Dear reader
A well-functioning network between founders, investors, sponsors and experienced industry insiders is one of the most important success factors in a start-up ecosystem. That’s why we regularly report on recruitment at start-ups in our people news: from the new CEO to the former founder joining the team. The personnel changes also demonstrate that a start-up is in a growth phase or taking a strategic step, as with coatmaster. The company has launched a second product for battery production control, which leading global battery and automobile manufacturers are already using, and has also brought an experienced CEO on board.
Start-ups also often pull off spectacular coups in terms of staff reinforcement when it comes to financing. For example, Felix Porsche has joined Swisspod as a board member and strategic investor. Porsche is a notable figure in the automotive and railway sectors, and a member of the Porsche car company family.
Impact investor Lisa Schmidheiny joined Redalpine and Kickfund in the latest round of financing for foodtech start-up Luya, which secured it a total of CHF 5 million. Uwe Sommer, a board member with management experience at Lindt & Sprüngli and Mars, is also joining the Bern-based start-up.
Pelt8 has not acquired an experienced person but a well-known engineering, planning and consulting company: EBP has participated in the green fintech’s latest financing round alongside Tenity and Sictic angel investors.
In addition to financing rounds, we also reported on two exits: Synple Chem went to US company eMolecules and fintech NetGuardians was acquired by Swedish private equity firm Summa Equity. NetGuardians will work together with another portfolio company, with the two co-founders of the Vaud scale-up playing important roles: Raffael Maio will head the group’s strategy and Joël Winteregg will serve as group CEO.
However, Swiss start-ups are not only financed by investors. This week, Innosuisse announced the 33 projects that will be funded as part of Swiss Accelerator. A total of more than CHF 60 million will go into the programme.
The founders of Menhir Photonics also built up the company without investors and now the bootstrapped start-up has secured a growth loan from UBS. WattAnyWhere has secured a new €400,000 loan from French Banque Publique d’Investissement (BPI) under the Prêt Innovation R&D (PIRD) program. Bern-based medtech company Valtech is receiving CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick. Other promising projects are in the pipeline at various universities, such as the winners of ETH Zurich’s 3PI competition.
Next week you can meet our editors at the CV Summit, FutureHealth Lausanne and the RiseUp Summit. Several application deadlines close next week. I would particularly like to draw your attention to Innovaud and IMD’s LeadiNNg to Scale-Up programme and the free workspaces in Büro Züri Innovationspark. Applications are now open for the next cohort of ESA BIC Switzerland’s programme.
Have a good weekend.
Stefan Kyora
Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch