EY Startup Barometer Switzerland 2025
The Swiss startup scene is defying the market environment: while financing rounds and volumes are declining slightly, investments in AI startups are doubling.
The EY Startup Barometer Switzerland 2025 shows: The number of financing rounds fell by 6.7% to 513 in 2024, while the invested capital decreased by 15% to 2.3 billion Swiss francs. "The Swiss startup scene has suffered a decline in financing rounds and volume for the second time in a row. However, this is leveling off significantly and cannot be compared with the slump in 2023," says Alexander Schatt, Head of Startups and Scale-ups at EY Switzerland.
A clear trend is continuing, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence: more than one in five financing rounds (22%) flowed into AI-oriented startups in 2024 - twice as many as in the previous year. "Despite the general decline in startup investments, we are seeing strong investor interest in AI-related startups. This indicates growing investor confidence in Switzerland as a prime location for investing in AI startups," Schatt continues.
The healthcare sector remains the dominant industry with a financing volume of 1.039 billion Swiss francs, followed by software & analytics (397 million Swiss francs) and fintech/insurtech (193 million Swiss francs). In the list of the ten largest financing rounds, biotech start-ups occupy the top spots, with Alentis Therapeutics (158 million Swiss francs) at the top.
Another focus is on the participation of women in founding teams: 7% of the funded startups were founded exclusively by women, 18% by mixed teams.
In an international comparison, Switzerland recorded the smallest decline in financing rounds at -6.7% (Germany: -12.3%, Austria: -19%). Even though the financing volume fell by 15%, the general conditions for investments in Swiss start-ups remain solid.
