START Vaduz is an entrepreneurship society from Liechtenstein with the purpose to foster entrepreneurial thinking and support entrepreneurial activities. I first learn about the organization last year, during the Token Summit organised by the Crypto Country Association.
I had the pleasure to meet Johannes Wunsch, President of START Vaduz, and learn more about what they do.
Johannes, tell me more about START Vaduz.
START Vaduz is run by students on a voluntary basis and is supported by the START Global Network, the University of Liechtenstein, and other partners from the private and public sectors.
How do you connect students with entrepreneurs and startups?
On the one hand, we connect students with entrepreneurs and startups by organizing pitching competitions, workshops, talks by leading entrepreneurs, and company visits. On the other hand, we are also invited to many events such as the Token Summit, the World Systemic Forum, finance conferences in Liechtenstein, etc., where we get the opportunity to expand our network. In addition, we have been actively co-hosting the Fintech.li conference for the last few years, which, similar to the Token Summit, focuses on the latest developments in Fintech and Defi.
Liechtenstein has recently hosted the Token Summit, organised by the CCA. What is your view on the role played by Liechtenstein in the crypto world?
Liechtenstein is a very small country that offers a great infrastructure for crypto and blockchain companies for several reasons:
1. Welcoming political and legal infrastructure for blockchain technology. The government of Liechtenstein passed the Blockchain Act, which provides a legal framework for the use of blockchain technology and regulates the issuance of security tokens. The Act also established the Blockchain Act Implementing Ordinance, which sets out rules for the registration of token issuers and outlines the requirements for conducting initial coin offerings (ICOs).
2. Banking. In addition to that, Liechtenstein has a strong tradition of banking secrecy an attractive location for businesses looking to store their cryptocurrency assets securely. With that comes a growing community of individuals and businesses in the field of blockchain and crypto.
3. Location. Liechtenstein is located in the economically strong DACH region and has a very close relationship with Switzerland which has over 1000 companies already active in blockchain and cryptocurrencies (Ethereum HQ, etc.).
Who can join START Vaduz?
START Vaduz is open to anyone who is actively studying and wants to start a business, develop personally or simply network. It does not matter which study program is completed. For example, in addition to our business and finance students, we also have architecture students with us. Active participation is important to us, so it is an advantage to study in the Vaduz area. However, since we belong to the START Network, you can also join one of the many START chapters abroad (e.g. Barcelona, Lisbon, Berlin, Munich, etc.).
