Setup
Swiss company formation
Incorporate the operating company in full, with the right form and registrations.
Swiss company formationStartups & VC
in Switzerland.
A startup's first legal decisions outlive its first product. The choice between a GmbH and an AG, where the IP sits, and whether a holding goes in early all shape the next funding round. We incorporate Swiss startups and give founders a structure that a venture investor can underwrite rather than one that has to be unwound at Series A.
At a glance
Incorporation, structure and IP set up so the next round is clean.
Independent since 2007 · IFLR1000-ranked · offices in Zurich and Zug · one partner per file.
- Entity
- GmbH or AG, chosen on plans
- Speed
- Shelf company when time-critical
- IP
- Held where it can be financed
- Books
- Investor-ready from the start
The challenge
What this sector has to get right in Switzerland
The GmbH-versus-AG question is the first fork, and it is not just about minimum capital. An AG offers anonymity of shareholders and the share structure venture investors are used to; a GmbH is cheaper to start but lists its members publicly and can be friction at a financing. Founders building towards institutional capital usually want an AG or a clear path to convert, and deciding this early avoids a restructuring exactly when a round is being negotiated.
Where the intellectual property sits is the second decision that compounds. IP held in the operating company is harder to ring-fence, license or move into a holding later; placing it deliberately (often in a holding or IP company) keeps options open for financing and for international expansion. And the housekeeping that investors check in diligence (a clean cap table, proper books, filings up to date) is cheap to do from day one and painful to reconstruct under deadline.
When timing is tight, a clean shelf company can put a founder in business immediately while the permanent structure is finalised. We set up the entity, the holding and the IP position, and keep the books investor-ready, so the company that goes into a data room is one a fund can say yes to quickly.
What this desk handles
The services this sector uses most
Each links to the service page itself. Most mandates here combine several; one partner co-ordinates them.
Entity
AG formation
The share company most venture investors expect, with shareholder anonymity.
AG formationEntity
GmbH formation
The lower-cost limited-liability form for an earlier-stage or bootstrapped start.
GmbH formationSpeed
Shelf companies
A clean, ready-made company when you need to be operating this week, not next month.
Shelf companiesStructure
Holding company
Put a holding above the operating company to hold shares, IP and future subsidiaries.
Holding companyIP
IP holding company
Hold and license intellectual property where it can be financed and protected.
IP holding companyBooks
Accounting & bookkeeping
Investor-ready books and a clean cap table from the first month.
Accounting & bookkeeping
Talk to the desk
Speak to a partner who knows the sector
No intake form to a junior, no call centre. The partner who reads your enquiry is the one who has run this structure before, and the one who will own your file. Outline your situation and you will have a considered reply, with the likely route and the next step, within one business day.
Why Goldblum and Partners
Swiss depth, one accountable partner
The structure a founder picks in week one is the structure a fund underwrites in year two. We set it up so the next round is clean, have been independent since 2007, and have been ranked by IFLR1000 every year from 2015 to 2026. One partner handles the entity, the holding and the IP so nothing has to be unwound when capital arrives.
Incorporating a startup in Switzerland?
Tell us what you are building and whether you are raising. A partner will recommend the entity, the holding and the IP setup, and reply within one business day.