André Hoffmann Becomes New Chairman of the Foundation Board

Solothurn, December 17, 2020. The W.A. de Vigier Foundation, which awards one of the most highly endowed prizes for young entrepreneurs in Switzerland, has a new president. André Hoffmann succeeds Dr. Daniel Borer, who has been a member of the foundation’s highest body since 2013.

Entrepreneur and patron André Hoffmann is Vice Chairman of the Roche Board of Directors and spokesman for the shareholder pool of the Families Hoffmann and Oeri. In addition, the 62-year-old chairs various foundations in the fields of sustainability and nature conservation.

André Hoffmann: “The W.A. de Vigier Foundation has been doing valuable pioneering work for over 30 years with its award for particularly innovative young entrepreneurs in Switzerland. The track record of the entrepreneurs and startups supported by the foundation is impressive. I am pleased to be able to make a tangible contribution to promoting entrepreneurship, especially in these challenging times.“

The W.A. de Vigier Award is the most established prize for young entrepreneurs in Switzerland. With the annual prize money of up to CHF 500,000 (five equal prizes of CHF 100,000 each), these awards rank among the most highly endowed startup prizes in Switzerland. Over the past 31 years, the foundation has distributed over CHF 11 million in seed money across all sectors. The results are over 90 flourishing startups, successful IPOs, multiple company exits and above all, many newly created jobs.

The foundation’s awards are the legacy of William A. de Vigier, who laid the groundwork for this type of startup support in the late 1980s.

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Contact details for questions

W.A. de Vigier Foundation
Regula Buob, Managing Director
Untere Steingrubenstrasse 25 | 4500 Solothurn
076 390 31 15
regula.buob@devigier.ch