The DayOne Accelerator is a 3-month hybrid program designed to support international, high potential, early-stage ventures at the intersection of healthtech with pharma R&D, to refine their value proposition, connect with key industry players, and accelerate their growth. The top startups in each cohort have the chance to get long-term support, space and funding. The Accelerator is based in Basel, Switzerland, Europe’s leading life science innovation hub.
Welcome to the DayOne Accelerator
The accelerator designed to fast-track early-stage ventures at the interface of healthtech and pharma R&D
On this page:
Why you should apply
Gain unparalleled access to pharma industry experts and key players in the Basel Area
Develop or refine your pharma-specific value proposition with hands-on mentorship
Tap into Basel’s world-class life sciences ecosystem – home to global pharma leaders
Potential to get access to the post-accelerator program including investment from our partners, CHF50k in non-dilutive funding, and 6 months’ office space
Stay independent: our accelerator is equity-free and fee-free
Who is the program for?
Digital health, medtech and techbio ventures with solutions for pharma R&D
Pre-Seed to Series A stage, with less than $10M of dilutive funds raised to date
Startups aiming to collaborate or partner with pharma companies
”Through the DayOne Accelerator, we provide founders with what they really need – expert guidance, industry connections, and a pathway to real pharma collaborations. We don’t just accelerate, we enable.
Cécile Tardy-SrinivasanDayOne Portfolio & Accelerator Lead
Ready to scale your healthtech startup?
Application deadline: May 15, 2025
What makes the DayOne Accelerator different?
The DayOne Accelerator is a pharma-readiness program designed for real-world impact:
No equity, no fees: Keep full ownership of your company
Pharma-neutral: Agnostic program ensuring input from and access to all major pharma players in the region
Top-tier mentors & experts: Learn from pharma leaders, investors and entrepreneurs
Hands-on support: Go beyond theory with practical guidance tailored to your needs
Industry integration: Unique in-person networking opportunities
Serves as an entry path for incubation in Basel: Access to dilutive and non-dilutive funding
Why the Basel Area?
The Basel Area: Europe’s leading life sciences innovation hub
Home to industry giants like Novartis, Roche and Lonza
A thriving startup ecosystem with access to top-tier investors and corporate partners
Direct connections to pharma innovation hubs in Switzerland and beyond
The best place for healthtech startups to launch and scale
How does the program work?
DayOne Accelerator is a structured, high-impact, 3-month program:
Week 1: Kick-off Bootcamp (Basel, in-person)
- Develop a compelling pharma-specific pitch deck and value proposition
- Sessions on storytelling, Go-to-Market planning, negotiation skills, and more
- Get immersed in the Basel Area’s life sciences ecosystem
- Build connections with key industry players
Weeks 2-12: Hybrid accelerator program
- 1:1 mentoring with pharma industry executives (12+ hours)
- Industry-specific coaching from top experts, including regular ‘office hours’
- Cohort exchange (forum) and alumni learning sessions
- Optional flex desk at one of our Switzerland Innovation Park sites (Novartis campus or Main campus) during the 3 months of the program
Program close: Innovation Showcase (Basel, in-person)
- Pitch your solution to industry decision-makers and investors
- Gain contacts and traction to be ready for investment
- Startup Award for winning venture
- Join the DayOne alumni community
Post-accelerator extension program (Expert-in-Residence)
- Optional offering to all cohort members, in partnership with the Match for Impact initiative
- Opportunity to be matched with a fractional senior-level resource for 90 days
- Program designed to tackle a specific short-term, well-defined project
- Fractional resource program provided at an exclusive price
Post-accelerator funding
At the end of the program, up to three startups can receive:
- CHF50k in non-dilutive funding
- 6-months’ desk space at a Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area site
- Investment opportunities from DayOne’s partners
Be supported all along
- Visibility opportunities
- Founder exchange
- Benefit from DayOne’s service provider network
- Access to DayOne’s investor community
Key dates
Application deadline
May 15, 2025
Pitches & selection
Jun 30 – Jul 1, 2025
Kick-off bootcamp
Sep 1-2, 2025
Meet our experts
What founders say about the DayOne Accelerator
Ready to scale your healthtech startup?
Application deadline: May 15, 2025
Frequently Asked Questions
Have any questions? Check the FAQs below first, and if you still don’t have the answer then contact Cécile Tardy-Srinivasan, DayOne Portfolio & Accelerator Lead: cecile.tardy@baselarea.swiss.
For which ventures is DayOne Accelerator suitable?
DayOne Accelerator is aimed at supporting early-stage digital health, medtech and techbio ventures that want to better understand the Pharma industry, to get ready to engage and collaborate with pharma companies as potential clients or partners in the mid-to–long-term. Ventures going through the program typically at the Pre-Seed to Series A stage, with less than US$10m of dilutive funding.
Which ventures are eligible to apply?
Individuals and teams from any country may apply to participate in the program. This also applies to individuals and teams that have registered their company with the commercial register or have founded a society.
Ventures should be developing solutions in digital health, medtech or techbio, with a specific focus on enabling Pharma R&D processes. Examples of solutions include, but are not limited to:
- AI-aided drug discovery
- Digital or imaging biomarkers
- Diagnostics
- Clinical trials protocol optimization
- Patient screening & stratification
- Decentralized clinical trials & remote monitoring
What does the acceleration program look like?
The accelerator program provides the selected teams with education (cohort exchange and learning sessions), 1:1 mentoring (12h of individual sessions with Pharma executives and veterans, Director-level and above), and expert coaching (from industry and subject matter experts) to shape their Pharma-specific value proposition, better pitch to engage a Pharma audience, and set the foundations and direction to scale business opportunities in Pharma.
The program kicks off on 1-2 September 2025, with a 2-day in-person bootcamp in Basel to kickstart your exposure to the Basel Area Pharma ecosystem. The program continues online for three months, comprising of cohort sessions, 1:1 mentoring and expert coaching to advance your solution and improve your chances of industry partnership. An in-person Innovation Showcase event in Basel closes the program on 9-10 December 2025.
How much does it cost to participate in the DayOne Accelerator?
Nothing! Our program is equity-free and fee-free. You will only be responsible for your expenses to cover your travel costs for the two in-person events; however, DayOne helps you cover these costs thanks to a grant of up to CHF 1,000.
How much funding does the DayOne Accelerator provide?
We provide up to CHF1,000 to ventures to cover part of their costs for travel and accommodation for the initial bootcamp of the DayOne Acceleration program (allowance based on the country you are traveling from). This will be at the discretion of Basel Area Business & Innovation.
Among the 20 startups selected for the 2025 cohort of our DayOne Accelerator (1 September to 10 December 2025), up to three startups will have the possibility to be invited to join the DayOne Investors Syndicate after the program closes (Q1 2026). In addition, these three startups will benefit from CHF50k in non-dilutive funding, as well as a 6-months’ desk space at a Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area site. If invited to be part of the long-term program and receive our funding, you will need to be incorporated and/or legally registered in the Basel Area. If you have not incorporated yet, we can help you with this.
How to apply?
The application happens in three steps:
- Candidates must submit an expression of interest in the DayOne Accelerator by the deadline: 15 May 2025 [23:59 CET].
- Startups of interest to DayOne will be invited to submit a “Full Application”. If you are invited to do so, you will have to submit this, via an online form available on the Babele platform, by 31 May 2025 [23:59 CET].
- Up to 40 shortlisted applicants will be notified by mid-June and invited for a session of virtual interviews with our Selection Committee on June 30th or July 1st. A final selection of 20 startups will then be made by our Selection Committee.
What are the key criteria for a successful application to DayOne?
There is no exact answer here. Exceptional technology and a strong commitment from the founder(s) are two important things.
The successful startup applicants usually:
- have a science-backed solution, with high potential to solve current problems of pharma R&D
- have a prototype or product ready to be offered to, and used by, pharma companies (ideally within the next 12-18 months)
- are interested in shaping or refining their value proposition specifically for Pharma companies
- are open to coaching, using every opportunity offered by the program (e.g. education, mentoring, coaching, networking) to process and incorporate feedback.
What projects do you not support?
DayOne will not support basic research, therapeutic molecule discovery projects, or drug development projects (e.g. clinical trials of molecules). If you have molecular projects, we encourage you to apply to our sister initiative, BaseLaunch.
If you are not sure if your project will fit the DayOne criteria, please reach out to Cecile at cecile.tardy@baselarea.swiss.
What level of time commitment is typically required across the three months, and are there mandatory onsite elements??
Your in-person presence is required both for the kickoff bootcamp (1-2 September) and the closing innovation showcase (9-10 December 2025), the rest of the program is online to accommodate a global cohort (eg in the past 3 editions: startups from Europe, UK, Switzerland, Israël, Canada, USA) without disrupting your daily operations.
Over the 12 weeks of the program, you will need to commit to:
- 1.5-2h on average for the weekly cohort session (with guest speakers from the industry and our partners), and
- 1h weekly session with your dedicated mentor (one matched with each startup after the bootcamp).
To make the most of the program, you also need to add your personal work to process the insights from the cohort sessions and your 1:1 mentoring, and reflect them in your pitching deck to Pharma companies (the time required for this will vary from one startup to another).
Will I need to relocate to Basel, Switzerland, to participate in the Accelerator?
No. The acceleration program will be in a hybrid format comprising three months of intense activities, educational sessions and events, all designed to scale up your venture at the interface with the Pharma industry.
During the 3 months of the program:
The team’s physical presence in Basel is required for:
- The initial bootcamp on 1-2 September 2025
- The closing Innovation Showcase on 9-10 December 2025
Beside these two events, if you are interested in being present in Basel to benefit most from the program and our life sciences ecosystem, you will have access to a hot desk at the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area, either at the Novartis Campus or our Main Campus.
After the program:
If you are one of the three startups that the investors partners select to invest in post-acceleration program, you will have to establish an entity in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Land or Jura so that you can benefit from the funding.
In addition, the incorporation of a Swiss entity for non-Swiss applicants opens up significant opportunities for local funding and collaboration during and after the program. The incorporation of a Swiss entity is also likely to increase the ease with which you can obtain a work permit.
Do I need a work permit to work in Switzerland?
If you live outside of Switzerland and want to reside for longer than three months in Basel, you will require a permit. If you are an EU or non-EU national, you may want to write to the migration office directly to learn what you need for entrepreneurial work status in Basel at: migrationsamt@jsd.bs.ch. You can also consult this website for more information.