All kind of investors

This week we were once again able to report on seven investments. The high number is not least due to the ability of Swiss start-ups to attract investors of all kinds.

Dear reader

Longevity is a hot topic in the start-up world. These are treatments that are intended to delay the ageing process or at least enable people to grow old in good health. EPFL spin-off Timeline is active in this field and has now closed a financing round of CHF 56 million. Two of the investors are at least as spectacular as the size of the round: both L’Oréal and Nestlé are on board. And Popety is the second French-speaking Swiss start-up to attract a successful company: Romande Energie has joined the proptech start-up.

Medtech start-up ODNE has just launched its US expansion and has now gained Dental Innovation Alliance (DIA), a US-based investment firm consisting of dental industry executives, as an investor. In addition to the fresh funds, ODNE will benefit from DIA’s expertise and network. Biotech company Stalicla has received USD 17.4 million: the lead investor is an international investment company, which is also backed by a team of inventive scientists, tech entrepreneurs and pioneering practitioners.

Relai, with its bitcoin-only trading app, attracted an international consortium and Swiss business angels as investors in its latest financing round. Zürcher Kantonalbank has been mentioned as an investor twice this week: it has invested in Enantios together with S2S Ventures and financed BTRY alongside High-Tech-Gründerfonds.

The ability of Swiss start-ups to attract a wide variety of investors is always astounding and one reason why we are able to report on so many financing rounds every week.

A closer look also shows that many start-ups that have attracted investors have benefited from funding in the past. Enantios and BTRY, for example, were both supported by the ESA BIC programme. This week, we reported on the five new start-ups accepted on to this programme. Find out more in our article.

Two new start-ups have made it on to Gebert Rüf Stiftung’s First Ventures programme, both from the cleantech sector. Four cleantech start-ups have received the Innosuisse Certificate in recent months. Our article presents the companies already in the growth phase.

Start-ups founded in 2018 or later can apply for the Swiss Economic Award until 26 January.  It is  looking in particular for start-ups that already have an impressive track record. The application deadline for the Future of Health Grant is on 31 January. Applications are now open for Venture Leaders Biotech and MassChallenge Switzerland.

Registration is still open for the presentation of the Swiss Venture Capital Report on 30 January in Zurich and Lausanne.

Have a good weekend.
Stefan Kyora

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch