The Week in Swiss Startups (11-20.12.2023) - End of Year #51
The last newsletter for 2023 features 11 startups and 3 exits. ARRtist is coming to Zurich! EOY recap and thank you for following the newsletter!
Hi there,
This is the last "The Week in Swiss Startups" for 2023! I hope you've had a blast reading the weekly newsletter and discovering cool companies and news.
π Just one little ask π: Help me reach more founders, investors and startup operators:
But, before I wrap up the year, let's share some data and highlights from another exciting year in Switzerland:
π The newsletter
The weekly newsletter grew from 361 to 874 subscribers (+142%).
The open rate remained stable at 52%.
Two companies (LEVA, SalesPlaybook) sponsored the newsletter for the first time - thank you for your trust π!
Most read newsletter:
Most viewed LinkedIn post: Switzerland, who are the founders behind the most exciting Generative AI startups?
π¨π The ecosystem (source: dealroom.co)
YTD, Swiss startups raised $2.8B compared to $4B+ in 2022 (-30%). Despite this, Switzerland maintains its position as the sixth-largest startup ecosystem in Europe in terms of investment volume.
The n. of funding rounds has held steady at 380 in 2023, mirroring the figure from 2022 (388). Noteworthy is the uptick in money invested at the Pre-seed/Seed, reaching $238 million in 2023 compared to $230 million in 2022. However, Series A investments saw a decrease of $87 million in 2023.
Growth rounds: four startups raked in $100 million or more each in 2023, amassing a total of ~$475 million. In contrast, 2022 saw five Swiss startups hitting the $100 million+ mark, tallying a substantial $1.5 billion. Notably, the largest financing round in 2022, led by Climeworks at CHF 600 million, exceeded the combined total of four $100 million rounds in 2023.
ETH Zurich and EPFL going big for AI/ML!
This is just a sneak peek into the world of Swiss startups in 2023. Keep an eye out for the Swiss Venture Capital Report, set to be published by startupticker and SECA in January β24!
Thanks for following along! Stay tuned for more exciting news and projects in 2024!
Gian
P.S.: Do you want to support/sponsor the weekly newsletter? Discover your options here!
Financing rounds
AI/ML
Cortexia: CHF 2.5M
B2B SaaS
Unique: CHF 5.6M - Seed extension
highr: CHF 300k - Pre-seed
Biotech
Vandria: $20.6M - Series A
GliaPharm: $4.2M
Cleantech
Metafuels: $8M - Seed
4QT: CHF 1.9M - Pre-seed
Planeto: CHF 100k - Convertible Loan
Gametech
AirConsole / N-Dream: β¬3M
Medtech
Aesyra: $3M - Seed
Avelo: CHF 1.5M - Grant
β
Exits
Blue Water Biotech Inc. acquires Proteomedix
TotalEnergies acquires Predictive Layer
Swisscom Broadcast acquires Veertly
β
Swisspreneur Podcast
Listen to Reto Naef, founder and former CEO of β TOPADUR PHARMA AGβ : Disruptive Therapies for Aging Diseases - EP #364
β
News and events
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