ABOUT
A pioneering entrepreneur with a keen affinity for innovation and philanthropy, established the Lichtsteiner Foundation: Richard Lichtsteiner.
The purpose
of the foundation
The purpose of the Lichtsteiner Foundation is to promote discoveries in the field of medicine for the improvement of people’s health around the world. The Lichtsteiner Foundation is a charitable, tax-exempt, independent foundation under Swiss law with its registered office in Berne and is subject to the supervision of the Federal Department of Internal Affairs.
The Foundation supports 1 – 4 start-ups in the early-stage phase every year – in other words no research projects – with a total value of CHF 2 million. It can work in Switzerland and internationally within the framework of its purpose; it does not seek a pecuniary gain or to make a profit.
Erika Lichtsteiner and Richard Lichtsteiner
Our Roots
Richard Lichtsteiner was born on May 4, 1931 in Switzerland. He was one of the co-founders of Interdiscount, a large trading company based in Switzerland, which has now become the largest electronic discounter in the country. He was a pioneering entrepreneur with a keen affinity for innovation, philanthropy and a tech lover. These attributes provide the DNA of the Lichtsteiner Foundation. In 2009 Richard Lichtsteiner established a private foundation: the Lichtsteiner Foundation, headquartered in Berne. He passed away in February 2014. In the same year his wife Erika Lichtsteiner assumed his seat on the foundation board and represented the Lichtsteiner family.
