New sources of funding required

Dear reader

The IPO has once again become the declared goal of many founders and there is great interest in start-ups that dare to go public. Our article on Sophia Genetics’ IPO was the most read this week and further IPO candidates are in the pipeline. In order to make the Swiss stock exchange more attractive to more companies, the exchange operator SIX has now announced a new segment for fast-growing SMEs – a reason is the sharp rise in VC investments and the associated larger number of start-ups ready to go public.

If the evolutionary process of the Swiss start-up scene is to continue, such innovations are important when it comes to financing and this applies to the entire start-up lifecycle. BRIDGE, a joint programme from the Swiss National Science Foundation and Innosuisse, supports researchers at the beginning of this cycle in further development of their results into innovative products and services. The results of the four-year pilot phase are very positive: BRIDGE funding recipients have founded no fewer than 67 start-ups and funding has now been increased for a further four-year period.

Collaboration with SMEs, which can offer an alternative way of financing for start-ups, also has much potential. One example is the joint venture between Aleva Neurotherapeutics and DIXI Medical, which is progressing much faster than planned.

Start-ups have learned to address different groups of investors and to use financing instruments, as AgroSustain shows. Investors in its just completed financing round include a Swiss VC, a family office and a traditional German company from the agricultural sector.

Swiss start-ups must also constantly try to win customers and thus generate sales. This week, Droople and Konova, as well as Swiss drone start-ups, provided examples of success. A new study examined the development of the Swiss drone industry for the first time and delivered impressive figures: it shows an astonishing breadth of innovative hardware and software start-ups in this sector, with export rates of more than 90%.

I would like to point out once again the imminent deadlines for the i4Challenge from Basel Area, Switzerland Innovation’s Tech4Impact programme, the Ticino Boldbrain Challenge and Venturelab’s Venture Leaders Technology. Voting is open until 18 July for your favourite start-up in the public vote for the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award.

Registration for Innosuisse’s Scale-Up Coaching is also open until July 23. Speaking of Innosuisse, Hemotune has been awarded the Innosuisse certificate. Find out in our article how the start-up fights sepsis and how its development is going.

Have a sunny weekend.
Stefan Kyora

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch