TOP 100 - Meet the 5 Fast Climbers Startups of 2019 Ranking

31.01.2020 17:51, Guillaume Tinsel

The TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award ranking features young companies from a range of different sectors. Meet the 5 Swiss startups which took the top spots in the as the fast climbers in this year's ranking. Each year 100 investors and experts choose their ten favourite young companies with the most promising business idea. The result is the TOP 100 Swiss Startup ranking. These experts rely on their instinct to propose startups with the best success potential. Year after year, the ranking provides an instant picture of the most innovative and promising young companies in Switzerland. This 5 Swiss startups had the best progression in this year's ranking.

 1. Volumina Medical, Epalinges (VD), rank 15, +81 
The restoration of soft tissue after an operation or accident poses a challenge. Existing solutions often require extensive surgery or repeated treatment. The carrier structure, the technical term is ‘scaffold’, developed by Volumina Medical can be injected in a minimally invasive procedure and helps to restore the natural shape of the soft tissue. The start-up has impressed both Venture Kick and Venture Leaders.
Volumina Medical is a spin-off from  EPFL that is developing an injectable biomaterial that aims to restore soft tissue shape and form following reconstructive surgery (e.g in order to reconstruct the breast after tumour ablation). The biomaterial has emerged from innovative technology developed by physicist and materials scientist Amélie Béduer (below) with Thomas Braschler at Professor Philippe Renaud’s Microsystem Laboratory. The biomaterial is at a relatively early stage of development, but Volumina is planning to test the novel material in patients in the coming years. A seed financing with investment companies and private investors was completed last year. “We have received many positive responses to our technology and approach,” confirms CEO Béduer. The start-up is based in the StartLab incubator at the Biopôle life sciences campus, at Epalinges near Lausanne.



 2. T3 Pharmaceutical, Basel, rank 24, +77
The biotech start-up’s platform enables living bacteria to be turned into cancer drugs. The bacteria are used to detect tumours and colonise them, and then to deposit therapeutic proteins that destroy the tumour. The goal is to begin clinical trials on people with a first drug candidate in 2020.

 3. Ledgy, Zürich, rank 13, +69
Ledgy has developed software for the digital management of share registers and employee stock ownership, and which also facilitates communication with investors. In the medium term, it wants to digitise transactions, and thus become the leading online platform for the digital settlement of equity transactions in private companies.

 4. Crypto Finance, Zug, rank 17, +56
Crypto Finance AG specialises in crypto assets; the pioneer and its subsidiaries cover the entire digital asset value chain. Crypto Fund, for example, is the first FINMA-approved asset manager for crypto funds in Switzerland, and since autumn 2018 has launched several products for the rapidly growing investment class.

 5. Astrocast, Ecublens, rank 12, +41
Astrocast’s ambitious goal is to see 80 satellites orbiting the globe to create a global network for the Internet of Things, so that sensors, machines or buildings can be connected to the internet even in remote areas or at sea. The EPFL spin-off is making good progress in implementing the vision: the first test satellite was put into orbit in winter 2018, followed by the second in spring of this year.