Switzerland's startup ecosystem is highly advanced, with Zurich and Geneva being key hubs for innovation. As of 2023, Switzerland is home to around 5,000 startups. The Swiss government supports innovation through initiatives like Innosuisse and the Swiss National Science Foundation, which provide funding, resources, and mentorship for startups. In 2022, Swiss startups raised approximately €2 billion in venture capital. These factors collectively highlight Switzerland's dynamic and evolving startup landscape.
Size of the Market
As of 2023, Switzerland's startup ecosystem includes around 5,000 startups. In 2022, these startups attracted approximately €2 billion in venture capital funding. This substantial investment underscores the ecosystem's growth potential and robust nature. The market's size and financial backing reflect its capacity to foster innovation and sustain a competitive edge within Europe and beyond.
Key Strengths
Switzerland's startup ecosystem is characterized by several key strengths, including a highly educated workforce, a strong financial sector, and world-class research institutions. The country excels in sectors such as fintech, healthtech, and cleantech. These strengths are bolstered by Switzerland's robust industrial base and government support, positioning it as a leader in the European startup scene.
Major Hubs
Zurich and Geneva are the primary hubs of Switzerland’s startup ecosystem. Zurich is known for its strengths in fintech, healthtech, and cleantech, attracting significant investments and producing notable startups like Climeworks and Nexthink. Geneva has a vibrant tech scene with strengths in biotech and international trade. These cities are instrumental in driving Switzerland's economic growth and technological advancements.
Emerging Hubs
In addition to Zurich and Geneva, emerging hubs like Lausanne and Basel are gaining prominence in Switzerland’s startup ecosystem. Lausanne, home to EPFL, is strong in deep tech and medtech, while Basel is a hub for pharmaceuticals and life sciences. These emerging hubs are expanding the reach and diversity of Switzerland’s entrepreneurial landscape, offering new opportunities for innovation and growth.
Support Systems
Switzerland’s startup ecosystem benefits from a strong network of incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces that provide essential support and resources for entrepreneurs. Initiatives like Venturelab and the Swiss Innovation Park have significantly boosted the ecosystem by offering mentorship, resources, and international exposure. This supportive infrastructure is crucial for nurturing early-stage companies and fostering a collaborative entrepreneurial environment.
Challenges
Despite its strengths, the Swiss startup ecosystem faces challenges such as high living costs and regulatory complexities. Navigating these hurdles can be time-consuming and complex for startups. Addressing these issues requires strategic efforts and supportive policies to sustain growth and competitiveness in the global market.
Opportunities and Future Outlook
Switzerland has significant opportunities for growth in sectors like fintech, healthtech, and cleantech. The country's strong focus on sustainability and green technology drives innovation in renewable energy and environmental technologies. Switzerland's strategic location in Europe and strong trade relationships provide startups with opportunities for international expansion. With continued investment and innovation, Switzerland's startup ecosystem is poised for further growth, contributing significantly to the European and global markets.
Resilience and Adaptability
Switzerland's startup ecosystem demonstrates remarkable resilience and adaptability. The country's commitment to innovation, coupled with strong government and institutional support, enables startups to navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities. The diverse talent pool and high level of digitalization attract entrepreneurs and investors alike, ensuring sustained growth and success in the face of global economic shifts and market dynamics.
Case Studies: Successful Funding Rounds with Angel Investors on Angels Partners
Daniel Aegerter is the Founder and serves as Partner at Adurion. He established the company after the successful merger of his enterprise software company Tradex Technologies to Ariba for $5.6 billion dollars in March of 2000. Daniel's first business venture was Dynabit, which was founded in 1988 as an importer and distributor for high-end digital publishing peripherals. He had led the company through 12 years of steady growth and consistent profitability, growing its revenue from 0 to 30 million dollars. Tradex was spun off from DYNABIT in 1996, after Dynabit created its own digital market and decided to sell its software to other market makers. Daniel is credited as a visionary behind digital marketplaces, having recognized early on that the most powerful model to structure B2B Commerce over the internet is through digital marketplaces. He started his career at Swiss Bank Corporation as a management trainee and was involved in both commercial and investment banking. He serves on the Advisory Board of several private companies.
Lakestar is a European venture capital firm investing in technology companies led by exceptional entrepreneurs. Lakestar helps companies identify new markets and expand rapidly, with a focus on the US and Europe. Lakestar advises and supports portfolio companies in business development, recruitment, technology and marketing. The firm's investments range from early stage companies to those in their growth stage. Lakestar has presence in Berlin, Zurich and London.
Martin Mignot
Investing in PropTech • BioTech • Busin...
London - New York, U.S.A. - U.K. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland,
Previous Investments
• L'Alveare Che Dice Sì:
$9000000
• Climax Foods:
$44017000000 (Later stage VC)
• Starburst Data:
$118000000 (Later stage VC)
• Fast (Application Software):
$102000000 (Later stage VC)
• Wealthfront:
$75000000 (Later stage VC)
• Duo Security:
$70000000 (Later stage VC)
• Kano Computing:
$28000000 (Later stage VC)
• Figma:
$25000000 (Later stage VC)
• Built Technologies, Inc.:
$21000000 (Early stage VC)
• Behavox:
$20000000 (Later stage VC)
• Less:
$19000000 (Early stage VC)
• Homebell:
$11000000 (Later stage VC)
• Scoop Technologies:
$10600000 (Early stage VC)
• Trouva:
$10000000 (Early stage VC)
• Spendesk:
$8000000 (Early stage VC)
• Gremlin Inc:
$7500000 (Early stage VC)
• Linear:
$4200000 (Early stage VC)
• Supersolid:
$4000000 (Early stage VC)
• Pitch Software:
• Bird:
(early stage)
• Bulb Energy:
(mid stage)
• La Ruche qui dit Oui !:
(mid stage)
• Swiftkey (Acquired by Microsoft):
(mid stage)
• Captain Train (Acquired by Trainline):
(mid stage)
• Seedcamp:
(mid stage)
• Tesseract Energy:
$79000000 (Venture Round)
• Matera:
$8000000 (Series B)
• Matera:
$43000000 (Series B)
• Matera:
$11000000 (Series A)
• Fuse Energy:
$79000000 (Series Unknown)
• Kry:
$160000000 (Series D)
• Kry:
$320000000 (Series D)
• Kry:
$160000000 (Series C)
• Kry:
$66000000 (Series B)
• Kry:
$23000000 (Series A)
• Kry:
$7000000 (Seed)
• Personio:
$200000000 (Series E)
• Personio:
$270000000 (Series E)
• Personio:
$130000000 (Series D)
• Personio:
$75000000 (Series C)
• Personio:
$40000000 (Series B)
• Personio:
$12000000 (Series A)
• Cowboy:
$80000000 (Series C)
• Cowboy:
$27000000 (Series B)
• Cowboy:
$11000000 (Series A)
• Cowboy:
$3000000 (Seed)
• Ankorstore:
$280000000 (Series C)
• Ankorstore:
$100000000 (Series B)
• Ankorstore:
$30000000 (Series A)
• Quantive:
$120000000 (Series C)
• Swile:
$200000000 (Series D)
• Swile:
$79000000 (Series C)
• Swile:
$34000000 (Series B)
• Bloom & Wild:
$42000000 (Series D)
• Bloom & Wild:
$100000000 (Series D)
• yhangry:
$2000000 (Pre Seed)
• cargo.one:
$42000000 (Series B)
• cargo.one:
$19000000 (Series A)
• flatfair:
$11000000 (Series A)
• Revolut:
$250000000 (Series C)
• Revolut:
$66000000 (Series B)
• Revolut:
(Series A)
• Revolut:
$5000000 (Seed)
• Deliveroo:
$98000000 (Series F)
• Deliveroo:
$390000000 (Series F)
• Deliveroo:
$100000000 (Series D)
• Deliveroo:
$70000000 (Series C)
• Deliveroo:
$25000000 (Series B)
• Deliveroo:
$5000000 (Series A)
• Drivy:
$35000000 (Series B)
• Drivy:
$9000000 (Series A)
• Drivy:
$8000000 (Series A)
• Trainline Europe:
$7000000 (Series B)
• Trainline Europe:
$3000000 (Series A)
• Trainline Europe:
$2000000 (Seed)
• BlaBlaCar:
$100000000 (Series C)
• The Family:
$1000000 (Seed)
• The Family:
(Seed)
• Algolia:
$2000000 (Seed)
• SwiftKey:
$18000000 (Series B)
• Rad:
$3000000 (Series A)
Martin Mignot
London - New York, U.S.A. - U.K. - Europe: Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Slovakia, Norway, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland,
Martin Mignot serves as a Partner at Index Ventures. He also serves as Advisory Board Member at TheFamily. He specialises in SaaS, marketplaces, bitcoin and mobile. He worked on 50+ transactions to date, including Assistly, Auxmoney, BaseCRM, Cloud.com, Codecademy, DimDim, Factual, Farfetch, Flipboard, Funding Circle, Gluster, HouseTrip, Just Eat, Lookout, Nasty Gal, Notonthehighstreet, onefinestay, PeoplePerHour, TrustPilot, Soluto and SoundCloud. He is actively looking after Index's investments in Algolia, Capitaine Train, Drivy, Rad and Swiftkey. Prior to joining Index, Martin was in the TMT team at UBS Investment Bank and cofounded the beauty subscription business Boudoir Prive (acquired by Joliebox/Birchbox) and a student web radio service.
Jeff Baehr
Investing in PropTech • Businesses Solutions...
New York, U.S.A. - Canada - Mexico - Global: U.S.A., Australia, Canada, Germany, U.K., Israel, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland - Brazil
Previous Investments
• PrettyDamnQuick:
$6000000 (Seed)
• POSTMODA:
$2000000 (Pre Seed)
Jeff Baehr
New York, U.S.A. - Canada - Mexico - Global: U.S.A., Australia, Canada, Germany, U.K., Israel, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta, Iceland - Brazil
Investing In
PropTech • Businesses Solutions • FinTech (& Financials services) • Entertainment (& Sports) • A.I. (& Big Data) • Web Security (& Privacy) • Insurance (& InsurTech) • Logistics (& Distribution) • Robotics • Real Estate (& Construction) • Mobility
Description
Most Interested In
FinTech/InsurTech/PropTech/ESG/Enterprise Software -
Seed to Growth Equity -
Global Investment Mandate -
Contact: jeff@rueoneinvestments.com
Yarom Ophir
Investing in IT (& TMT) • Insurance (& Insur...
Carouge, Switzerland
Previous Investments
• Kama (Information Services (B2C):
$2520000 (Seed Round)
• Houzz:
(late stage)
• Felix Capital:
(early stage)
• Combatant Gentlemen:
• Costockage:
(early stage)
• The Business of Fashion:
(late stage)
• Katana SA:
(early stage)
• Blue Stream Suisse:
• Blue Stream France S.a. R.L:
• Eden Springs SA:
Yarom Ophir
Carouge, Switzerland
Investing In
IT (& TMT) • Insurance (& InsurTech)
Description
Founder / Chairman of the board
Mr. Yarom Ophir is the Founder & serves as Chairman of the Board at Katana. Mr. Yarom Ophir is an Angel Investor. Mr. Yarom Ophir Co-Founded Blue Stream Suisse.
Fintech: applications built on top of open banking, Saas with integrated fintech products, embedded finance plays.
Insurtech: new risk with new data sets; infrastructure, embedded insurance plays
Not Interested In
If you don't feel you have any link or connection to financial services (in a broad definition), then its probably not an opportunity for me
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