Kickfund invests at full throttle

Kickfund Ventures Fund I is a new investment fund dedicated to enhancing Switzerland's innovation ecosystem by supporting deep tech startups that have successfully participated in the Venture Kick competition. With an initial closing of CHF 70 million, the fund aims to provide up to CHF 850,000 in funding per company, specifically targeting pre-seed and seed-stage ventures.

While the Fund typically aims to invest in up to 25 startups per year, this year was an exception due to a backlog of 91 companies from previous Venture Kick ventures, dating as far back as 2021, which were considered for investment once the Fund became operational at the end of 2023. “The objective is to clear this backlog and enter the next phase of normal investment pace matching Venture Kick's ongoing turnout of Venture Kick stage 3 winners starting 2025”, clarified Wanja Humanes, CEO of KickFund. He added, “We are confident that our portfolio will grow to around 70 companies by the end of the year.” However, the fund’s investment strategy is highly systematic, not automatic. Each decision is made with careful consideration, and the fund reserves the right to decline investments when necessary, as evidenced by its recent choice to pass on two opportunities.

With the goal of aligning closely with Venture Kick, the fund has accelerated its activities this year, rapidly expanding its portfolio to 41 companies across 42 investments. Notably, 38 startups have received funding within this year alone. About CHF 10 million has flown into the portfolio. Luya Foods has received funding twice, benefitting from the maximum amount of CHF 850'000 per company, and two other companies are already in the process of a second investment from the fund.

The Portfolio comprises the following startups in their respective sectors:

Nanotech, Hardware, Robotics

a-metal – metal 3D printing technology for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Daav – developed DAAV-air, an advanced mobility device for individuals with reduced mobility, particularly in airport environments.

Matriq – specializes in polymer marking solutions through its patented DynamicMold technology.

Medtech

Adiposs – develops ImageBAT, a non-invasive first-in-class CT contrast agent for visualizing and quantifying activated brown adipose tissue.

Akina – medical software to enable connected physiotherapy at home

Bottneuro – is developing a non-invasive neuromodulation therapy for to deliver precise electrical stimulation to affected brain regions.

CustomSurge – data-driven, end-to-end solutions for faster surgeries on complex bone fractures.

Flowbone – injectable, “bone-seeding” gel for a quick and subtle, local strengthening of fragile bones.

HeroSupport – its device optimizes radiotherapy, minimizing risks, improving outcomes.

Neurosoft Bioelectronics SA – soft, implantable electrodes designed to interface with the brain and nervous system

Oncobit – cancer monitoring solutions to improve patient outcomes

Resmonics (healthcare IT) – Digital Respiratory Biomarkers via smartphones

Surgeonslab – patient-specific training models for training surgical procedures and validating new medical devices.

DeepSys (healthcare IT) – electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) analysis as a service leveraging its proprietary medical software. The system extracts features that correlate with the probability of response to psychiatric treatment.

Biotech

Alithea Genomics –  RNA sequencing and transcriptomics products.

ATLyphe AG – aims to replace chemotherapy with antibody-based therapies.

Galventa – its flagship product is "B SYNC ON," a clinically tested nutritional supplement designed to support the natural waking process.

NexMR – is revolutionsing drug discovery through its advanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology.

NXI Therapeutics – develops innovative immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation

Recolony – cancer therapies based on bacteria from the gut microbiome

Cleantech

Antefil Composites –  microengineered hybrid fibers for lightweight structures

Biosimo – sustainable bio-based chemicals to replace fossil fuel.

Cowa Thermal Solutions – new f thermal storage solutions for buildings.

NaturLoop – develops sustainable biocomposites for furniture and construction using agricultural waste.

Neology Hydrogen – Ammonia to Hydrogen Generation System that efficiently converts ammonia into high-purity hydrogen.

Perovskia Solar – digitally printed, customizable solar cells

Seprify – produces sustainable, plant-based functional materials derived from cellulose.

SoHHytec  – focused on the production of green hydrogen with its system Arb which utilizes solar energy and water to produce hydrogen, oxygen, electricity, and heat simultaneously,

SolidWatts –advanced Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) that utilize microwave (MW) and radio frequency (RF) heating technologies.

WattAnyWhere –solutions for electric vehicle (EV) charging through its unique Bioenergy-On-Demand fuel cell system

Cultivated Biosciences –GMO-free yeast-based ingredient offering the creaminess needed for plant-based dairy to appeal to flexitarian consumers.

Kidemis – uses mycelium-based fermentation technology to convert low-value agricultural side streams into high-quality mycoprotein for aquafeed.

Luya Foods – organic plant-based protein alternative

ICT

Almer Technologies – Augmented Reality (AR) glasses for industrial applications.

askEarth – is democratizing access to satellite data through advanced technology, particularly Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Large Language Models.

AtlasVR – develops virtual reality (VR) training solutions, primarily aimed at the Mechanical Electrical and Metal (MEM) industry.

Correntics – climate risk analytics, focusing on enhancing supply chain resilience in the face of climate change.

School Rebound – developed digital tools to help children overcome learning difficulties, particularly in handwriting.

Mark Investment (Splint Invest) – alternative investments platform

Vamoz – is focused on facilitating remote work abroad.

Isochronic – developed software-driven industrial robotic systems that enable, for the first time, the simultaneous transport of multiple parts

(RAN)