Who dares, wins

Dear reader

Carvolution offers car use with a flexible monthly subscription. The start-up has already attracted several hundred users, and now it can accelerate growth once more. This week, the company, which was founded only in 2018, concluded a financing round of more than CHF 11 million. This is unusual not only because such sums are invested in Switzerland normally at a later stage, but also because the money is going to a B2C start-up.

Several other B2C start-ups made headlines this week. Airconsole also attracted investors – it operates a games platform that allow several players to play in front of a screen simultaneously without a game console, thanks to its self-developed technology. In the fintech sector, Selma, which offers digital all-round financial advice, has further expanded its product portfolio, thanks to a partnership with Vermögenszentrum. 

And the life sciences also have B2C companies: mybacs’ products specifically influence the microbiome – the microorganisms in the digestive tract – and thus have a positive effect on overall health. Sales have risen sharply and now mybacs has launched another product line.

The examples demonstrate the increased self-confidence of Swiss founders, who are now trying on a large scale to assert themselves among end consumers. This growing confidence is a mark of the whole scene and can be observed just as well with founders of B2B start-ups; for example, the eight entrepreneurs at the Swiss Innovation Forum, who took the opportunity to present their start-up in front of 1,100 participants and search for potential business partners in the audience – two won a Swiss Technology Award: Daniela Marino from Cutiss and Etienne Jeoffroy from FenX.  

Also in Basel this week, the names were announced of the qualifying start-ups for the second phase of the life sciences accelerator DayOne. They will be included in the programme and receive CHF 50,000 each. And in canton Basel-Land, two new initiatives will promote entrepreneurship: ‘Startup Baselland’ combines existing support services and the ‘100 for Baselland’ programme provides funding for the further development of innovative SMEs and start-ups.

Two exits are worth mentioning: Biovotion, which has developed a wearable that measures vital signs, has been taken over by a US company, as has IT company CYCL.

Next week, the Foodhack Summit will take place at Innovation Park Zurich in Dübendorf, with Swiss and international showcase start-ups and numerous industry insiders. Calls have been launched for many important national awards – all open for application can be found in our awards list.

Have a good weekend.
Stefan Kyora

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch