20 years ago, the founding team around Prof. em. Dr. Urs Baldegger established the «Entrepreneurship» department at the then university of applied sciences, laying the foundation for a success story. Reason enough to celebrate this anniversary together with alumni, students and the staff team.

On Saturday, September 14, 2024, alumnae and alumni of the Master's degree program in Entrepreneurship and Management (and its predecessor programs) found their way back to the campus of the University of Liechtenstein for the «20 years of Entrepreneurship» ceremony. The graduating classes stretched back to 2008 and brought together graduates from the university of applied sciences, «Hochschule Liechtenstein» and the University of Liechtenstein.

Panel: Back to the beginning

It was a particular pleasure to welcome the former rector Klaus Näscher to the campus alongside the founding team. Over 20 years ago, his commitment paved the way for the Entrepreneurship department. Emeritus professor and founding father Dr. Urs Baldegger took the audience on a journey to the beginnings of entrepreneurship in Liechtenstein and, together with Klaus Näscher, created a lively atmosphere with interesting and amusing background information on the history of its origins. Former course manager Daniel Müller added impressions of study trips, projects and successes from 20 years of entrepreneurship. The program was rounded off with insights into today's Master's program by Academic Director Dr. Marco Furtner and Executive Director Tobias Fitz.

Pitches and excursions: Current projects

The rest of the program was determined by projects that emerged from the Master's in Entrepreneurship. The start-up 32 Peaks by alumni Daniel Knapp, Christian Bredemeier and Franco Bargetze took part in the pitches in the Start-up Lab alongside two student projects. Two Uni.Li alumni of served lunch: Philipp Luder, a graduate of the Bachelor of Business Administration, and his family with the Pasta Barn and Peter Demmel with his Liechtenstein-famous coffee. And Student Ambassadors of the Master’s in Entrepreneurship took the guests on a campus tour.

The excursions by shuttle bus destined to two places in the country that were founded by two former Uni.Li students: CEO Fabian Wachter welcomed the participants to the Technopark Liechtenstein. And managing director Thomas Büchel presented the range of services offered by the entrepreneurial center "kommod" in Ruggell.

Celebration: Ideas for the future

The entrepreneurship community celebrated the end of the event until the early hours of the morning in Ridamm City in Vaduz and took the opportunity to network with other study years. The extremely positive feedback from alumnae and alumni on the 20th anniversary and the new alumni activities in general resulted in new project and event ideas such as year reunions and networking for the alumni year 2025 that same evening. The entrepreneurship team and current students also enjoyed the exchange with the alumni to share their experiences of the past and present.

Open to all alumni

Of course, all graduates of the University of Liechtenstein are cordially invited to use the new offers for alumni. Ideas, requests and suggestions are always welcome via alumni@uni.li. And the new alumni channels are available for networking with one another: Community, LinkedInand WhatsApp.

On the evening of 3 March 2025, the third edition of Talent Pitch Switzerland took place at the Volkshaus Zürich—a competition that offers a stage to promising young entrepreneurs from Switzerland and Liechtenstein. In front of more than 400 live attendees and an online audience of over 1,000 viewers, 13 start-ups from leading universities and universities of applied sciences competed against one another.

Each participating founder had three minutes to pitch their innovative business idea to a distinguished panel of judges. This year’s jury included Thomas Dübendorfer, Penny Schiffer, Jürg Schwarzenbach, and Roberta Massa—all experienced investors and entrepreneurs.

After the pitches, three outstanding start-ups advanced to an in-depth Q&A round:

• Reverso Therapeutics (University of Geneva) – Developing the next generation of blood thinners
• PlaynVoice (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland) – AI-powered solution for automated clinical documentation
• Nepsos (University of Liechtenstein) – Revolutionary low-emission brake system emitting up to 80% less than conventional steel brakes

First Place for Nepsos and Marco Eichberger

After a highly competitive final round, the start-up Nepsos, founded by Marco Eichberger, convinced the expert jury and secured first place. His innovative approach to low-emission brake discs impressively demonstrated how technological innovation can actively contribute to sustainability.

“It’s fantastic to see how well our students are prepared for entrepreneurial careers through the Master’s programme in Entrepreneurship & Management—not just for the start-up phase but across the entire lifecycle of a company,” said Prof. Dr. Marco Furtner of the University of Liechtenstein.

Also inspiring was the keynote by Muriel Schreck (ETH Zurich), who won the 2024 competition with her start-up qCella. She shared how Talent Pitch Switzerland opened doors and helped elevate her business to the next level.

We warmly congratulate Marco Eichberger and Nepsos on winning Talent Pitch Switzerland 2025 and wish them continued success on their entrepreneurial journey!