At Young Enterprise Switzerland (YES), some young people have started their own mini-company and in doing so, have learned how to create value by protecting their own creations.

Following the initial phase of the programme, which began in August and dealt with founding the mini-company, start-up capital and the business plan, the mini-companies are now presenting their products at Christmas markets. With their Nabru Botanics, students from the Kirchenfeld grammar school in Bern have used the programme to create a start-up selling urban gardening beds made from bottles (see photo). Further trade fair appearances are planned in the new year, with the highlight being the national competition in May.

Getting in shape for intellectual property

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) is a national partner of YES. The <link en about-us commitment.html>goal of this involvement is to show young entrepreneurs why it is worth learning about IP rights early on.

This is why YES participants have already learned everything they need to know about trade mark protection, ‘Swissness’ and copyright in IPI workshops. “At these events, we answered questions from the teams and showed the legal situation for specific cases,” says workshop leader Matthias Käch from the IPI. The topic of intellectual property is also an integral component of the theory booklet, which the mini-companies also received.