Sought-after Swiss start-ups

Dear reader

First, I wish you all the best for 2023 and hope you enjoyed the Christmas season and the start of the new year. Start-ups, investors and supporters may have needed the break, since December was quite hectic, as in previous years. This has been reflected in numerous news items published by us over the last two weeks. The very high number of exits is striking: we reported on a total of 10 acquisitions over Christmas and the New Year, details of which can be found under our Exits tag.

Some transactions were particularly noteworthy. US medtech group Bruker has acquired Biognosys; the Zurich start-up is a pioneer in proteomics, the analysis of proteins in cells, and its customers include 19 of the top 20 pharma companies. Avrios, one of the fast-growing Swiss Software-as-a-Service start-ups, has been bought by Battery Ventures. Andreas Brenner, co-founder and longtime CEO of Avrios, has already founded another start-up, Jua.ai, which he now leads as CEO. Imburse – the start-up from the insurtech sector is another Swiss SaaS provider – has been sold to Boston-based Duck Creek Technologies.

Most of the buyers of Swiss start-ups come from abroad, in particular from neighbouring countries and the US. Two companies went to Swiss companies: Digital Republic was taken over by Mobilezone and Kickbag by Swiss Post.

We also reported on a large number of financing rounds, with six this week alone. Bioversys increased its Series C round by CHF 8.4 million. I was also impressed by the stories from mobileup and Mikks. Our articles reveal more on the background of the start-ups in addition to information on their financing.

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) takes place in Las Vegas this week. Switzerland is there with a strong Swiss Pavilion, with 14 of the start-ups in it supported by Innosuisse. Incidentally, in 2022 more than 30 start-ups were awarded the Innosuisse certificate. Our new series will present these companies over the next few weeks.

The deadline for several important awards is approaching, including Venture Leaders in Technology, Startfeld Diamant and the Swiss Economic Award. I would also like to point out the Crypto Summit on 16 and 20 January.

Our Swiss Venture Capital Report will be published on 26 January.  A printed copy can be ordered now, along with registration for the launch events in Zurich and Lausanne. As usual, my co-author Thomas Heimann and I analyse and list the investments in Swiss start-ups in 2022; we also present the results of a large-scale survey of investors for the third and the overview of new VC funds for the fifth time.

Have a good weekend.
Stefan Kyora

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch