Microcaps developed and patented technology that allows for developing and manufacturing microcapsules at an unmatched precision and efficiency. With a CHF 5 million investment secured in its seed round, the company will accelerate product commercialization and expansion.
The seed financing round was co-led by Helvetica Capital and Zürcher Kantonalbank. The ETH Zurich Foundation, the Lichtsteiner Foundation and a group of Swiss entrepreneurs participated significantly in the financing. Microcaps will use the proceeds of the financing to launch its first product, a customized microcapsule production unit and associated consumables for sample batch sizes, and grow its team, which will be based at new corporate facilities in Zurich.
Founded in 2018 by co-founders Alessandro Ofner and Michael Hagander, Microcaps has developed a proprietary method to manufacture microcapsules in identical sizes that are used in pharmaceuticals, nutrition, cosmetics and other branches of industry. This means they all have exactly the same effect, with dosage and delivery rate of the active ingredient completely controlled. For drugs, this will allow precision dosing that could result in fewer side effects. In addition, the microcapsules with a controlled size can be produced 1000 times faster than with currently available devices.
The startup has co-developed many proprietary formulations with industrial clients. “We have already registered our first revenues from formulation development and are about to launch our first production unit to customers. This significant progress could not have been made possible without our dedicated and talented team,” said Alessandro Ofner, co-founder and co-CEO of Microcaps.
“Microcaps is one of those unique companies that has developed an innovative technology that will have a significant impact across multiple industries. We are very impressed with the progress made, and the size and relevance of the many market opportunities for Microcaps’ technology applications,” said Johannes Suter, CEO at Helvetica Capital.
“The financing will help Microcaps grow and scale-up our operations, taking us to that next level in our corporate development plan. We have seen increased interest in our formulation capabilities and production offerings and will use this financing to continue to build on this momentum,” added Michael Hagander, co-founder and co-CEO.
Besides investment, Microcaps won numerous accolades such as the ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark, one of the most prestigious startup prizes in Switzerland, sponsored by Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB).
(Press release/RAN)
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