With the purchase of British company Aeguana, Boostbar became a leading provider of unattended retail technology. Last year, the startup grew its customer base to 200 in more than ten countries and reached 6.5 million annual recurring revenue.

Swiss-based beaconsmind is a pioneer in the field of location-based marketing (LBM) software for retail chains. The company has acquired 100% of the shares of Ingenieurbüro Netopsie via its subsidiary FREDERIX Hotspot. With the acquisition of Netopsie, beaconsmind is continuing to expand its business activities in the related hotspot segment in line with its strategy.

The biotech startup Tandem Therapeutics was awarded CHF 150,000 by the Venture Kick jury to develop its novel solution for the treatment of fibrotic cancers and fibrosis. The ETH spin-off is focusing on a technology that precision targets the extracellular matrix, the meshwork of proteins surrounding the cells.

Gäbe es sie nicht, müsste man sie erfinden: Die Gebert Rüf Stiftung gehört zu den tragenden Säulen des Schweizer Startup- und Innovationsökosystems. Am 27. Februar feierte sie ihr 25-jähriges Bestehen.

Kemiex AG, a specialised and fast-growing provider of procurement, sales and intelligence platforms for physical raw materials, has secured investment funding to enhance its digital trading platform for raw materials and expand product scope beyond nutrition and health.

After the UK, the deployment of Lunaphore’s flagship product COMET™ continues in the US. The startup has entered a strategic collaboration with Sirona Dx, a leader in multi-omics, single-cell analytical services, making it the first US-based Contract Research Organization to offer COMET™ spatial biology platform as a service.

Zurich-based startup Tinamu Labs, a leading provider of indoor drone monitoring systems, has partnered with Cotecna, a major global player in the inspection industry to speed up the digitalization of warehouses in the global commodity trading industry. Following the success of their pilot project, Cotecna plans to roll out the solution in the Benelux region.

Biotech startups Mimix Biotherapeutics and Artidis and AI specialist Lattice Flow have welcomed experienced members to their boards. The newly appointed members bring several years of experience in leading global companies including Heraeus Medical, IBM, and Oracle Corporation.

Following a week of exchange, training, and pitching, the AIT India committee has awarded Irmos technologies and Peroviska each CHF 10000 for their outstanding solutions. Three other startups have also won awards in Germany and Switzerland.

Xeltis, a clinical-stage medtech company developing living implants that enable the body to restore cardiovascular function, has raised €32 million in a Series D2 equity fundraise with existing and new investors. The proceeds will be used to advance Xeltis’ aXess vascular access graft into pivotal clinical trials.

Spanish pharmaceutical company Ferrer and Swiss clinical stage biotechnology company Asceneuron announce the signing of a licensing agreement in which Ferrer obtains the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize ASN90 in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), an orphan, tau-related disease with a high unmet medical need1.

Das Food-Startup EggField schliesst mit Hummus-Produzent Hilcona einen Lebensmittelkreislauf. Luya bringt seine Produkte in die Regale eines weiteren grossen Detailhändlers. Und in Zusammenarbeit mit einem holländischen Lebensmittelfarben-Produzenten hat microPow einen Spezialeffekt für pflanzlichen Fleischersatz entwickelt.

After successful pilot projects, Oxara has launched its admixture technology in the market to enable the sustainable production of cement-free concrete. The company’s facility in Dietikon has the capacity to produce 300 tonnes of admixtures per year.

In early February, eight startups completed the Academia Industry Training program in Mexico, enabling them to explore the market for their products. A new cohort from Switzerland will travel to Brazil in March to delve into the Latin American market.

Die Zahl der Firmengründungen steigt – auch in der italienischsprachigen Schweiz. Dies motiviert das Institut für Jungunternehmen IFJ zu einer Expansion: Die St. Galler gehen eine strategische Partnerschaft mit dem Tessiner Beratungsunternehmen Gruppo Multi ein, eröffnen in Lugano einen Standort und bieten ihre Onlinekurse auch auf Italienisch an.

Zurich Soft Robotics is planning to launch Solskin, a multi-functional adaptive photovoltaic facade system, in the market using the proceeds from its seed funding. An undisclosed international market leader headquartered in Switzerland led the round.

Pully based Triplequote has been acquired by Gradle in a private transaction. The San Francisco company is extending its developer productivity solution portfolio directly to the Scala developer community by speeding up builds with the world’s only parallel compiler for the Scala language, Hydra. Martin Odersky, creator of the Scala programming language and advisory board member to Triplequote, will continue in a technical advisory role at Gradle. Both Cofounders of the startup have joined Gradle family.

After winning the third stage of the Venture Kick competition, Recolony took home CHF 150’000. The startup will use the funds to advance its cancer immunotherapy, aiming to regenerate the intestinal microbiota of cancer patients to trigger a potent anti-tumour immune response. The bacteria-based treatment promises to be more effective than current immunotherapies and could have preventative functions.

Drone technology startup Verity has signed a contract with Maersk North America to deliver drones for warehouse inventory management. Organisations in France in Graubünden have also purchased cleantech solutions from Clean Greans and DHP Technologies to promote sustainable greenhouse and renewable energy production.

Swiss diagnostics company 4D LifeTec has opened a new subsidiary 4D Lifetec Inc. on the MIT campus in Boston to strengthen its scientific and commercial presence in the US market. The startup is establishing a team and collaborations with clinics and CLIA Labs to support its clinical trials.

The next edition of the annual Start Summit, Europe’s leading student-run startup conference, will occur on 23 and 24 March 2023 in St. Gallen. With the Motto “Reaching for Resilience”, this year’s event will bring various speakers on stage to share their insights and provide startups with a platform to showcase their solutions. The event will culminate with the presentation of the Start Summiteer Award, for which the deadline expires on 28 February 2023.

Alle Versuche, neues Eigenkapital einzusammeln, scheiterten. Vor zwei Jahren hatte evenito noch Geld für wenige Monate. Heute administrieren mehrere Kantonalbanken, AMAG, Swiss Life und 300 weitere Unternehmen ihre Veranstaltungen auf der SaaS-Plattform des 2016 gegründeten Scale-ups. Co-CEO Tobias Giger erzählt, wie die Wende gelang.

MindMaze, a global pioneer in AI-driven digital neurotherapeutics, has launched its proprietary medical device Izar in the US and Europe. Izar is a first-of-its-kind, FDA-listed and CE-marked smart peripheral for patients with impairment in hand motor function. Leading global centers in the US, UK and New Zealand are already using the device.

Impossible Matrials, Ascento and Floating Robotics will each receive CHF 150’000 from the Gebert Rüf Stiftung as part of the InnoBooster Program. The funds and support will enable the early-stage startups to advance their robotics and agritech solutions.

This article features the next group of startups that received the Innosuisse Certificate. The startups are developing digital health solutions and precision medicine platforms to enhance diagnostics and monitoring and to accelerate the transition to personalised medicine. 

Swiss semiconductor metrology company, UNISERS, identifies invisible contamination-caused defects in semiconductor materials. The startup has raised $14M in Seed funding led by Intel Capital to accelerate the time to market.

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded US$ 3.2 million to Solar MEAD, a joint project headed by CEMEX, Sandia National Laboratories, and Synhelion. The project aims to replace fossil fuels with concentrated solar thermal energy in clinker production, the key component in cement.

SICTIC and startup days have joined forces to launch ‘Collective’, an initiative aiming to bring support organizations and initiatives together to drive diversity in Switzerland. The platform has officially launched its website, presenting its member organizations and their initiatives.

Geneva based Terapet, a privately held Swiss Medtech company developing next generation imaging technology, is pleased to announce the new investment of CHF 2,3 million as the first closing of the Pre-Series A investment round. This funding supports the commercialization of Terapet’s first product, Qualγscan and the development of new nuclear imaging products.

Das ETH Zürich Spin-off AtlasVR hat eine Virtual-Reality-Plattform für die Schulung im Industriesektor entwickelt. Die anpassbaren und skalierbaren Lösungen haben bereits erste Referenzkunden überzeugt. Der Gewinn bei Venture Kick verleiht dem Markteintritt weiteren Schub.

The research collaboration between EraCal Therapeutics and Nestlé Health Science aims to identify novel nutraceuticals relevant to controlling food intake. The joint program combines Nestle’s unique nutraceutical resources with EraCal’s differentiated drug discovery platform. These synergies aim to provide a new paradigm for first-line nutraceuticals for people suffering from metabolic diseases.

Cleantech startup Metafuels has entered a long-term collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI to develop a new process for producing sustainable aviation fuel. The two will construct and operate the first pilot plant on the PSI campus to validate the technology and prepare it for large-scale commercial deployment.  

Das Schweizer Insurtech Wefox hat in den letzten Wochen mit Entlassungen von sich reden gemacht. Zudem erschienen kritische Medienberichte. Das deutsche Handelsblatt vermeldet nun aber den Zufluss von weiteren 50 Millionen Franken. Ein Blick in das Schweizerische Handelsregister bestätigt die Meldung.

The global pandemic had a mixed effect on entrepreneurship across the world, according to the 2022/2023 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Global Report: Adapting to a “New Normal” which was launched today at HEG-Fribourg. Switzerland is among the clear losers.

Der FE+MALE Think Tank setzt sich für mehr Unternehmerinnen in der Schweiz ein. Basierend auf einer Studie der Berner Fachhochschule (BFH) lanciert der Think Tank nun TIWI – The Inclusive Way Initiative. Die von der Standortförderung Kanton Bern unterstützte Initiative hat zum Ziel, die Rahmenbedingungen für Unternehmerinnen im Kanton Bern und in der Schweiz durch den Einbezug aller relevanten Akteure aus Politik, Wirtschaft und Bildung zu verbessern.

Our next series of Innosuisse-certified startups work on solutions enabling organisations to leverage data to enhance decision-making, communication and security. Artificial intelligence is at the core of their offerings.

Based in Basel, Ymmunobio is a preclinical startup specialising in the development of innovative treatments for cancer patients. The startup has secured ownership of neuronal pentraxin receptor (NPTXR) antibodies for treating several gastro-intestinal cancers from Nagoya University. This marks the company’s second in-licensed candidate.

Gaia Turbine is developing and will commercialize an innovative plug-and-play hydroelectric turbine that achieves more than 90% efficiency in wide range of working conditions, much better than the conventional turbines. The capital raised will be used to install a pilot turbine at a hydroelectric power plant in Ticino and start the commercialization efforts.

An expert jury for the venture leaders program Technology has chosen ten promising technology startups that will travel to Silicon Valley in April. The week-long roadshow will connect them with investors and industry experts, and attend various events to expand their network and make their presence known internationally. Meet the startups at the kickoff event on February 22.

Klarpay bietet Online-Unternehmen grenzübergreifende, skalierbare, massgeschneiderte Geschäftskonten und Zahlungslösungen. Am Ende des ersten Geschäftsjahres hatte das Unternehmen mehr als 120 Firmenkunden und erzielte einen substanziellen Jahresgewinn.

LegoChemBio has signed a license agreement with Elthera to develop and commercialise a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapy using a monoclonal antibody developed by the Swiss start-up. The licensed asset is a monoclonal antibody with a target expressed in a variety of solid tumors. Elthera will receive an undisclosed upfront payment, milestone payments  and royalties on net product sales. 

The capital increase enables EthonAI to bring its no-code quality management platform to a broader market to help clients boost performance by detecting, monitoring, and preventing quality losses at scale. The ETH Zurich spinoff already serves some of Switzerland’s leading companies, including Siemens, Roche, Lindt & Sprüngli.

With the appointment of their new leaders, five startups offering solutions for the biotech, fintech, agriculture, and travel industries have acquired additional know-how to achieve their growth ambitions. The new executives are based in Switzerland, except for SEBA Bank’s APAC CEO, who is based in Asia, to oversee activities in the region.

Mirai Foods hat ein Rindsfilet im Bioreaktor hergestellt. Für die dabei eingesetzten Schlüsseltechnologien hat das Wädenswiler Startup drei Patente angemeldet. Zudem ist mit dem Zürcher Nahrungsmittel- und Fleischproduzenten Angst ein weiteres Branchenschwergewicht als Investor eingestiegen.

Taurus provides enterprise-grade solutions to issue, custody and trade any digital assets and has established itself as the #1 digital asset infrastructure provider for Tier 1 banks in Europe. The Series B led by Credit Suisse includes participation from three other major financial institutions, Deutsche Bank, Pictet Group and Arab Bank Switzerland, as well as stock-listed real-estate group Investis.

Since its founding in 2004, Gene Predictis has built a long track record in interpreting complex genetic data. The company has now joined the NIMGenetics family to accelerate its international expansion. The latter is a leading Spanish biotech company in human genetic diagnostics aiming to reinforce its presence outside of Spain.

Ajuna Network closed a private financing round led by CMCC Global, a leading investment firm in the blockchain space. Ajuna aims to demonstrate the potential for enhancing the gaming experience through the use of blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

The Future of Health Grant programme to support innovation in digital healthcare has entered the next stage. The 7 new start-ups selected from among 96 applications will benefit from funding and know-how to help them accelerate solution development.

Die iPet.ch GmbH hat in den letzten Jahren den grössten von Tierärzten geführten Onlineshop für Tiernahrung und Zubehör in der Schweiz aufgebaut. Nun erwirbt eine Gruppe von Unternehmerinnen und Unternehmern sämtliche Stammanteile an der iPet GmbH. Der Wachstumskurs wird weitergeführt.