Swiss start-ups today rely on simultaneous expansion in several countries, or they spend a lot of money on advertising. And with success, as the week’s news shows.
Dear reader
Dagsmejan, Oxygen at Work and neho are very different start-ups, but they have strong growth in common and they show what Swiss founders have learned in recent years. Oxygen at Work uses plants to optimise the indoor climate in offices and has developed a scalable business model that is leading to sustainable, rapid growth. Dagsmejan develops functional sleepwear and launched in five markets in Europe and the US simultaneously. The company, now awarded an Innosuisse certificate, quadrupled its sales in 2019. Neho brokers real estate at a fixed commission and spent almost CHF 1 million on advertising last year – the result was a 10-fold increase in sales. The advertising budget for this year will be significantly higher again.
At Lunaphore, too, the signs point to growth: the medtech company has completed a round of financing of more than CHF 23 million. Larger amounts from investors also went this week to Geneva biotech start-up Stalicla and Bern-based IT company Qualiquest.
The Scale Up Vaud initiative also continues to grow, with Astrocast, Edgelab, L.E.S.S. and Olympe joining the programme, which now includes 27 companies. Since their foundation, these companies have created almost 2,000 jobs in Switzerland. CREAL is supported by another programme from canton Vaud: the company has received a loan of CHF 500,000 from the Foundation for Technological Innovation.
Rapid growth usually requires a quick move abroad, and the Venture Leaders programmes support this. The 10 winners of Venture Leaders Tech were announced this week and will travel to Silicon Valley. The tenders for Venture Leaders China and Venture Leaders Life Sciences, which takes place in Boston, are currently open.
The 27 participants in the second Circular Economy Incubator were also selected. These are start-ups in a very early phase, and with the three founders of Exnaton even before registration in the commercial register. Nevertheless, they already have a success: their start-up is the result of a successful pilot project in which a local marketplace for blockchain-based solar power was tested.
I would like to point out the deadlines for two special awards. Applications for the first Luxury Innovation Award are open until 12 February, and the registration period for the Fashion Innovation Award expires on 14 February.
Have a sunny weekend
Stefan Kyora
Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch
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