The Top 20 VC Firms In Switzerland [2024]

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Updated: January 20th, 2022

While Swiss is famous for the beautiful landscape, the country also occupies a leading position on various global rankings for its innovative strength and competitiveness.

According to the 2021 overall best countries ranking report, Switzerland has a low unemployment rate, a skilled labor force, and one of the highest GDP per capita globally.

The report further explains that the country’s strong economy is powered by the low corporate tax rates, and a highly developed service sector, led by financial services.

Switzerland is also notable for its strong banking sector. The country reporting rules and legislation have led to a more transparent ecosystem. However, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are allowed to conduct business through the offshore entities and various intermediaries.

image source: usnews.com

If the above statistics and reports are anything to go by, Switzerland has so much to offer in terms of startup ecosystem.

Are you looking for a VC firm for your Switzerland based startup?

Finding the right investment firm for your startup can be a daunting task.

There are a number of successful venture capital firms in Switzerland, and we've curated a list of the best local firms in the area. Additionally, we provide you with:

Investment size
Funding stages
Typical industries the firm works with
Well known companies the VC firm has invested in

Here's the list:

1. CVVC

Location: Zug, Switzerland
Industries: Blockchain
Investment Range: $50K – $500K.
Stage: Seed, Pre-series A, and Series A
Companies invested in: Sprinter, Asvin, Geon, Utopia, Flovtech, AdHash, Orvium, Blocksport, Tezsure, Vault wines, Math for Money.

CVVC invests in startups focusing on building blockchain technologies. The early-stage VC firm supports startups through an incubator and ecosystem businesses consisting of co-working spaces, advisory services, and networking events.

The firm targets the best startups building applications at the intersection of the six verticals - future of work, lifestyle & health, education & science, Security & identity, E-commerce & Logistics, Finance & investing. Apart from financing their portfolio companies, the VC firm provides technical guidance through their CV labs brands. their typical investment range is $50K-$500K.

Learn more about CVVC ➜

2. Verve Ventures

Location: Berlin, Cambridge, Lausanne, Paris, Zug, Zurich.
Industries: Science and Technology
Investment Range: $800K - $1.5M
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Flayability, Beekeeper, 9T Labs, Aktila, Memo therapeutics, Cognism, Verity, Byrd, Onward.

Verve Ventures invests in science and technology startups. The VC firm focuses on accelerating the growth of its portfolio companies from the seed stage onwards. They seek to partner with passionate and resilient entrepreneurs who are dedicated to building disruptive technology-driven companies. The typical investment range for Verve Ventures is around $800K to $1.5M initially.

Learn more about Verve Ventures ➜

3. Wingman Ventures

Location: Zurich, Lexembourg, Lausanne.
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: CHF 100K to CHF 1M
Stage: Pre-seed, Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Archlet, Bring, Archilogic, AirConsole, Algrano, 9T Labs, Knip, Kollabo, DillySocks.

Wingman Ventures backs ambitious founder teams through their pre-seed and seed stages.

The VC firm invests between CHF 100K and CHF 1M in the initial investment round. Apart from financial backup, the VC firm commits to standing by the portfolio companies to provide day-to-day strategic advice.

Wingman Ventures works with successful tech founders and connects them to a network of inspiring entrepreneurs.

Learn more about Wingman Ventures ➜

4. Swisscom Ventures

Location: Zurich, Bern, Palo Alto, Lausanne.
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: $1M - $20M
Stage: Seed Stage, Series A, Series B, Series C
Companies invested in: Ecorobotix, Unsupervise, Rready, Deepomatic, Bitmovin, Cognism, Aircall, Gmelius, Yokov, Scandit.

Swisscom Ventures invests in technology-focused companies. In addition to financing, the VC firm offers portfolio companies access to key experts in the lines of business, technical infrastructure, and market channels.

Swisscom ventures believe in long-term investment partnerships. Therefore, they prefer series A investment rounds and take an active role in developing companies, which includes sitting in board meetings.

Their typical investment range falls between $1M and $20 Million for the Growth stage companies.

Learn more about Swisscom Ventures ➜

5. Lakestar

Location: Zurich, Berlin, London, New York, and Hong Kong.
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: €100K - €5Million.
Stage: Seed Stage and Growth Stage
Companies invested in: Accurx, Aglet, Auterion, Blockchain, Builder.AI, Cadre, Cedar, Casafari, Eigen, Five, Glovo.

Lakestar is a leading venture capital investing in technology companies that have shown a high-growth potential.

The VC firm targets the early stage and the growth-stage ventures led by outstanding founders and focuses on the internet and technologies that can scale quickly. The venture capitalists' typical investments range between €100K and €5Million.

Learn more about Lakestar ➜

6. PolyTech Ventures

Location: Switzerland
Industries: Fintech, Healthcare
Investment Range: CHF100K - CHF 500K
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: inpher, Saphetor, BluieFox, Weft, Kwik, Lend, Apelab, Domo Safety, Altoida, Nesaza, SwissPay.

Polytech Ventures is an early-stage Venture capitalist with an international focus. The venture capitalist targets early-stage financial services, healthcare ventures, and software startups and prefer making initial investments during the seed round. The VC firm's typical investment range is between CHF100K and CHF 500K.

However, the firm has the ability to invest up to CHF 2.5 Million in a company.

Learn more about PolyTech Ventures ➜

7. EQT

Location: Singapore, Paris, Switzerland
Industries: Industrial Technology, TMT, Healthcare.
Investment Range: EUR 2M - EUR 50M
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: Mollie, Wolt, Nordic Aviation Capital.

EQT Group is a private equity firm that has invested across regions and geographies. The firm has many years of looking for business and places where there is an industrial approach.

They have experience and knowledge in the business world and their strategy for investments. Multiple companies have joined them looking for growth.

Learn more about EQT ➜

8. Index Ventures

Location: Australia, London, San Francisco, Geneva
Industries: All Sectors
Investment Range: $100K - $1 Million
Stage: All Stages
Companies invested in: Dropbox,Roblox, ArthurAI, Etsy, Elastic, Adyen, Figma, glossier, Datadog, Trustpilot, Squarespace.
No. of Investments made : 1033
No. of Portfolio Exits: 216

Index Ventures works with entrepreneurs and their companies at every stage, and across every sector.

The VC firm will often invest between $100K and $2Million as a pre-venture investment in seed-stage companies. Investments at a later Stage depend on the business potential.

Learn more about Index Ventures ➜

9. Mountain Partners

Location: Europe, Zurich, Munich, Berlin
Industries: Fintech, Insuretech, Protech, E-commerce, Enterprise, Healthtech, and media companies
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: OneConcepts, Elephants, Alphabet, Myos, Amber, andalin, Airnow, Ascon, Avedos.

Mountain Partners invests in Fintech, Insuretech, Protech, E-commerce, Enterprise, Healthtech, and media companies. The VC firm believes that the digital revolution is transforming all industries at an exceptional speed, and so traditional businesses will continue to be challenged and disrupted by the new digital startups.

Mountain partners support and finances companies in the early incubation phase, and internalize the proven business models while providing active local management and bringing them to the public markets.

Learn more about Mountain Partners ➜

10. Redalpine Venture Partners

Location: Zurich, Munsbach
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Seed Stage, Series A.
Companies invested in: N26, Carvolution, Zenjob, Versantis, Felmo, Beams, Luya, Sanity Group, Collato, Araris.

Redalpine Venture Partners invest in seed-stage and Series A companies focusing on disruptive technologies within the ICT and Health Tech sectors.

Their focus is to help talented entrepreneurs turn their ambitions into reality. Therefore, the venture capitalist invests money, experience, and coaching to enable the startup founders to chase their dreams.

Learn more about Redalpine Venture Partners ➜

11. Medicxi

Location: London, Switzeland, Jersy,
Industries: Life Sciences
Investment Range: Not Disclosed
Stage: Early-stage and Late-stage
Companies invested in: Bioixell, Capella BioScience, Addex Therapeutics, Acutus Medical, Ariad, Aura, Genmab, FF Pharma, Egalet.

Medicxi Ventures is an early-stage and late-stage VC firm focusing on bringing novel therapies to patients in need.

To achieve the objective, the Vc firm invests in and supports promising biotech companies along the full drug development continuum, from the discovery stage to pivotal studies and registration.

The Venture capitalist strives to minimize complex governance structures that might fetter innovation and create difficulties when it comes to reaching scientific breakthroughs.

Learn more about Medicxi ➜

12. Highland Europe

Location: Geneva, Switzerland, London.
Industries: Internet, Mobile, and Software companies.
Investment Range: Not Disclosed
Stage: Growth Stage
Companies invested in: IT Active Fence, Adjust, Alkemics, AMCS, Bitmovin, Brandwatch, Camunda, Cobalt.

Highland Europe is a growth stage VC firm focusing on the internet, mobile, and software sectors.

The VC firm provides growth capital for exceptional founders. Apart from the financial commitment, the VC firm guarantees total commitment to a collaborative and successful relationship with the portfolio companies.

The venture capital firm targets the companies that address large market opportunities, and have shown the potential to have over €10 million in annualized revenues.

Learn more about Highland Europe ➜

13. Novartis Venture Fund

Location: Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland
Industries: Healthcare
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Seed stage to growth stage
Companies invested in: Catalym, enterprise Therapeutics, Expansion Therapeutics, Gentibio, FoRx therapeutics, Fore, Faze medicines.

Novartis Venture Fund is a stage agnostic VC firm focusing on the healthcare sector. The VC firm engages in seed-stage and later-stage investments. Novartis Venture fund takes the lead or the co-lead position and plays an active role on company boards.

Learn more about Novartis Venture Fund ➜

14. Versant Ventures

Location: Basel, San Francisco, New York, Sann Diego, Toronto, Vancouver.
Industries: Healthcare
Investment Range: Not Disclosed
Stage: Early Stage and Late Stage
Companies invested in: Adverum, Akero, Aligos Therapeutics, Alter, amira, Biotie Therapies, Audentes, Aprea, Anokion.

Versant Ventures invests in early-stage and later-stage companies that focus on the healthcare sector. The VC firm commits to helping exceptional entrepreneurs build the next generation of successful ventures.

The venture capitalist emphasizes the biotechnology companies that work towards discovering and developing novel therapeutics.

Learn more about Versant Ventures ➜

15. Backbone Ventures

Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Industries: Sector Agnostic
Investment Range: Not Disclosed
Stage: Seed Stage
Companies invested in: CareerFairy, Dropz, Flytrex, The Nu+Company, Boostbar, Neon, SuperMeat, Levo, Starchy, Voliro.

Backbone Ventures focuses on the early-stage companies in areas of innovative ICT, Food Technology, and other disruptive technologies. The venture capitalist commits to achieving a positive impact for the next generation of companies.

Therefore, the VC firm works towards empowering access to proficient venture investments.

Learn more about Backbone Ventures ➜

16. Blue Horizon

Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Industries: Food Technology
Investment Range: Not Disclosed
Stage: Early Stage
Companies invested in: Plantable, Beyond meat, LiveKindly, Veestro, New Roots, Tipa, Algama, Lighter.

Blue Horizon invests in companies and businesses that are in the agriculture and food processing sector.

The VC firm is on a mission of supporting the companies that invest in and build alternative food that is better for our planet. Therefore, the VC firm is constantly looking out for innovative disruptors at the different stages of development. They prefer seed-stage and early-stage ventures.

Learn more about Blue Horizon ➜

17. Momenta Ventures

Location: Engelberg, Obwalden, Switzerland
Industries: Digital Industry
Investment Range: $1M to $5M
Stage: Early Growth
Companies invested in: Axino, Axiom Cloud, CloudLeaf, Crate.io, Edge Impulse, EquipmentShare, Fixposition, Fleet Space, Freewire, HighByte, InSkill, Litmus, Mutable, Senseye, SightMachine, Smartex, ThingStream, WasteHero.

Momenta is the leading Digital Industry venture capital + growth firm accelerating deep-tech and digital innovators across the Industrial IoT ecosystem, with a particular focus on energy, manufacturing, smart spaces, and supply chain sectors.

The firm invests in early growth (Seed through Series B) stage companies, accelerating growth with their world-class advisory and talent teams, and backing by their deep industry networks.

Founded by deep industry operators, Momenta has made more than 50 investments, worked with 150 industry customers, and placed more than 250 executives.

Learn more about Momenta Ventures ➜

18. Equity Pitcher Ventures

Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Industries: Technology
Investment Range: Not Disclosed
Stage: Early Stage
Companies invested in: Anybotics, Opinary, Airconsole, Rready, Lumiform, Backbone, BeelinguApp, Cormo, Xatena.

Equity Pitcher invests in early growth stage companies focusing on transformational technologies. The VC firm seeks to invest in series A onwards and shows interest in companies that have proof of concept and can demonstrate promising initial traction in the market through an innovative business model.

Equity Pitcher VEntures connects the portfolio companies to a network of decision-makers in the respective target markets. Besides, the investors promote the exchange within the portfolio network by linking founders through their networking events.

Learn more about Equity Pitcher Ventures ➜

19. Partners Group

Location: Zug, Denver, Houston, Toronto, New York, São Paulo.
Industries: Sector Agnostic
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Early Stage
Companies invested in: Arcaqnum, Ammega, BCR Group, Breitling, CapeOmega, Civica, Eolo, Foncia, Greenlink Interconnector.

Partners Group is a private equity business that invests in leading businesses with development potential for generating attractive returns.

The private equity business aims to build portfolio companies with a high-performance record. Therefore, the VC firm works closely with the management of their portfolio firms on targeted value-creation initiatives.

When it comes to investment approach, partner group targets companies within the Goods & products, health & Life, Services and Technology sectors.

Learn more about Partners Group ➜

20. HBM Healthcare Investments Ltd

Location: Zug, Switzerland
Industries: Healthcare
Investment Range: Not disclosed
Stage: Later Stage
Companies invested in: Harmony Biosciences, Shanghai Cathay Biotech, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Neurelis, BioAtla, Y-MAbs therapeutics.

HBM Healthcare invests in high-growth potential companies that promise to generate long-term capital gains.

The VC firm targets private and public companies in the human medicine, biotechnology, medical technology, and diagnostics sectors. Ideally, the VC firm invests in the later stage private companies that are attractively valued and have a convincing business model.

Learn more about HBM Healthcare Investments Ltd ➜

Conclusion

The innovative strength of the Swiss economy is often underestimated. This is based on the country’s large number of global innovation leaders, only known to the specialists.

In the year 2020, startups generated more than CHF 2 billion from VC firms for the second consecutive year.

In addition, early stage financing from Swiss VC firms increased sharply in 2020, and attracted a significantly larger share of the investment.

Such reports indicate that the Swiss start-up scene is very diverse, and has proven to be a strength in a crisis.

Therefore, the establishment of venture capital as an asset class for Swiss startup ecosystem is progressing.

Do you have an idea you would want to see taking off? Check out our top 20 VC firms in Switzerland and send your pitch.

meet the author

Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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