April 25, 2025
The right mindset
Dear reader
Despite the Easter week, the biotech sector made some spectacular headlines. Basel-based Granite Bio has emerged from stealth with USD 100 million in funding. The clinical stage company’s pipeline features two antibodies that target several autoimmune diseases. On Wednesday, Zurich-based Veraxa Biotech announced an IPO via SPAC at a valuation of USD 1.6 billion.
Whether it’s a unicorn valuation or a USD 100 million investment, the biotech industry demonstrates Switzerland’s potential. I still hear the belief that large companies are no longer being created in Switzerland because founders’ mindset and Swiss culture fundamentally oppose it. But whatever makes the pharmaceutical industry special, it’s certainly not hindered by mindset or culture.
Life sciences start-ups benefit from a particularly large pool of experienced employees, some of whom also start their own companies, as the founding team of CGC Genomics shows. The company has obtained EUR 1.7 million in order to bring to market the world’s first regulatory-grade generative AI solution for clinical decision support in oncology.
Three start-ups also operating at the interface of IT and life sciences have been awarded funding through the FONGIT Innovation Fund (FIF). MUUVR and Kinastic focus on IT and health, albeit with a different approach. The MUUVR app enables rewards to be collected for increasing one’s daily activity. Shortly before the launch of its second version, the start-up closed a financing round of CHF 4 million. Kinastic offers an app and a platform for workplace health promotion. Read our article to learn how the Zurich-based company found the product-market fit and its subsequent rapid growth.
If you want to know which fintech start-ups are particularly promising, take a look at the finalists of the Swiss Fintech Awards. To discover the most interesting biotech companies, head to Basel on 5 and 6 May for Swiss Biotech Day, which has evolved into an international industry gathering with 2,500 participants.
Finally, I would like to point out that applications for the next Boldbrain Challenge are now open. And anyone interested in participating in an exclusive networking event with Swissnex start-up managers from around the world can register their interest until next Wednesday.
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". 
