Investments in Swiss Startups Doubles in the First Half of 2019 to Exceed CHF 1 Billion

02.07.2019 17:00, Stefan Steiner

Venture capital investment in Swiss startups doubled to exceed a billion Swiss francs during the first half of 2019, driven by funding rounds in GetYourGuide, Sophia Genetics and ADC Therapeutics.

After record investment in 2018, the venture capital market has stayed strong in 2019. Venturelab data shows equity investments rose to 1.02 billion francs during the first half of 2019, compared to 492 million francs in equity, loans and grants during the same period last year. The billion-franc milestone passed in the first six months of 2019, exceeds all the funding Swiss startups raised during the whole 2017 and represents three-quarters of the venture capital funding recorded in 2018 by the Swiss Venture Capital Report.
 

Investment boom: number and total volume of deals increased strongly

Data from Swiss Venture Insights Report shows the number of funding rounds closed by Swiss startups in the first half of 2019 rose 50 percent, from 102 to 153 rounds, another record. Swiss startups in ICT, biotech, medtech, and fintech raised the most investment. The 10 biggest Swiss funding rounds in 2019:



“Swiss startups are able to secure large funding rounds and combined with the continued strength of public markets is likely to further feed the momentum,” says Stefan Steiner, co-managing director of Venturelab. He expects very strong results and more large funding rounds during the second half of 2019. “M&A has always been the predominant exit route for venture-backed companies, but I’m pretty sure we will also see some IPOs from Swiss startups in the near future.” Sign up for the free Startup Funding newsletter to to stay a step ahead on fundraising of Swiss startups.

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