Yova completes financing cycle of CHF 11 million to accelerate growth

17.05.2021 17:15, Isabelle Mitchell

Yova, the impact investing platform founded in Zurich in 2017, continues its dynamic growth trajectory. In a recently completed financing round, the company raised CHF 11 million. Yova is financed by renowned investors, including Carole Ackermann (CEO at Diamondscull; VR at BKW, BVZ, BNP Paribas Switzerland, Allianz Suisse, and others) or Christoph Sutter (Axpo, founder of Southpole as well as myclimate) as well as the Swiss Federal Technology Fund. In 2020, Yova was a Venture Leader Fintech and one of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups.

“Yova strikes a chord, and especially among the younger generation,” explained Carole Ackermann. “Young people want to help shape a sustainable world but don’t want to miss out on a transparent and technologically state-of-the-art one.” Tillmann Lang, CEO and co-founder of Yova added, “These funds will allow us to expand our Swiss business as well as our European operations in a timely manner and at full speed. As a result, this funding round was almost three times the size compared to the one in April 2020.” In the first four months of this year, the number of customers has already almost doubled. Yova is growing primarily from its own customer base: Every second, new customers come via recommendations from existing customers, i.e., from Yova’s own community. Yova is currently expanding its team. In addition to the current 30 employees, 20 more positions are to be filled in the short term.

As yet another step towards success, Yova announces a grant of CHF 3 million from the Swiss Technology Fund. This fund, established by the Swiss Confederation, guarantees loans to Swiss companies whose novel products facilitate a sustainable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The pledge of support from the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) attests to the fact that Yova and its impact investors are successfully doing just that. As a result of Yova’s strong growth, a CO₂ reduction of more than 10,000 tons could already be achieved in the portfolios last year.

Sustainable investments for everyone
At Yova, investors can invest in sustainable companies starting from as little as CHF 2,000. No financial knowledge is required, as they are guided digitally through the portfolio process. This gives consumers 100% transparency on what they are investing in and at what cost. At the beginning of the investment process, investors can choose from 16 themes such as “plant-based food,” “renewable energy,” or “access to education,” and eight exclusion criteria such as “no nuclear energy” or “no animal testing.”

The customer then creates his individual risk profile and receives suggestions from a mix of 400 companies in which Yova invests for him based on his previous information and setting. The user can further customize his mix of companies and choose from more than 800 additional companies to add to his favorites. 

Yova invests only in publicly traded companies, in large mid- and large-caps, from wind turbine manufacturers to Beyond Meat to Tesla. The final portfolio consists of 30 to 40 stocks spread across different industries, countries, currencies, and company sizes. In addition to stocks, each strategy includes government bonds. The cost ranges from 0.6% to 1.2%, depending on the amount invested. The fee is an “all-in fee,” meaning there are no other costs, such as transaction or netting fees.

In 2020, Yova was a Venture Leader Fintech and one of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups. 


The Yova co-founders (from left to right): Erik Gloerfeld, Tillmann Lang, and Christoph Birkholz