Alltech has acquired a majority interest in Agolin. Founded in 2006 in Switzerland, Agolin has developed and produced plant-based nutrition solutions that improve herd performance, profitability and sustainability.

Based in Zurich, TerraRad is developing remote soil moisture measurement systems for various applications. The startup’s product TurfRad for golf courses and turf management has attracted ASB taskTracker as its the first customer. The partnership with the US-based company saw TerraRad make its first large commercial shipment. Onboarding for its next release of turfRad will continue this spring.

Until now, more than 75% of the cocoa fruit, including the cocoa pulp, was discarded. Together with experts from Swiss and Ghanaian universities, Koa developed a process to upcycle the entire fruit to create food products, increase farmers’ income, and reduce food waste by 40%. The working capital facility from responsAbility allows Koa to grow its current production capacities and work with more farmers.

Klepsydra, the provider of onboard software for edge computers, has secured CHF 1.05M in a funding round led by Spicehaus Partners. The new investment will allow Klepsydra to accelerate its growth and expand its product offerings to meet the increasing global demand for innovative solutions on the edge.

InvestGlass is in the midst of a renaissance. Struggling for survival until 2020 after several setbacks, the Swiss fintech led by Alexandre Gaillard regained ground with ambitious customer projects and reinvented itself, without raising funds. Six months after the 2022 launch of its automated banking platform, the company has onboarded more than 100 customers from 3 continents and has big ambitions.

Das Schlieremer Biotech-Startup DINAQOR verkauft die 2022 verselbstständigte DiNAMOQS an Siegfried, ein weltweit aktives Unternehmen für Auftragsentwicklung und -herstellung (CDMO) für die Pharmaindustrie mit Hauptsitz in Zofingen. Siegfried will DiNAMIQS als Best-in-Class Biotech-CDMO für medizinische Zell- und Gentherapien etablieren.

A new study by leading European business schools and universities based on responses of close to 900 European venture capital investors sheds light on their way of selecting startups, working with founder teams and determining the valuation of a startup. In addition the report provides results on exits, multiples and failures.

Boris Manhart und Marc Pittner haben ein Beratungsunternehmen lanciert, welches auf Gründerinnen und Gründer in der Frühphase fokussiert. Zehn Startups befinden sich bereits im Portfolio. Alain Veuve will mit einem Venture Builder für SaaS-Startups 50 Firmen in den nächsten 5 Jahren aufbauen.

Das EPFL-Spinoff Domo Health nimmt von bestehenden Investoren und den St. Gallisch-Appenzellischen Kraftwerken SAK insgesamt 8.5 Millionen Franken auf. Zudem schliesst das Waadtländer Startup mit dem digitalen Ostschweizer Energiedienstleister eine strategische Partnerschaft ab.

Sustainable Travel-tech Viatu has raised a $1M seed round led by Ndoto LLC to further develop its platform. The Zug-based startup built a data-driven travel marketplace for organizing multi-day trips in the Sub-Sahara region.

The newly published Eurostars-2 Evaluation Study provides insights into the outputs and results achieved by the Eurostars-2 programme during the funding period from 2014-2020. As one of the European innovation funding programs Switzerland can participate in, the country had 492 participants in total, scoring third place, behind Germany and the Netherlands.

La cérémonie des PERL 2023 s’est déroulée ce mercredi 3 mai à Beaulieu-Lausanne devant quelque 250 invités. Le Trophée Lausanne Région, doté de CHF 50'000.-, est décerné à la société Bearmind SA pour sa création de capteurs intégrés aux casques de sportifs permettant d’anticiper des risques de lésions cérébrales.

Adaire Technology Services provides organisations worldwide access to software development, data science, and back-office services via remote teams based in Windhoek, Namibia. The startup has raised CHF 1M in a seed financing round led by Swiss angel investor Nicolas Thomet to accelerate its growth, expand its services and create impact.

Die Brüder Diego und Florian Kaufmann aus der Besitzerfamilie des Ski-Produzenten Stöckli, wollen kleine Rudergeräte für den Heimgebrauch gross rausbringen. Über bekannte Crowdfunding-Plattformen haben sie bereits über 550'000 Franken für die Produktion der ersten Serie eingesammelt.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track designation to AntiBKV, Memo Therapeutics’ lead antibody that targets B.K. polyomavirus infection commonly seen in renal transplant patients. AntiBKV has completed a phase I clinical study and, following FDA clearance, has started actively recruiting patients for a pivotal phase II/III clinical trial. The drug is scheduled to be launched in 2025.

Startup studio WeBuild Ventures is launching its first Contest. Swiss entrepreneurs are invited to showcase their innovative ideas. The winner will receive up to CHF 1 million to bring it to life with the support of WeBuild, joining five other startup projects in the process. Applications are open until May 31st.

Novostia has just announced the closing of its Series A financing round with 2.5 million euros that will enable the launch of First-in-Human (FIH) trial. A Series B round will be opened this summer, after re-evaluation of the company to complete the Pilot Study and launch in its wake the Pivotal Study.

In the first three months, five startups offering innovative solutions for the Food, Medtech, Biotech and Fintech sectors were awarded the Innosuisse certificate. Having reached defined key milestones during the program, the startups are now poised for sustainable growth.

Six startups have impressed juries worldwide with their Sustainable, Fintech and Biotech solutions, winning themselves cash prizes and honour. Composite Recycling and Swiss AirTainers received cash prizes of € 25’000 and USD 15’000 respectively.

CompPair expanded its HealTech Standard product family by introducing CS02, its second product line tailored to enable faster production manufacturing for the sports, leisure, and industrial sectors. More than 20 customers are already implementing its products, with clear roadmaps for series productions in the coming years. The EPFL startup showcased last week at JEC World 2023 some of these exciting collaborations.

The jury of the Swiss FinTech Awards has nominated five startups each for the category “Early Stage Startup of the Year” and “Growth Stage Startup of the Year”. The finalists will present their solutions to the audience and jury on 13 June 2023. The best startup for each category will be awarded.

Die wemakeit-Gründerinnen und Gründer steigen mit OOMNIUM ins Crowdinvesting-Business ein. In einer ersten Kampagne gehen die Startups yamo, Park n’Sleep, NANIMALE und elleXX auf Investorensuche. Der Aktienverkauf auf der Plattform startet am 9. Mai.

Biolytica aims to become the leading data platform for preventive healthcare and longevity. The start-up that is already generating 6-figure turnover has now secured funding totalling CHF 5.25m from the Maximon Longevity Co-Investment Fund.

Last week, the Startups Champions Seed Night took place at EPFL. One of the highlights was the presentation of the Isabelle Musy Award to women-led entrepreneurial projects. This year there were two laureates.

Swiss-US startup Aphaia Pharma is aims to restore endogenous endocrine balance for the treatment of obesity and associated metabolic diseases. Its lead candidate APH-012 has entered phase 2 clinical trials evaluating its safety and efficacy, to improve glucose tolerance in patients with prediabetes.

Hot on the heels of a first grant of EUR 12 million, Destinus announced a second grant from the Spanish Government. These grants were awarded as a part of Spain’s plan to make the country a world leader in producing renewable hydrogen and developing hydrogen-based mobility solutions.

Multilingual meeting technology and services provider Interprefy unveiled Interprefy Aivia, the world's first advanced automated speech translation service for online and live events last wednesday at the the Event Tech Live in Las Vegas. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the new tool can pick up and translate speech and captions to global audiences in real-time and with high accuracy.

Basel-based Herbonis is focussed on specialty feed ingredients based on active herbal origin material. The company has now been acquired by Innovad, headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium.

Furinkazan, startup vaudoise spécialisée dans le gaming et les media interactifs, lève CHF 500'000 en pre-seed round dans le but de démarrer sa nouvelle phase de développement et offrir une expérience transmédia unique par la création d'histoires passionnantes basées sur l'univers du Monde Astral issu du jeu mobile Opticale.

Innosuisse launched a call for projects for the Swiss Accelerator in 2022 as a transitional measure for Horizon Europe. After a three-stage assessment process, the Swiss Innovation Agency has now approved 53 innovation projects from SMEs and start-ups with significant innovation potential.

Neology, a startup developing a carbon-free energy solution for heavy-duty commercial transportation, has won CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick.  With its innovative thermochemical ammonia-cracking device, the startup transforms ammonia into hydrogen for use in fuel cells and power a cleaner, greener future.

The Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) has concluded a joint pilot project with the Swiss National Bank, SIX and Zurich Cantonal bank to strengthen the resilience of critical Swiss infrastructure in the area of cyber defence. For this project, the DDPS relied on the data clean room solution of Decentriq, the winner from the second «Cyber Startup Challenge 2021» of the Cyber-Defence Campus, armasuisse. The next steps for 2023 will consist of proposing a system solution for the entire financial sector.

To highlight the best Swiss startups active in the field of intelligent energy use: this is the objective of the first edition of the first Smart Energy Start-up Pitch Contest. This event will be organized on September 1st, within the framework of the 13th edition of the Smart Energy Event, on the Energypolis Campus in Sion. Interested start-ups can apply now. CHF 15'000 are to be won!

Proclarix, developed by the Swiss start-up Proteomedix, has been included in the 2023 European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines for the diagnostic evaluation of prostate cancer as well as in the 2023 clinical practice guideline for the early detection of prostate cancer of the American Urology Association. The inclusion of Proclarix in the guidelines is an important milestone for Proclarix and will enable broader acceptance of the test and contribute to drive payor adoption.

Combining psychology and gamification in daily challenges, Zario wants to help individuals replace mindless scrolling time and cultivate healthy habits. The idea impressed the jury at the EU-Startups Summit 2023 Pitch Competition, winning itself a €160’000 cheque that includes cash investments and in-kind prizes.

Nicht genormte Früchte und Gemüse auf den Teller bringen, statt auf dem Acker vermodern zu lassen: Das ist das Ziel des Food-Startups olanga. Ein halbes Jahr nach der Lancierung des B2B-Marktplatzes nutzen Grossproduzentinnen und -Produzenten sowie Abnehmer aus der Gastrobranche den neuen Vertriebskanal. Mit dabei ist auch das bekannte Gastro-Unternehmen Hiltl.

The Zurich-based startup a-metal developed a small-scale, affordable, and easy-to-use solution for metal 3D printing that expands the accessibility of the technology in various industries. The startup’s solution convinced the Venture Kick jury, which awarded it CHF 150,000 to develop and market its game-changing solution.

CHRONEXT, die Online-Verkaufsplattform für Vintage-Uhren ist in neuen Händen. CEO wird Philippe Roten, der zuvor unter anderem bei LVMH und der Swatch Group Führungspositionen bekleidete. Die Namen der Investoren sowie die Höhe der Transaktion wurde nicht kommuniziert.

La 21e édition du Prix Entreprendre Lausanne Région (PERL) a rencontré un franc succès avec 37 candidatures déposées. Le jury a retenu cinq entreprises qui seront toutes récompensées d’un prix, dont le « Trophée Lausanne Région » doté de CHF 50'000.-. Le palmarès sera rendu public lors d’une cérémonie qui aura lieu le mercredi 3 mai prochain. Pour les lauréat·e·s, les PERL sont une opportunité unique de développer leurs activités innovantes qui participent au rayonnement de la région.

Unisieve offers a high-precision membrane solution that decarbonizes heavily emitting industries by drastically reducing heating and cooling in chemicals and improving carbon capture. The startup has secured $5.5m in a seed funding round to pilot and expand production capacities. With their participation, Amadeus APEX Technology Fund has made its first investment in Switzerland.

ABB Robotics equips its mobile robots with Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (Visual SLAM) technology, enabling its mobile robots to make intelligent navigation decisions based on their surroundings. ABB developed Visual SLAM robots in collaboration with Sevensense Robotics. First products will be rolled out in Q3 2023. 

Swisscom has launched the 2023 Swisscom Startup Challenge in search of three outstanding deeptech startups. The winners will participate in a business acceleration program in Silicon Valley which will be organized for each team individually and will get the chance to explore collaboration opportunities with Swisscom. In addition the program will put winners in contact with investors including Swisscom Ventures. 

Mit der Akquisition der 2019 gegründeten Müller Wüst AG erweitert die Debrunner Koenig Gruppe ihr Angebot an digitalen Lösungen. Das Aarauer Startup hat sich auf digitale, modellbasierte Projektarbeiten im Bereich Gebäudetechnik-Installationen spezialisiert. Das Team wird komplett übernommen und agiert unter dem bestehenden Namen weiter.

Boehringer Ingelheim has become a partner and customer of RetinAI Medical AG, a leader in clinical and imaging data management software and advanced analytics using artificial intelligence (AI) for ophthalmology. The companies aim to improve patient outcomes in geographic atrophy by combining RetinAI’s Discovery platform and AI tools with Boehringer Ingelheim’s research in retinal diseases. RetinAI will be receiving compensation for providing access to its services and products.

With neos, machineMD aims to improve the early diagnosis of brain disorders while Swiss OceanTech offers AnchorGuardian to bring safety to anchoring for sailors, ships and water bodies. The two solutions impressed juries of two competitions of the Innovation WorldCup series held in Munich and Hannover, respectively winning a spot on the Innovation World Cup Hall of Fame.

ETH Spinoff Flisom, which produces photovoltaic thin-film solar modules has found a buyer for its manufacturing asset: Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc. Established as a US innovator in the design and manufacture of featherweight, flexible, and durable CIGS thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solutions, Ascent Solar will immediately start manufacturing from its new site in Zurich.

The inflow of capital in the biotech sector has slowed down. Investors mainly finance their portfolio companies and exits are rare. In addition to the difficulties in financing, however, the latest Swiss Biotech Report also includes some good news about the state of the sector.

With Aurin, VunaVentures introduced the world’s first officially approved urine-derived fertiliser and has sold more than 10’000 litres. The startup has secured three demonstration projects in Paris, Fribourg and Berlin in collaboration with the European Space Agency, as part of the ESA Space Solutions - Business Applications Programme (BASS).

DEKRA, das grösste nicht börsennotierte Prüf-, Inspektions- und Zertifizierungsunternehmen mit rund 50'000 Mitarbeitenden spannt mit dem Lausanner Startup LatticeFlow zusammen. Gemeinsam wird man KI-Sicherheitsbewertungen für Unternehmenskunden anbieten.