Growth on the horizon

Cotierra, the Swiss startup that decarbonises agricultural supply chains with scalable biochar solutions, together with its partner Volcafe have officially issued biochar-based carbon removal credits in Colombia. This landmark achievement sets a new precedent in the Colombian coffee industry, demonstrating that biochar can effectively support the decarbonisation of coffee farming while benefiting farmers.

Milan-based Demetra Holding acquires a 51% stake in GetSet Surgical, a leader in sterile packaged single-use spine surgical kits founded in 2016. The strategic acquisition will enhance Demetra’s infection management solutions and orthopedic offerings.

The Future of Health Grant acceleration program, led by CSS and EPFL Innovation Park, received a record-breaking 243 applications for its spring cohort. Six of them have now been selected. And to push innovation even further, the FoHG is launching its “Pilot Factory”, an initiative that will facilitate multi-stakeholder collaborations to test solutions in real-world settings.

Innovaud just unveiled its updated list Scale-up Vaud list. This year, nine new Vaud-based companies have obtained the label.  The 42 companies listed have created more than 4,550 jobs in Switzerland and worldwide.

Despite a challenging environment, the number of spin-offs at the University of Basel continues to grow. Ten deep tech start-ups were founded in 2024, eight of which came from the healthcare sector. The university is providing further impetus with a new pre-incubation programme based on the SPARK Stanford model.

A few days ago, Geneva-based PowerAPI CEO and cofounder Andrea Tassistro announced on LinkedIn that his company was ceasing its operations after seven years. Startupticker.ch had the opportunity to ask him a couple of questions about the reasons, his learnings and his recommendations for entrepreneurs.

Venture Kick secured sixth place, and ESA BIC ranked tenth, in the recently published Financial Times Top 150 startup hubs across Europe. Eight Swiss incubators and accelerators also made the ranking, positioning Switzerland as a thriving hub for startup innovation.

Three Geneva-based startups and projects in sustainable mobility and in life sciences have been selected to receive funding through the FONGIT Innovation Fund (FIF), aimed at fostering innovation and advancing sustainable solutions in the Canton of Geneva. Notably, this marks the first funding collaboration between the Modus Foundation and FONGIT to support a sustainable mobility project, underscoring their shared commitment to driving innovation and advancing cutting-edge solutions in this field.

Unique closed its Series A funding round, raising USD $ 30 million. The Zurich-based startup is at the forefront of responsible agentic AI innovation for Asset Management, Wealth Management and Retail & Private Banking. Unique’s solutions are already deployed by blue-chip companies including Pictet Group, UBP, LGT Private Banking or SIX. The funding will be used to boost the company’s global expansion efforts.

Nuavo Holdings, la société d'investissement entrepreneuriale suisse, vient d’annoncer l'acquisition d'une participation majoritaire dans Domofen, l'un des principaux fabricants suisses de fenêtres et de portes en PVC. Ce premier investissement marque une étape importante pour la nouvelle entreprise portée par l’entrepreneur romand Raphael Gindrat.

With a customer base comprising over 10’000 customers, Calenso has grown into a leading scheduling platform in the DACH region. The company is merging with US companies jrni, the international specialist in personalized customer interactions, and Event Farm, the pioneer in event marketing to create a one-stop-shop for face-to-face customer interactions from appointments to queuing to events and beyond. Calenso remains an independent brand driven by a team from its headquarters in Rothenburg, Lucerne.

The Barça Innovation Hub (BIHUB) has made a strategic investment in the startup Riterz, a Swiss company redefining the sponsorship sector from a digital perspective by providing rights holders and brands with an innovative AO-powered platform.

Die HWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich und die Swiss Startup Association gehen eine strategische Partnerschaft ein und stärken so gezielt das Schweizer Start-up- Ökosystem. Der erste Schritt dieser Kooperation ist die Lancierung des neues CAS Entrepreneurship HWZ. Weitere gemeinsame Projekte sind angedacht.

AMNIS Treasury Services AG, a Zurich-based fintech founded to reshape international banking for companies, has completed its Series-B investment round, raising CHF 10 million to accelerate its growth. Swisscom Ventures has led the round.

Lohmann & Rauscher (L&R), ein international führender Entwickler, Hersteller und Anbieter von Medizin- und Hygieneprodukten übernimmt die St. Galler OnlineDoctor AG. Das Digital Health Startup ist Marktführer für Teledermatologie in Deutschland und der Schweiz.

Adoram Therapeutics, a Geneva-based biotech company spun off from the University of Geneva, specializing in allosteric modulators for cancer immunotherapy and inflammatory conditions, is excited to announce that it has secured a pre-seed investment to accelerate its groundbreaking research.

EPFL spin-off Verretex is accelerating the adoption of regenerated glass fiber textiles, turning waste into high-quality materials. Venture Kick is backing the cleantech startup with CHF 150,000 to support its development and strengthen industry partnerships.

Addressing the chemical pollution challenge, CellX Biosolutions develops high-performance bacterial degraders that enable CO2 emission-free degradation of industrial pollutants. The company has closed its pre-seed round, raising CHF 1.7 million to develop the first commercial bacterial solution for PFAS degradation.

Technis rachète la société française Videtics, spécialisée dans l’application de l’IA dans la vidéoprotection et l’optimisation des flux. La scale-up vaudoise développe ainsi sa nouvelle stratégie d’acquisition pour devenir le leader européen du marché. Avec cette première acquisition en France, Technis intègre instantanément une expertise éprouvée en intelligence artificielle (IA) appliquée à l’image et à la vidéo, et pose la première pierre d’un groupe européen souverain dans l’optimisation et la sécurisation des espaces physiques par l’IA.

UBS Growth Advisory supported more than 25 Swiss scale-up companies in 2024 – the majority through growth loans. UBS Growth Advisory Team Head Lukas Reinhardt talks about the challenges for venture capital investments and exits, the trend towards deep tech and why growth loans are in demand.

Sparta, a market-leading provider of real-time intelligence for commodity traders based in Geneva, has secured $42 million in Series B funding. This investment fuels Sparta’s expansion beyond oil and gas, accelerating its development into a full-scale AI-powered trading platform empowering traders with actionable intelligence and collaborative decision-making.

Pexapark, a provider of price data, market intelligence and advisory services for renewable energy, today announced the acquisition of RenewaFi, the leading platform for renewable energy and battery storage in ERCOT, the grid covering most of Texas. The deal marks Pexapark’s entry into the US, with access to a network of over 200 energy companies.

Comphya SA, a pioneering medical technology company and the developer of CaverSTIM, the first implantable neuromodulator designed to treat erectile dysfunction announced recently the successful closure of the first tranche of its Series A1 funding round. This achievement strengthens Comphya’s financial position, enabling the continued advancement and expansion of its groundbreaking clinical trials.

Pitch’n’bar, c’est une série de compétition de pitchs entre des entrepreneurs à la rencontre d'un public, le tout dans un bar au centre-ville.

Swiss Nordic Bio is a high-level partnering and investor conference aimed at connecting healthcare innovations, investor and industry.

The third Challenge, hosted in partnership with SBB, marks a new chapter in our innovation journey! This initiative invites participants to identify the underlying challenges and explore approaches to enhance the application of AI and Robotics in mobility in Switzerland. Whether it’s through leveraging emerging AI and Robotics technologies or improving sustainability in transportation, this challenge is set to drive forward-thinking projects that address real-world needs. The most promising innovations will receive funding of CHF 25'000.

Mit TWINT bequem und sicher mit dem Smartphone bezahlen: an der Supermarktkasse, im Online-Shop, beim Einkaufen im Hofladen, unter Freunden, im öffentlichen Verkehr oder beim Parkieren. Mit mehr als 5 Millionen aktiven Nutzerinnen und Nutzern ist TWINT die führende Bezahl-App der Schweiz.

In celebration of Women's Day this event will highlight the powerful impact of women in Venture Capital and Investment.

The HumanX AI Conference brings together global leaders, investors, and innovators shaping the future of artificial intelligence. This flagship event features nine dynamic industry tracks, more than 3,500 attendees, and 300+ expert speakers, offering countless opportunities to connect with key players in the AI ecosystem. Six startups will be selected to participate.

In this webinar, hosted by our partner Effectum Medical, medical device expert Dr. Rolf Kaufmann will provide an in-depth overview of the evolving regulatory landscape, focusing on the EU AI law and FDA guidance.