Startups raise record amounts
3.5 billion Swiss francs - that's the amount raised by the 675 spin-off projects supported by Venture Kick since 2007. Just last year, 987 million Swiss francs were added - an increase of 31 percent compared to 2018.
Record sums for startups and spin-offs: juries of investors and successful entrepreneurs selected 75 new startup projects from Swiss universities for Venture Kick's 9-month funding program last year, providing 4.35 million francs in seed capital. Since the beginning of 2019, up to 150,000 francs per startup have been distributed. Since its launch in 2007, Venture Kick has disbursed a total of 29.25 million Swiss francs in seed funding for 675 spin-off projects from Swiss universities, thanks to the philanthropic commitment of private donors. This has triggered further investments of CHF 3.5 billion in these startups.
Financing rounds with record sums
The following venture kick startups realized funding rounds of over 10 million last year:
- Beekeeper AG raised $45 million to expand its team in Europe and the U.S., making it one of the world's fastest-growing SaaS startups.
- Polyneuron Pharmaceuticals AG has raised CHF 22.5 million from prominent French and U.S. investors. The Basel-based life science startup's breakthrough therapeutic approach treats autoimmune diseases of the nervous system.
- SWISSto12 SA has raised CHF 18.1 million to accelerate the industrialization and commercial deployment of its space-qualified 3D-printed components.
- Teralytics AG raised $17.5 million. The global leader in multimodal mobility intelligence uses data from telecommunications networks to support cities and transportation services.
- BioVersys AG received 16 million Swiss francs to strengthen its programs to combat tuberculosis and hospital-acquired infections.
- Versantis AG has raised 16 million Swiss francs for the development of its liver cirrhosis therapy. Worldwide, 850 million people live with liver disease and 2 million die each year.
- L.E.S.S. SA has raised CHF 14 million to industrialize production of its ultra-bright and ultra-thin lights for the automotive industry.
- DEPsys SA raised CHF 13.2 million to expand its power grid software worldwide.
- Gamaya AG has raised CHF 12 million in a strategic round with India's largest tractor manufacturer.
- Insolight SA won 10.6 million euros to industrialize its space-qualified high-efficiency solar panels.
New pilot project
In 2020, Venture Kick will not only increase the funding amount to CHF 5 million to finance 80 new projects (from 4.35 million in 2019), but will also launch a pilot project with a special "Venture Kick Life Science" track. This special track will focus on biotechnology and medical technology projects, both key factors in our country. In addition, Venture Kick plans to increase its focus on offering relevant technological solutions for a sustainable environment and tomorrow's food. "As a fully private and philanthropic initiative, Venture Kick is probably the most active seed investor in Europe in the last decade. It is great to see that the initial investment of 30 million Swiss francs has been multiplied by a factor of 118 through follow-on investments and that innovative Swiss start-ups have created 7,000 new jobs solving global problems," said Venture Kick co-managing director Beat Schillig.
Source and further information: www.venturekick.ch
