Full throttle every day

Dear reader

Despite the short week, the amount of good news from Swiss start-ups was considerable, and we reported on nine investments this week alone. Most of the money, CHF 4 million, went to Qnami, a Basel start-up that may play an important role in the development and production of quantum computers. The most spectacular coup was achieved by crypto company 21 Shares. With Catherine Wood, who will also sit on the board of directors, the company has brought on board one of the world’s best-known investors. FenX also secured prominent support: in addition to real estate group Swiss Prime Site, former Implenia CEO Anton Affentranger was one of the investors in the CHF 2.7 million seed round.

It is worth noting that these start-ups set an enormously high pace before investors come on board. The Invenda Group tripled sales last year, with American food company Mars Wrigley alone ordering several thousand of the smart, internet-connected vending machines. Now Invenda has concluded a growth financing round. RELE.AI, a start-up that turns WhatsApp into a gateway to enterprise applications, is already globally active and has now completed its first financing round. In addition to the investments in start-ups we reported about the first closing of Privilège Ventures' third fund. 

MoonLake Immunotherapeutics is also fast on the move. The Zug-based biotech start-up, which was incorporated only this year, has in-licensed an antibody fragment from Merck and has already presented very good clinical trial results in a therapy for psoriasis.

Thanks to support from health insurer Sanitas, Pregnolia can now accelerate the market launch of its test system for pregnant women. Although the Pregnolia procedure is currently not yet a benefit under the Health Insurance Act, Sanitas will cover the costs.

CDR-Life, which was recently awarded the Innosuisse certificate, is on the way to its first clinical tests. Our article explains the particular qualities of the biotech start-up’s cancer immunotherapies.

The high quality and speed in reaching milestones is also reflected in awards: this year the WA de Vigier Foundation selected 12 finalists instead of the usual 10.

And the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award is also bringing in innovations. This year, for the first time, the public vote will not have one but ten winners - one for each vertical – and voting is open now.

Startup Days is a fixed point on the agenda, and this year visitors will be able to participate in certain programme elements of the hybrid event on 23 June in Bern’s Kursaal. Startup Days was selected by canton Bern as one of the few events in a Covid-19 pilot project. Sale of the limited tickets has started.

Have a good weekend.
Stefan Kyora 

Editor in Chief, Startupticker.ch