November 1, 2024
Country of breakthroughs
Dear reader
Sometimes one needs an external perspective to recognise one’s strengths. Several Swiss innovations appear on TIME Best Inventions 2024 list: they come from the healthcare, the cleantech and sports sectors, and illustrate the breadth of the local innovation landscape. In addition to Roche, the list includes Aspivix, ONWARD Medical and Energy Vault. Six other Swiss start-ups were successful in international competitions.
With receipt of the US Food and Drug Administration’s De Novo marketing authorisation, Distalmotion is set to bring its surgical robot Dexter to the US market. The De Novo pathway was established by the FDA for products that are so novel that nothing comparable is already on the market.
In the life sciences sector, it is often studies that first demonstrate successful breakthroughs. This week we reported on studies related to AlveoliX’s Lung-On-Chip models and Amyra’s new therapeutic approach for gluten-related disorders.
The innovative power of Swiss start-ups can also be proven statistically. They are at the top in terms of the number of patents, as an analysis of the European Patent Office database shows. In addition, ETH Zurich is the most important source of start-up patents in Europe.
Funding initiatives play an important role in science-based start-ups. The Foundation for Innovation and Technology FIT celebrated its 30th anniversary and presented its impressive track record. Venture Kick awarded CHF 150,000 to a start-up that is tackling shortcomings in global recycling systems with an AI-based solution and to a second company that is targeting the manual assembly sector with its system for automated quality control.
Of course, innovations also have to be successfully marketed, but here too we reported on several start-ups that are growing strongly, particularly abroad. These include ImmuniWeb from the cybersecurity sector, Delvitech with its AI-based automatic optical inspection solutions, and QUMEA with its monitoring solution for patient safety. In addition, femtech start-up Impli has entered into a partnership with Bayer.
Discover the start-ups that are trying to conquer international markets in our articles about Swiss exhibitors at the CES and those participating in the Startup Camp in Texas.
Next week, Euresearch will host a webinar on the EIC Accelerator, which will discuss the prevailing conditions for Swiss start-up participation in EIC Accelerator 2025 and how start-ups should proceed now. The majority of the webinar will be open to participants’ questions.
The application period for the IMD Startup Competition starts today. I would also like to point out the call for applications for Venture Leaders Mobile (deadline 18 November), the Tenity Incubation programme (27 November) and the First Ventures programme (1 December).
Have a good weekend.
Stefan Kyora
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". 
