Venture Leaders Medtech roadshow 2024: A report from Boston

12.11.2024 16:00, Rita Longobardi

The Venture Leaders— the Swiss National Startup Team members— have a clear objective: They envision themselves as global players and aim for international expansion. The Venture Leaders Medtech roadshow 2024 brought 10 handpicked Swiss entrepreneurs to Cambridge and Boston, the world’s largest life sciences hub. The Swiss National Startup Team members benefited from market exposure, pitch sessions with investors and experts, and hands-on business development. The roadshow is organized by Venturelab and Swissnex Boston and New York and supported by EPFL, ETH Zürich, Hansjörg Wyss, Health Innovation Hub Aargau, Kellerhals Carrard, Canton de Vaud, Canton Zurich, and Vischer.

Venturelab has been organizing international investor and business development roadshows for the Swiss National Startup Teams since 2006. The ambitious entrepreneurs and their promising startups are introduced to high-class investors and potential customers in leading technology hubs such as Silicon Valley, Boston, Asia, Barcelona, Munich, and London.

The Venture Leaders Medtech roadshow offers a one-week deep dive into the Cambridge and Boston life science ecosystem. This world’s largest life sciences hub is home to leading US medical centers and universities, including the globally renowned Harvard and MIT. The program includes pitch sessions with US investors, expert workshops, industry insights, exchanges with their peers in the team, and hands-on business development. Venture Leaders Medtech alumni include high-performing startups such Aimago (acquired by Novaday Technologies), Credentis (acquired by vVardi, KB Medical (acquired by Globus Medical), Lunaphore Technologies (acquired by Bio-Techne), STIMIT (acquired by Dräger), Abionic, Aleva Neurotherapeutics, Cutiss, Distalmotion, hemotune, MindMaze, Virtamed, ZuriMed Technologies, and many more.



Swiss medtech startups impress Boston investors and experts
The 10 members of the Swiss National Startup Team, selected from 60 applications, not only build a strong network in the United States but are also part of a team of entrepreneurs who share the same objectives and challenges. The startups presented an exceptional lineup addressing global healthcare challenges across diverse areas such as increasing organ transplant availability, enhancing orthopaedic aftercare with implantable biosensors, improving fertility treatments, or leveraging AI to transform complex disease data into actionable insights for precision medicine. 

"The Venture Leaders Medtech program was an outstanding experience that helped me sharpen my pitch, introduced me to the thriving US startup and VC landscape, and fostered strong connections with my peers and influential stakeholders. I am equipped with a wealth of insights, and valuable feedback and am excited to carry these learnings forward." Waldemar Hoffmann, CEO of Apersys.


The week-long roadshow in Boston included investor pitch and feedback sessions with Beacon Venture Partners, MedScience Ventures, Knightsbridge Advisers, Johnson and Johnson, and RA Capital.

"Being part of the Venture Leaders Medtech in Boston was a valuable experience. It not only unlocked a vast and invaluable network of industry professionals but also provided us with the unique opportunity to pitch to investors and learn directly from some of the most esteemed leaders in the field." Anna Luisa Schaffgotsch, CEO of Impli.

Furthermore, the founders built their regulatory, IP, and legal knowledge on setting up shop in the US and how to scale the team and their startup in expert workshop sessions. The group also participated in business development sessions with Helbling Technik, and met with US entrepreneurs to learn from their experiences.

"The Venture Leaders Medtech Roadshow in Boston was an eye-opener to the American entrepreneurial world. For us, it was the perfect opportunity to pitch to investors and connect with the innovative healthcare ecosystem." David Sachs, co-founder of Citus.




The Swiss National Startup Team was also invited for a business reception by Swiss Consul Benjamin Bollman in Boston. Mid-week, the Venture Leaders pitched before an audience of Boston guests at Swissnex Boston and New York. Pablo Lara from OncoSwab, and Waldemar Hoffmann, CEO of Apersys, made it to the final. Pablo won the pitch fest and get the chance to gain an even deeper understanding of the US market.

"Venture Leaders Medtech provided me with a transformative experience. Being among the top 10 Swiss medtech startups driving technological innovation was incredibly inspiring. The unique opportunity to access an international network of experts and top investors offered invaluable advice and insights for our startup." Pablo Lara, co-founder of OncoSwab.

Stefan Steiner, co-managing director at Venturelab summarized the roadshow as follows: “I was thoroughly impressed with the 10 participants in the Swiss National Startup Team and how they seamlessly integrated into the Boston ecosystem. Feedback from investors and industry leaders confirms that Switzerland can be proud, and we don't need to hide as we have world-class startups. I am convinced that we will hear about financing rounds shortly.”

With additional opportunities for personal meetings before their flight back to Switzerland, the participants left Boston enriched with firsthand feedback from US investors, new insights on the cultural differences that should be taken into account when fundraising abroad, and advice from experts covering all aspects of US market entry.

Venture Leaders Medtech is organized by Venturelab and Swissnex Boston and New York and supported by EPFL, ETH Zürich, Hansjörg Wyss, Health Innovation Hub Aargau, Kellerhals Carrard, Canton de Vaud, Canton Zurich, and Vischer.

The Venture Leaders Medtech 2024 that traveled to Boston: