Start-ups
CMS EQUIP | HELPING START-UPS SCALE
What is equIP?
Starting and building a successful business takes a good idea, a lot of energy and determination plus the right opportunities and the right people.
We at CMS Switzerland would like to be part of your team. That is why we have developed equIP, a legal accelerator especially for start-ups based on innovative business ideas or technologies. We can act as your personal sparring partner and are always prepared to go the extra mile with you.
We have years of experience advising local and international start-ups on all legal and tax matters. We are aware that, as an early-stage business, legal advice is not your priority, and you are looking for pragmatic and solution-oriented advice. We are dedicated to that line of thinking, while also helping you lay the foundations to scale your business successfully and become "investor-ready".
We at CMS have offices in more than 75 locations worldwide, and are thus best placed to be your partner when your business grows and expands internationally. Also, for any advice that we cannot provide ourselves, we are happy to introduce you to other experts within our wide network.
To apply for our equIP programme, please fill in the form below.
What do we offer?
Your equIP membership lasts three years. For the duration of your membership, you benefit from the following:
| Dedicated team providing legal advice tailored to start-ups |
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| Added value |
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| International equIP network |
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| Attractive terms |
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Who can apply
We are accepting up to three new equIP members per year. Applications can be submitted by filling out the form below.
Start-ups with the following profile have the best chance to successfully apply for equIP membership – you do not need to meet all these requirements and can still be eligible if you cover a combination of those:
- Save in special circumstances (e.g. a successful management team with an impressive track‑record), we would expect each of our new members to have previously received seed funding (generally, this means an initial round of friends & family funding and a subsequent round of Angel-led funding).
- We would expect the new businesses on the programme to be demonstrating strong growth and be ready to do a Series A fundraising roughly in the next six to nine months. We define a Series A for these purposes as the first 'institutional' fundraise for the business, i.e. where a business is looking to raise finance from a Corporate Venture Team, a VC fund or an at-scale Family Office (or similar).
- Each new member should already be receiving revenue from a product or service that has been taken to market.
- Hiring staff shows commitment to and belief in a business. Most businesses we accept onto the programme should have in excess of 5 employees actively engaged in running the business.
- While applications are not limited to any particular sectors or industries, we are currently focused on supporting tech-enabled businesses.
Stay up to date!
Sign up for our equIP newsletter and keep up to date with all news concerning our equIP programme – be it new participants, success stories of equIP members or graduates, or any other news. You can sign up here:
How to get in touch and apply?
To apply for CMS equIP, please complete the form below and we will be in touch with you shortly.
Local market knowledge. Global outlook
We provide future-facing legal advice to help your organisation thrive. Combining local market knowledge and a global perspective, and with lawyers in locations worldwide, your organisation benefits from the expertise it needs, even across borders.
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