New funds find the perfect time

Dear reader

Mobiliar has long been active in various roles in the start-up scene. It has invested in a number of companies, taken over start-ups such as Bexio and is also an anchor investor in the Swiss Entrepreneurs Fund. It has now founded an independent venture arm with Lightrock Ventures.

Endeavor Vision has been investing in medtech and digital health start-ups since 2000. Now the VC has closed another growth fund for USD 375 million. Pureos Bioventures, an investor focused on drug development companies, is much younger but still very successful at fundraising: USD 205 million has now been committed to the first Pureos fund.

These three reports in one week make it clear that the attractiveness of venture capital as an asset class continues to grow – benefiting not only Swiss VCs, but also Swiss start-ups. We reported on seven funding rounds this week, with two companies attracting double-digit million amounts: medtech start-up Onward Medical with USD 32 million and cleantech company South Pole, in which a global impact investor has invested an amount in the mid double-digit million range.

Speaking of cleantech, the strength of Switzerland here is shown by several success stories. ETH spin-off Battrion has put a production line into operation in order to be able to serve pilot customers from the automotive industry with its innovative electrodes, which can significantly reduce the charging time of electric vehicles. Dufour Aerospace – the hybrid aircraft from the Valais start-up is intended to replace conventional helicopters – and H55, the spin-off from Solar Impulse, are also on their way to market.

The qualifying 30 start-ups and projects for the femtech accelerator Tech4Eva were also announced this week; they come from 11 countries and most develop therapies. Find out more about the participants, the accelerator and the programme’s 11 Swiss start-ups in our article.

The Startup Champions Seed Night takes place this coming Thursday. Last year, the event attracted more than 800 spectators, and this year again 20 promising start-ups will present themselves.

Finally, I would like to point out that Venture Leaders Medtech (Boston) and the Mars Habitat Challenge are both open for applications until 2 May, and the first Swiss-Turkish Startup Program until 30 April.

Have a sunny weekend.
Stefan Kyora

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch