The strength and diversity of the Swiss start-up scene was once again clearly in evidence this week. A lot has happened in the last 20 years. We talked to Malin Borg from swissnex about the developments and how such a diverse scene can be promoted globally.
Dear reader
Switzerland does not have a start-up hub – Switzerland is a start-up hub. This week confirmed this finding clearly. We reported on a total of nine financing rounds, with the start-ups coming from seven cantons. Chord Therapeutics from Geneva closed the week’s largest financing round of USD 16 million – Boston-based Omega Fund became involved in the young biotech company. And CHF 5.5 million went to crowdlending marketplace Lend – the lead investor is the TX Group, which includes Tamedia and 20 Minuten. Investors were also attracted by Basel digital health start-up docdok.health and Lausanne mobility analytics company Kido Dynamics.
The trades platform Hausheld.ch, run by a start-up based in Herisau, Appenzell, also received financial support from WIR Bank. And in Bern, proptech start-up Soobr benefited from investor community Aare Ventures’ network, with its business angels participating in the financing round of more than CHF 800,000. Soobr has developed planning software with which buildings can be cleaned more efficiently, and already has some well-known customers at home and abroad.
This diverse start-up scene with companies attracting a wide variety of investors from home and abroad, and with a regional ecosystem, would have been unthinkable a few years ago. For example, 20 years ago, the first swissnex branch in Boston was opened as a counter-measure to a feared brain drain. My colleague Ritah Nyakato talked to Malin Borg from swissnex about the changes since then and how the swissnex network promotes Swiss start-ups today. Next week, swissnex San Francisco will hold an online demo day with seven Swiss start-ups.
Masschallenge is an example of how Switzerland is perceived internationally today. The support programme, which was also founded in Boston, has been active in Switzerland for several years. This week, the finalists for this year’s batch were announced.
Thermal sensor maker greenTEG is going to the US – the ETH Zurich spin-off has received the green light from the FDA for its wearable that measures internal body temperature. And you can get to know the start-ups that hope to conquer Japan at the upcoming swisstech.pitchinar.
Numerous awards and accelerator programmes are open for registration, including Prix Strategis, ESA BIC Switzerland, the IMD Startup Competition, the F10 Acceleration Programme and the Swiss Fintech Awards.
The deadlines for the DayOne and Baselaunch programmes for healthcare start-ups as well as for the first SEF.WomenAward expire at the end of next week. Our Awards Directory provides an overview.
Have a quiet weekend
Stefan Kyora
Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch
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