Applications open (most recent cycle)
4 August 2025
Application deadline (most recent cycle)
14 September 2025
First interview round
22 September – 3 October 2025
Second interview round
29 September – 10 October 2025
Third interview round
6 – 17 October 2025
Final selection
26 October 2025
Pre-accelerator starts
5 January 2026
Accelerator starts in St. Gallen
2 February 2026
Accelerator ends
Mid-May 2026
Next application window expected, per the program FAQ; no exact date published yet
August to September 2026