Swiss entrepreneurs secure a spot in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list

Honorees in Forbe’s latest 30 Under 30 Europe edition have collectively raised more than $2 billion in funding for their ventures, more than double the amount raised by last year’s honorees. With the average age being 27 years, the list features 41% female, 58% male personalities, and 1% identifying as non-binary. According to Forbes, the top headquarters locations, in their order, are the U.K., Germany, France, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.

The following Swiss-based entrepreneurs scored a spot in four of the ten categories.

Health and Tech

Alexandre Anthis, 29, Pioneer Fellow ETH Zurich – with his startup Veltist, Anthis developed AnastoSeal, a surgical adhesive to prevent post-surgery leakages, which can lead to sepsis and prove fatal. The founder raised over $500,000 to develop the technology. The findings and workings of the adhesive patch were published in the Journal of Advanced Functional Materials last year.

Margaux Duchamp, 28, Cofounder and CEO of ArcoScreen – with $1.6 million raised, Arcoscreen aims to help pharma companies more easily and quickly test new drug compounds. The company’s test kit includes chemical reagents and a custom microfluidic chip that determines whether the compound would affect the g-protein-coupled receptors, which play an important role in regulating diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Loulia Kassem, 29, cofounder of Rea Diagnostics – the medtech startup is developing a non-invasive way to detect issues early during pregnancy to prevent preterm births. About 50% of women at risk of premature birth are not diagnosed. Rea tackles this challenge with a “smart” sanitary pad, designed to collect the vaginal discharge of pregnant people to screen it for biomarkers, which are predictive of preterm births. For the first time, women can constantly monitor their pregnancy at home to prevent the issue from happening. The startup has raised $1.5 million to develop the technology.

Manufacturing and Industry

Pau Molas-Roca, 27, CEO, Coactum – incorporated in 2021, Coactum is dedicated to revolutionising cargo transportation in space, allowing fast access to orbits. The company is developing simple, secure and fast in-space transportation propulsion systems that enable small satellites to reach Moon orbit, something currently impossible at an affordable price. Coactum is working to achieve its first full demonstration by 2024.

Technology

Patrizio Bonzani (29), Joel Roos (28) and Ben Simon (27), Cofounders of VAY – the three co-founders developed VAY to be a physical therapist and personal coach for fitness enthusiasts. The platform analyses movements in real-time through smartphone and laptop cameras to track progress, provide live feedback on form, and adjust a training plan. VAY was recently sold for $27 million in cash to Nautilus Inc., with the cofounders also receiving stock in Nautilus.

Finance

Mirko Schmiedl, 27, Cofounder of Staking Rewards – operated by St.Gallen-based Finrate AG, Staking Rewards is an independent data aggregator and research platform for crypto interest rates with the core focus on Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Protocols, which enable passive returns through staking. Established crypto companies like Coinbase and Bitcoin Suisse use the platform. The company has grown to 30 employees and generated more than $1 million in revenue in 2022. Schmiedl began researching yield-bearing digital assets in 2013 and previously led a bitcoin mining operation in Southeast Asia.

(RAN)