August 7, 2015
CTI Startup Label company obtains CHF 28 million within four days
Excitement reigned in June at the premises of Basel pharmaceutical company Santhera. The company, founded in 2000 and which has the CTI Startup Label, had received recommendation for approval from the EU authorities for the drug Raxone for the treatment of visual impairment in adults and adolescents. This immediately had a positive impact on the share price. Within four days of the placement of 300,000 shares on the market, the company had picked up nearly CHF28 million, which will be used to finance the launch of Raxone – and this in the middle of the holiday season.
Football doesn’t seem to take a summer holiday – just as it becomes hot, the new season starts. And without the numerous fans, many games would probably be sad little affairs. The fans usually ensure a good atmosphere; however, they also provide the major events with the impressive and colourful fan choreography for people in the stadiums and at home in front of the TV. But until recently the development of such choreography was a lot of work. Now, thanks to the Zurich start-up Fanpictor, anyone can easily develop their own choreography on their computer and share on social media. The Swiss Football Association (SFV) is taking advantage by collaborating with Fanpictor to find the best design for fan choreography, which can then be implemented by thousands of fans at the European Championship qualifier between Switzerland and Slovenia on 5 September.
Now as the summer holidays draw to a close, business starts going again with several deadlines approaching for grants and awards applications. The FintechPitch with prize money of CHF10,000 is completely new; interested parties must register by 24 August. The deadline for the Academy-Industry Training (AIT) camps in Brazil and India expires on 12 August, with the deadline for the Zug Innovation Award two days later. Aspiring winners of the Swiss Technology Award at the Swiss Innovation Forum in Basel in November have until the end of August to apply.
An important date to remember is Swiss Startup Day, formerly CEO Day, on 21 October. The meeting of the Swiss start-up community is full of event highlights and opportunities for start-ups, investors, supporters and representatives from industrial companies. Anyone wanting to join should register now. And, finally, don’t forget to vote for your favourites at the Swisscom Challenge Startup.
Have a relaxing summer weekend.
Claus Niedermann
Editor-in-chief startupticker.ch
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The new Swiss Venture Capital Report was published on 26 January. It analyses 304 financing rounds closed in 2020 and includes further article such as an interview with Michael Hengartner, President of the ETH Board, and a list of Swiss "soonicorns". 
