Open borders for Swiss start-ups

Dear reader

A lot of innovation happens in Switzerland; however, the country is too small for some solutions to make a breakthrough. For some start-ups, this means crossing borders. Not far away is PriceHubble, which has conquered the Austrian market through the acquisition of a Vienna-based company. Perspective Robotics, the developer of the tethered, autonomous drone Fotokite, is in Germany to support firefighters, while Scandit continues to strengthen its foundation in the UK by supporting conventional stores with its proprietary barcode technology. In France, the Hôpital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild will leverage the neuro-monitoring solution from Luciole Medical. In Japan, Dacadoo’s new partner will employ its ‘Health Score’ technology to improve the Japanese lifestyle, and in Singapore regtech start-up Apiax has secured a grant to enhance its solution.

Nevertheless, getting to an international level is an incremental process that involves several stages and requires investment in order to enhance solutions for the global market. Start-ups that have raised funds to embark on this journey include crypto financial services provider BitcoinSuisse, which concluded a CHF 45 million financing round to bring its valuation to CHF 302.5 million, Advertima, provider of a 3D computer vision platform for retailers, raised EUR 15 million, and cleantech start-up Insolight received CHF 5 million. Plus, Gnubiotics Sciences is accelerating towards commercialisation with CHF 2.6 million, while ETH Zurich spin-off Bright Peak Therapeutics has launched with USD 35 million from Versant Ventures.

This week two start-ups reached significant milestones that will enable them to jumpstart their development. Aeler Technologies, developer of digitally enabled shipping containers, received the CSC Safety Approval Certification, allowing it to engage in international transport. Dufour Aerospace is celebrating the successful testing of its aEro 2, a lightweight, sustainable aircraft powered by an electric propulsion technology that enables the plane to land and take-off vertically with low noise. This achievement strengthens the potential of e-flying and opens a whole new dimension in the aviation industry.

To stimulate further innovation in Switzerland, Innosuisse has launched NTN – Innovation Booster, a new funding initiative with a budget of CHF 21 million aimed at bringing together stakeholders from science, industry and society in order to co-innovate.

As you enjoy your summer holidays, remember to register for upcoming events before the deadlines expire. Registration for the Founders Circle Workshop closes on 2 August, the Impact Hub Zurich Open Hub Day on 10 August and Climate-Kic on 23 August. Registration is open for the two-day Innovation Today Summit on 20 and 21 August to meet and network with global players.

Have an enjoyable 1 August.

Ritah Ayebare Nyakato
Editor, Startupticker.ch