www.top100startup.ch September 2018 20 18 startupA magazine from

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BEEKEEPER CEO CRISTIAN GROSSMANN KEEPS UP THE PACE Pascal Koenig Head of Ava takes his team to first place for the second time THE BEST TOP SWISS 100 STARTUPS Best Bank in Switzerland

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aking top place in the With 47 recently formed firms nominated 2018 ranking for the se- this year, and the top 10 places occupied by cond consecutive year, scale-ups – the term now used to describe Ava illustrates the good high-growth startups – the TOP 100 offers a health of growth capital panorama of the full range of startups, ena- in Switzerland, with its bling discerning investors to make their CHF 30 million raised mark in the phase that interests them, from last June. In recent months, CHF 270 million start-up to growth. Expect to discover exci- Tin cumulative funds have been raised by ting investment prospects not only in the just eight Venturelab-supported startups – ranking laid out in this magazine, but also Ava, Andrew Alliance, Climeworks, GetYour- during the new TOP 100 events that will be Guide, InSphero, Kandou, Neurimmune und held in Geneva in September and Lausanne Scandit. It wouldn›t be surprising if 2018 in October, then throughout the year. were a record year in terms of investment! These developments are excellent news With startup financing rounds ofCHF 2 for startups. While we don’t suggest that fi- million or CHF 3 million by now common- nancing has become easy – startups hoping place, it is now the turn of growth capital to to benefit from the wealth of financing explode in Switzerland. We are seeing incre- available funds must show hard results, asing interest from both Swiss and interna- now as much as ever – the arrival of capital tional investors, from Silicon Valley to China does make it possible to compete internatio- – a winning combination for startups with nally ; to attract the necessary talent and in- global ambitions – as well as from family vest in the commercial expansion that is so firms and wealthy private individuals, who essential to the creation of future captains increasingly recognize the potential of Swiss of industry. startups. We are talking about CHF 1 billion The opportunity is open for Swiss star- in growth funding that will be available by tups to demonstrate this essential part of 2019. our culture: the secret is in the execution.

Beat Schillig, founder and president of Venturelab; Stefan Steiner, co-managing director of Venturelab; Jordi Montserrat, Venturelab co-founder and managing partner.

STARTUP 2018 3 CREATING INNOVATIONS TOGETHER

Together with our group companies we promote innovative start-ups and industry- shaping solutions in real estate, real estate services, retail and assisted living. For the living spaces of tomorrow.

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RZ_SPS_Inserat_Ventures_Top100_210x282mm.indd 1 17.08.18 10:47 CONTENTS TOP 100 STARTUPS 2018

TOP 100

10 | Rank 1: Ava Data working for women 14 | Rank 2: Bestmile Linking passengers and robotaxis Three funding rounds in four years: Diego 17 | Rank 3: Lunaphore Technologies High-frequency tissue analysis Gabriel Dupouy, Ata Tuna Ciftlik and Déborah 18 | Rank 4: Flyability Spherical drones flying high Heintze of Lunaphore Technologies 18 | Rank 5: Cutiss Personalised skin – large areas grown artificially 22 | Rank 6: Piavita Medtech in the horsebox 23 | Rank 7: Wingtra Flying high-performance cameras 24 | Rank 8: Gamaya Smart algorithms for farming 25 | Rank 9: Advanon When investors buy invoices 25 | Rank 10: Versantis Help for liver failure 28 | Rank 11 to 100: 90 start-ups on 14 pages and the results of the special categories 58 | The jury A to Z of the experts who voted

STARTUP 2018 5 CONTENTS TOP 100 STARTUPS 2018

Scene 26 | Dynamic: Numbers from the Swiss startup scene 48 | Deep tech: How Europe is reinventing itself 54 | Scale-up: Interview with Beekeeper CEO, Cristian Grossmann 56 | Sought after: Former TOP 100 companies acquired by groups

Their sensors take the pulse of sick horses: Dorina Thiess and Sascha Bührle of Piavita.

IMPRINT

Startup.ch magazine Chief editor Stefan Barmettler [email protected] ISBN: 978-3-9524325-3-2 is a supplement to Handelszeitung Editor Stefan Mair Publisher address Art director Wernie Baumeler Handelszeitung Printer Swissprinters AG, Zofingen TOP 100 Startups Photographer Sebastian Magnani for Ringier Axel Springer Schweiz AG, Concept IFJ Institut für StartUp Magazine Flurstrasse 55, 8021 Zurich Publisher Jungunternehmen AG Tel: 058 269 22 20 Ringier Axel Springer Schweiz AG Kesslerstrasse 9, 9000 St. Gallen Editorial office Handelszeitung, [email protected] Tel: 071 242 98 98 Flurstrasse 55, 8021 Zurich, Inserted in Handelszeitung [email protected]; www.ifj.ch Tel: 058 269 22 80, Marketing no. 36, 6 September 2018 Implementation IFJ Institut für Jung­ Fax: 058 269 22 20, Admeira AG. Sales services advertising, unternehmen, St. Gallen; [email protected], Tel: 058 909 99 62 Disclosure of JNB Journalistenbüro GmbH, Lucerne www.handelszeitung.ch [email protected] significant shareholdings as Editorial staff Jost Dubacher, Advertising rates and general terms: admei- part of Art. 322, Stefan Kyora, Claus Niedermann Head of Business Media ra.ch Swiss Penal Code (StGB): Le Temps SA Collaboration: Kaspar Meuli Nina Ranke Customer service portal Translation Supertext AG, Hardturmstr 253, Head of Marketing Stefan Wilberg www.handelszeitung.ch/kundenservice 8005 Zürich; www.supertext.ch [email protected] Tel: 058 269 25 05 Editorial staff Handelszeitung Brand Manager Patrizia Serra Retail price CHF 8.00

6 STARTUP 2018 TOP 100 SWISS STARTUP AWARD PRESENTING PARTNERS

WE WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE THE TOP 100 SWISS START-UPS AND WISH THEM EVERY SUCCESS!

TOP 100 SWISS STARTUP AWARD PARTNERS ‘The TOP 100 Startups demonstrates ‘The impressive innovation of once again that the Swiss SME landscape Swiss start-ups has earned is brimming with innovation and exem- them a place on the interna- plary entrepreneurial spirit. And not tional stage, while the TOP 100 only that, but it has a considerable im- Startups serves as a platform pact abroad, as reflected by the high level on which the founders’ out- of interest in company relocation here standing achievements can be and the presence of international inves- recognised and appreciated. Andreas Gerber, Thomas Pai, tors in Switzerland. The TOP 100 awards These courageous entrepre- Head of SME Head Corporate play an important role in promoting neurs inspire ambitious inno- Business Credit Ventures & Switzerland as a business hub.’ vators and show them what Suisse and Development, can be achieved – thus ensur- President of the Swiss Prime Site ing that Switzerland’s innova- Swiss Venture tive, entrepreneurial spirit Club continues.’ HOW CAN THE TOP 100 SWISS STARTUPS CHANGE THE WORLD?

‘Each year, the TOP 100 Start- ‘The TOP 100 Startups helps ups presents the megatrends Switzerland to continue to po- and the promising new players sition itself as the most inno- in the Swiss ecosystem, which vative country in the world, is profoundly important in creating new jobs with high maintaining the momentum in added value. Both domestic our country – and around the and international investors Nicolas Bürer, world!’ Maurice Pederg- value the attractive technol- Managing Director nana, General ogy start-ups highly.’ digitalswitzerland Secretary, SECA TOP 100 BACKGROUND BY CLAUS NIEDERMANN

TOP 100 STARTUPS 2018 THE CONCEPT Winner of the public prize: Smallpdf CEO A hundred experts have selected the Manuel Stofer 100 startups with the greatest (third from left) and potential. These proven pros are true his team. insiders of the startup scene. Each expert chose 10 startups, with first place receiving 10 points and 10th place receiving one point. The companies with the most points made it into the TOP 100. The ranking list was launched in 2011 by Beat Schillig (top) and Jordi Montserrat (below) from the IFJ Institut für Jungunternehmen. Together, they have developed the national training program SMALLPDF IS REALLY BIG Venturelab and the international program This year sees the eighth edition of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups award. And, Venture Leaders. They for the second time, a public vote has also been held. also manage the Venture Kick initiative, which provides spin-offs from Swiss very year, more than 800 in- merged, compressed or enlarged with the universities with seed capital. Stefan Steiner, novative and promising start- 17 differentPDF tools. co-managing director of ups founded in the last five ‘In the last five years, thanks to our Venturelab, is project years qualify for selection for simple design, we have set new standards manager. The ranking the TOP 100 Startup award. for customers in what is an obscure in- list’s co-initiator and All these candidates are listed on the dustry,’ says Stofer. The founders man- E implementation partner is JNB www.startup.ch platform, which is also aged to set up the company without ven- Journalistenbüro. Support for the used for the public vote. ture capital from investors, quickly project is provided by Credit Suisse, Zurich company Smallpdf, which was gaining a foothold in the market. SVC, Swiss Prime Site, Swiss Private founded in 2013, took first place. Its on- Equity & Corporate Finance line platform for simple PDF editing is Association (SECA), digitalswitzer- already one of the most visited websites land and the Gebert Rüf Stiftung. in the world. Handelszeitung acts as media ‘And we are continuing to grow fast,’ partner, with PME Magazine for 1. SMALLPDF, ZURICH, ONLINE says co-founder Manuel Stofer. The PDF western Switzerland and www. 2. VISIUM TECHNOLOGIES, LAUSANNE, SOFTWARE software is now used by more than 3. SKINOW GMBH, REICHENBACH (BE), ONLINE startup.ch for the English and 15 million customers a month. Every day, 4. LAMBDA HEALTH SYSTEM, YVERDON (VD), MEDTECH Chinese editions. more than a million PDFs are split, 5. KOMED HEALTH, ZURICH, SOFTWARE

ALUMNI WWW.STARTUPTICKER.CH DESIGNED FOR GROWTH THE BEST STARTUP NEWS Startups in the TOP 100 Swiss Startup award must be no more than five years The Swiss startup scene is booming, as testified by startupticker.ch on its web old, which is why 16 companies from last year’s ranking list – and still on a and app platforms. Its newsletter informs the community about the week’s growth path – have dropped off. These include L.E.S.S. (rank 2), MindMaze highlights and the forthcoming deadlines. The ticker also publishes a list of (rank 5), Beekeeper (rank 8), Amal Therapeutics (rank 14) and Teralytics investors and directories of research funding and loans, jobs at start-ups and (rank 15). These companies still face enormous challenges, as shown by the awards. Registered subscribers can also sign up for the award alert, which rapidly expanding online platform Beekeeper. CEO Christian Grossmann notifies them about tenders, application deadlines and award ceremonies. explains how he has designed his company for growth on page 54.

STARTUP 2018 9 TOP 100 STARTUPS AVA BY JOST DUBACHER

ne group is preparing a clinical study in Zurich-Wiedikon, another is planning a marketing campaign in San Francisco, a third group is programming self-learning Oalgorithms in Belgrade, and someone is COUNTER furnishing the office that has just opened in Hong Kong. But regardless of where the 85 employees of Zurich tech start-up Ava are at any one time, it’s all about a coin-sized tracker and big data. Ava’s multisensor bracelet sits on the wrist and records nine vital functions: CYCLICAL from resting pulse rate to perfusion to heat loss. The customer’s data is sent via Women’s constant companion: an app to a platform where software compares it with physiological models of Ava’s data tracker is due to become the menstrual cycle, detects which phase of the cycle the woman is in, and sends a driver of personalised medicine. its analysis back to her smartphone. ‘Currently, our most important target group is women who have not yet man- aged to have children,’ explains Pascal Koenig, CEO and one of the four found- ers of Ava. The Ava app cannot guarantee a pregnancy, but there are solid statistics AVA AG, ZURICH showing that good timing doubles the SECTOR: MEDTECH chance of conception. FOUNDED: 2014 Many customers are in the US EMPLOYEES: 85 The tracker and app can be bought in CONTACT: WWW.AVAWOMEN.COM Ava’s webshop and cost about CHF 250 each. No specific sales or growth figures were provided by Koenig, but we do know that the majority of customers live in the US, where Ava has invested a seven­-digit sum in online marketing, blogs, PR articles and YouTube videos

since launching in summer 2016. •

10 STARTUP 2018 Back on top: The Ava team with Lea von Bidder (left), Philipp Tholen, Pascal Koenig, Sandra Erismann and Peter Stein 1STARTUP 2018 11 TOP 100 STARTUPS AVA ing pregnancy. Toxaemia in pregnancy can lead to a two- week stay in hospital. ‘We are attempting to identify 4 questions problems at an early stage and thereby optimise treatment,’ for Pascal says Koenig. And then there’s the menopause: the gynaecological pro- Koenig fession still finds it difficult to assess and treat the -com plaints described by women. Given the large number of My last holiday? physiological data records it collects, the wristband could Christmas in Kenya. one day provide indicators for treatment, which is why Ava is now setting up a global medical network. One team is Who or what negotiating with the US Food and Drug Administration inspires me? (FDA), while another is contacting health insurers, gynecolo- Courageous people. gists and women’s clinics in Europe, the US and Asia. My biggest mistake? ‘Together with our customers, we can provide the health- Not learning Chinese. care sector with data of a previously unknown quality,’ says Koenig, a former McKinsey advisor. And conversely a second

• Cycle apps are popular: market My last mobile-free sales channel, alongside the webshop, is opening up for Ava. studies show that about 150 million day? Must have been a ‘Through cooperation with gynecologists and hospitals, we women around the globe put their trust couple of years ago... would like to set up in the B2B sector,’ explains Koenig. in these digital tools, generating the raw However, Ava has – to date at least – ignored partnerships ­material for what’s known as data-driven with major medtech companies, since, according to Koenig, women’s healthcare. And Ava plans to ‘as a startup, we can be more agile by implementing disrup- become the global market leader. tive innovations’. ‘We have the advantage that our sen- sors sit on the wrist, a normal place,’ Experienced team of founders explains Koenig. The second biggest plus A graduate from the University of St. Gallen, the 43-year-old is the variety of vital data that the Ava speaks from experience. He has been active at the interface tracker collects. The data can be used not of IT and medtech for 15 years, has established two startups only to calculate the fertile days, but also and knows the market for wearable healthcare products to find out when a woman’s fertility is at from the inside. ‘We are now benefiting from the fact that all its lowest. four founders had relevant experience as entrepreneurs or This makes the Ava app an alternative to the pill or condom. medtech experts at the launch of Ava.’ ‘At the moment,’ says Koenig, ‘we are setting up a clinical study Investors trust the team: they have just injected on the Pearl Index.’ This provides information about the statis- USD 30 million of growth capital in a second funding round. tical safety of contraceptive methods. Ava has appointed an The money will be used for further development of the busi- experienced manager from pharma group Bayer as chief medi- ness model and marketing. Koenig and his colleagues set up cal officer to carry out the study. production of the tracker and established the platform in But the tracker data can be used for more than just family order that output could be ramped up quickly, and that is planning: it can also be used for treating gynaecological com- now paying off. The platform is cloud-based. The tracker is plaints. For example, one in 10 women suffer complications dur- produced by a partner in Valencia. This means resources are free for customer service. Ava is currently building an additional support centre in Manila. As the Philippines are in a different time zone to both Zurich and San Francisco, customers worldwide are guaranteed round-the-clock service. ‘We are planning everything so that it can still function if it is 10 times bigger,’ explains Koenig. Welcome to the world of Ava. Flashback: Almost five years ago, there was a memorable meeting in a Zurich restaurant. As well as Pascal Koenig, those present comprised entrepreneur Lea von Bidder and ‘Our data is of a quality ETH engineers Philipp Tholen and Peter Stein. They chatted about pregnancy and children, and later discussed modern data-tracking technologies. Why had no one come up with never before seen.’ the idea of recording the physiological parameters of the female cycle from a woman’s wrist? Pascal Koenig, CEO and The four are now directors of a company that has good prospects of becoming a leading light in the Swiss medtech industry. For the second year in succession, Ava was voted co-founder of Ava most attractive start-up in Switzerland. •

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sme-ins-top-100-anzeige-210x282mm-en.indd 1 22.08.18 14:14 TOP 100 STARTUPS BESTMILE BY KASPAR MEULI

eing in the right place at the right time! These words must spin in Raphaël Gindrat’s head when he looks through the applications for the 10 positions he needs to fill by the end of the year. IN THE ‘We have our pick of exceptionally Bqualified applicants,’ says Bestmile’s 30-year-old CEO. ‘We are one of the most exciting employers in Europe for ambi- tious software engineers in the field of autonomous vehicles.’ The interest from these crack IT engi- DRIVING neers has its reasons, since self-driving or autonomous vehicles are heralding the next technical revolution – comparable in its impact on our everyday lives with the advent of the internet 20 years ago. ‘The internet in actual, not virtual life,’ stresses Gindrat. SEAT A major upheaval in mobility is knock- ing at the door. The large car makers are When it comes to the ­autonomous planning to launch mass-market auto­ 4 questions nomous vehicles as early as 2020, vehicle revolution, EPFL spin-off ­although it’s not the traditional car man- for Raphaël ufacturers leading the way but Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet. Bestmile is on the front line. Gindrat The company intends to launch driver- less robot taxis in Phoenix, Arizona, by The product: software for fleet My last holiday? the end of this year. ­management. Cycling in Spain in April. The impending market launch of Who or what inspires self-driving vehicles is the moment of me? Helping to develop a truth for the Lausanne start-up. ‘The technology that influences window of opportunity is small. Within the next two years, we need to partner how people live in the with the various players driving this future. deve­lopment forward at a fast pace,’ says My biggest mistake? Gindrat, who, like Bestmile co-founder I should have employed Anne Mellano, studied civil engineering. really experienced people The pair had their first experience of much earlier. auto­nomous vehicles when they were still students. They were part of an ETH My last mobile-free day? Lausanne team that tested one of the BESTMILE SA, LAUSANNE Three years ago on holiday. first of these vehicles in Europe. SECTOR: SOFTWARE My colleagues definitely The software company, which the pair started worrying. founded in 2014, focuses on fleet manage- FOUNDED: 2014 ment rather than, for example, on steer- EMPLOYEES: 60 ing self-driving cars. In simple terms, HEADQUARTERS: LAUSANNE Bestmile’s Mobility Service Platform CONTACT: WWW.BESTMILE.COM takes over the job that dispatchers in a taxi firm carry out when deciding which car goes where and when, and which pas- sengers it picks up. The great potential of Bestmile’s cloud-based solution is that it

14 STARTUP 2018 Fleet underway: Anne Mellano and Raphaël Gindrat

is flexible, can be extended as required and not only includes driving SmartShuttle in the old town of Sion, which has been fleet operators but also, via an app, their customers. operating since 2016, the startup is now partnering with com- panies such as transport giant RATP, which carries more than Mobility on demand 3 billion passengers a year in the greater Paris area. Network, manage and optimise. These are the key terms of But Bestmile’s real ambitions lie on the other side of the combined mobility and, in the opinion of Bestmile’s founders, Atlantic. ‘Above all, we need to become visible in the US,’ the future. And as in the future we will rent cars from mobil- ­explains CEO Raphaël Gindrat. So it’s only logical that the ity providers rather than own them, we need intelligent, auto- Lausanne company has set up a branch in San Francisco. The mated fleet management. 15 employees in the US handle marketing2 and sales, since the Bestmile’s success seems to have justified its founders’ US, particularly California, is where the largest trials with ­vision: the startup already has 60 employees and during the self-driving cars are taking place. last funding round secured USD 11 million of new venture That’s not only because the new technology will first gain capital. According to the World Economic Forum, the Laus- a foothold in bottlenecked metropolitan areas like Los anne company is one of the 61 most promising technology pio- ­Angeles –­ the mild Californian climate is also a positive for neers in 2018. self-driving vehicles. Cars of the future will have to deal with Interest in collaborating with Bestmile is growing and the vagaries of the weather; snow on their sensors simply puts growing. From small-scale pilots, such as PostAuto’s self-­ them out of action. •

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Anz_Top100_YuMi_210x282_CO_dfe.indd 3 17.08.18 17:28 TOP 100 STARTUPS LUNAPHORE BY KASPAR MEULI

MINUTES NOT HOURS Lunaphore’s laboratory automatons speed up personalised medicine.

Priority, efficieny: Ata Tuna Ciftlik, Diego Gabriel Dupouy and Déborah Heintze

edical research is taking 4 questions This improvement in efficiency ­giant steps forward. benefits the patient and is attractive to In the last 10 years, for ex- for Ata Tuna the diagnostics laboratory since the3 ample, the number of bio- sample throughput is multiplied. markers for diagnosing Ciftlik Founded by Ciftlik, Déborah Heintze breast cancer have risen and Diego Gabriel Dupouy, the medtech My last holiday? Turkey in two to three-fold. This company’s potential is also attracting July, although I did a bit of trend has opened up numerous investors. The startup has unforeseen opportunities work as well. raised a total of CHF 13 million in for personalised medicine – which means more and more Who or what inspires three financing rounds, the last of laboratory tests are needed. me? What employees can which has just been closed. MThis is precisely why Lunaphore’s future looks so promis- achieve if you give them Lunaphore is currently testing ing. Founded in 2014, the company’s mission is to automate the right tasks. the first mass production of diagnos- tissue diagnostics. ‘We want to make these tests so efficient tics machines at EPFL Innovation that no doctor has to ask how many they can perform,’ says Biggest mistake: Park. It has outsourced production to Ata Tuna Ciftlik, Lunaphore’sCEO . Thanks to completely I used to put all my plans an experienced Swiss medtech innovative technology, his machines to speed up workflow are on the table at presenta- manufacturer – a maximum of 100 ma- streets ahead in efficiency. tions. These days, I reveal chines are due to be built in 2019. ‘Hitherto, diagnostics of this type took between two and only about 20% of them. The Lausanne-based company has eight hours; we have reduced the time required to only a few People prefer that. also turned to partnerships for minutes and are just starting to deliver more reliable results.’ development of the market. It is work- My last mobile-free day? ing with well-established, international I can’t remember companies that manufacture, inter when that was. alia, ­reagents for traditional tissue LUNAPHORE TECHNOLOGIES SA, LAUSANNE analysis. ‘It’s not advisable as SECTOR: MEDTECH a startup at our stage to build a market from scratch,’ says Ciftlik, ‘we 20 EMPLOYEES: must first win the trust of our

CONTACT: WWW.LUNAPHORE.CH customers.’ •

STARTUP 2018 17 TOP 100 STARTUPS FLYABILITY BY KASPAR MEULI

hen, in spring 2018 at the VivaTech global startup fair in Paris, Switzerland introduced itself as W‘Home of Drones’, there was no doubt who was lined up to blow away the 200 guests in the Swiss embassy: Flyability. As well as producing collision-proof drones – perfect for wowing the audi- ence with demo flights – the startup is a success story par excellence. The startup was founded by Patrick Thévoz and Adrien Briod in 2014 as an ETH Lausanne spin-off, where Briod gained a doctorate at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems. Flyability now ­employs 70 people and has more than 350 customers worldwide. The Elios range of spherical drones can be used, for example, to scan a cool- Making inspections easier: ing tower for cracks, or customers may Patrick Thévoz and Adrien Briod need the drones to inspect refineries, steelworks and gas terminals. Various police forces have also bought the drones for rescue and anti-terror deployment.­ A drone costs CHF 25,000, including 4 4 questions training and replacement parts. ‘Meas- ured in terms of the costs that our for Patrick products save,’ says CEO Patrick ROUND, Thévoz Thévoz, only half in jest, ‘we are too cheap.’ A customer told him recently he My last holiday? Skiing in had used an Elios over the weekend to Norway in April. save USD 3 million. The Lausanne-based company is Who or what inspires currently working on a new model. It is LIGHT AND When I see that me? designed to be partly automated, which ­customers are setting up lowers many of the barriers to use. their own companies ‘Launching a second product is a around our products. challenge,’ explains Thévoz, ‘because it’s now about matching up to customer Being AGILE Biggest mistake: expectations and defending a brand.’ Flyability’s collision-proof spherical drones too optimistic. We never Flyability wants to grow quickly. thought setting up the com- This means not only driving the com- are in demand worldwide. The jewel of the pany would require so pany forward, but also expanding the many people and so much market for inspection drones, which Swiss drone scene doubles its staff every money. means more investment. The startup six months. My last mobile-free has raised another CHF 10 million in risk capital to do this. • day? Before the company was founded. I took a round-the-world trip for a FLYABILITY SA, LAUSANNE / SECTOR: DRONES FOUNDED: 2014 year in 2013. EMPLOYEES: 70 CONTACT: WWW.FLYABILITY.COM

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stronger together www.kellerhals-carrard.ch TOP 100 STARTUPS CUTISS BY JOST DUBACHER MAKER OF SKIN can be used to produce plate-sized pieces of skin from just a Cutiss, a University of Zurich spin-off, few cells and in only four weeks. grows large areas of natural skin Engineered skin enjoys many advantages over skin trans- planted from other parts of the patient’s body: fewer opera- quickly from just a few cells. tions and less scarring. An international study involving 40 adult burns victims is currently running, designed, says ­Marino, ‘to show that denovoSkin is safe and effective’. Under its business model, Cutiss will produce machines t rarely happens that a startup not yet 18 months that hospitals can use themselves to grow personalised skin old raises more than CHF 8 million of risk capital for their patients. As Marino explains: ‘That’s how we can – in a first financing round from the UZH Life ­reduce the costs of the procedure by about 40%.’ The startup Sciences Fund, and in a second round from an is now looking for suitable partners in the engineering and ­investor group from Italy, Taiwan, South Africa medtech sector. and Switzerland. If everything goes according to plan, denovoSkin should But there’s a good reason for Cutiss’ success: receive marketing authorisation by 2022. The medical need is CEO Daniela Marino, a biotechnologist by training, is in no already well established: India alone sees about a million burn Iway a beginner. She has been working on growing personal- victims with irreversible and life-threatening skin injuries ised skin since 2009. every year. Marino and two doctors from University Children’s Hospi- The market that Marino and her team are opening up in tal Zurich are the first global team to develop a process that reconstructive medicine is likely to be several times larger. Apart from the removal of birthmarks and skin tumours, ­Cutiss’ engineered skin could be used to replace unsightly CUTISS AG, ZURICH / SECTOR: BIOTECH scars. ‘About 5 million procedures take place every year in the

FOUNDED: 2017 EMPLOYEES: 9 CONTACT: WWW.CUTISS.CH US and Europe,’ says Marino. •

4 questions for Daniela Marino

My last holiday? Ski- ing in February. Who or what inspires me? Helping patients in need. My biggest mistake? I thought too late about the marketing for Cutiss. My last mobile-free day? I can’t remember when that was.

Giving burn victims hope: Daniela Marino and Fabienne Hartmann-Fritsch

205STARTUP 2018 TOP 100 STARTUPS PIAVITA/ WINGTRA BY JOST DUBACHER AND STEFAN KYORA

igitalisation is also coming to veterinary medicine. ‘There’s a lot of catching up to do,’ says Piavita founder Dorina Thiess. Thus, together with engi- neer Sascha Bührle, she has invented a sensor system for horses. Attached to the animal, Dit records vital data and sends these to the cloud for analysis. ‘Horses are animals of flight,’ explains Thiess. That’s why it is a long time before it is apparent that something is wrong with them; sometimes in the convalescent phase after an illness or accident. Thus, in order to protect their investments, the own- ers of riding, racing and jumping horses have their animals checked regularly. The Piavita app gives equestrian clinics and vets the opportunity to monitor the animals remotely. Both of the first two small batches were sold out within weeks. Another 1,000 sensor packets are coming to market this Riding high (tech): Dorina Thiess autumn. Piavita has operated a branch in Berlin since April, and and Sascha Bührle is expanding its presence in other European countries. ‘And from the end of the year, we will also be active in the US,’ ­explains Thiess. About 6,000 equine cardiologists practise in the 6 US, which is where – at a Venture Leaders roadshow – Thiess and Bührle met their current investors. They raised CHF 5.5 mil- HORSE SENSE lion in January. Sensor systems monitor the vital data of horses. An inconspicuous business with potential. PIAVITA, ZURICH / SECTOR: MEDTECH FOUNDED: 2016 EMPLOYEES: 35 CONTACT: WWW.PIAVITA.COM

ingtra’s sales are 500% higher than last year. ‘We don’t see the strong growth end- ing,’ comments Maximilian Boosfeld, CEO of the ETH Zurich spin-off. Wingtra launched the first drone more than a year Wago. The second product followed a few months ago; it delivers particularly high-resolution images and pinpoints the location with great precision. The drone can also travel long distances and is simple to start. These advantages are achieved through the particular type of construction used. The drone takes off vertically, like a helicopter; the wings then fold down and the machine can fly like a mini aeroplane. This enables a larger payload, which in the case of the high-precision drone is a camera with full-for- mat image sensor and 42 megapixel resolution. That has entic- Cameras shall fly: Maximilian Boosfeld, ing possibilities for a range of industries Basil Weibel and Armin Ambühl The drones are used by land surveyors, opencast miners and scientists around the globe. Wingtra is well established in Swit- zerland. The markets with the greatest growth and potential are China and the US, so the rapidly expanding team is also 7 ­being built up abroad. ‘We are planning a branch in the US,’ GOING STRAIGHT UP says Boosfeld. Helicopter and mini aeroplane in one: Wingtra’s drones are in demand worldwide. WINGTRA AG / SECTOR: DRONES FOUNDED: 2016 EMPLOYEES: 50 CONTACT: WWW.WINGTRA.COM

STARTUP 2018 21 TOP 100 STARTUPS GAMAYA BY STEFAN KYORA

ure high-tech: Gamaya combines innovative image sensors with machine learning and knowledge of agronomy. The results of the data analysis delivered by satellites and drone cameras can help farmers detect weeds at an early stage or even plant disease, Ppests and nutrient deficiency. ‘This makes farming more effi- cient and sustainable,’ says Gamaya CEO Yosef Akhtman. ­Savings of up to 50% are possible for chemical inputs alone. The company has developed solutions for sugar cane and ­tobacco plantations, and has won its first customers in Brazil for both crops. The Swiss startup is currently setting up a sales team there. A former Syngenta marketing manager is in charge, having joined the startup in spring. Gamaya also has the support of a strong Swiss network. Its investors include former Nestlé boss Peter Brabeck and it is Friends of farmers: Dragos Constantin ­receiving support from Philip Morris for the market launch of and Yosef Akhtman its solution for tobacco plantations. The US group operates a research and development centre in Lausanne. ‘Swiss agriculture has no potential as a market for Gamaya, 8 given its small-scale structure,’ says Akhtman. ‘But thanks to the high density of large companies, Switzerland is an ideal DRONING OUT ­location for us.’ Agrotech Gamaya has acquired its first ­customers in Brazil, thanks in part to a strong Swiss network. GAMAYA, LAUSANNE / SECTOR: ENGINEERING FOUNDED: 2015 EMPLOYEES: 24 CONTACT: WWW.GAMAYA.COM © UBS All 2018. rights reserved.

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ubs.com/digital TOP 100 STARTUPS ADVANON / VERSANTIS BY STEFAN KYORA LIVER SAVER Versantis plans to conduct the first patient trials with its drug candidates in 2019.

ersantis is developing a medicine for a life-threatening liver disease for which doctors currently have no suitable treatment. It has ­attracted several international luminaries, who have joined the Medical Advisory Board and are Vnow promoting the startup. As part of their tangible commitment to the company, which is preparing for its first human trials, they provide ­advice and scrutinise development of the protocols for the clinical studies. Versantis has also impressed the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which has granted the ETH spin-off orphan drug designation for rare diseases, enablng it to conduct shorter clinical trials. Chief executive Vincent Forster faces another challenge in 2019 – that’s when the next financing round is scheduled.

VERSANTIS AG, ZURICH / SECTOR: BIOTECH FOUNDED: 2015 EMPLOYEES: 5 CONTACT: WWW.VERSANTIS.CH

Factoring alternatives: Stijn Pieper and Phil Lojacono 9 THE SUCCESS FACTOR Advanon’s financing solution is gaining a foothold in Germany and attracting established SMEs.

nvoices worth almost CHF 100 million have already been pre-financed through Advanon’s platform. The pace of growth is high. ‘The last nine months were particularly exceptional,’ comments CEO Phil Loja­ cono. So far, a third of the volume has come from IGermany, where the Swiss company has been active since last year. Through a German partner, Wirecard Bank, Advanon was able to start there without its own banking licence. It has also managed to partner with Deutsche Bank. A signi­ficant part of its success is the fact that more and more established SMEs are discovering the online platform Fighting a rare disease: for factoring outstanding invoices and using it to secure their Meriam Kabbaj and Vincent Forster liquidity.

ADVANON AG, ZURICH / SECTOR: FINTECH FOUNDED: 2015 EMPLOYEES: 28 CONTACT: WWW.ADVANON.COM

10 STARTUP 2018 23 TOP 100 STARTUPS GRAPHIC FACTS TOP 100

Bern 2 5 Basel-Stadt 46 Zurich 1 St.Gallen Where the TOP 100 Aargau 3 startups TOP 100 Startups call home locations by canton The centres of the Swiss start-up scene are the cantons of Zurich and Vaud. Zurich has Neuchatel 1 19 enjoyed a particularly high Software profile this year: the canton represents almost half the TOP 17 100 startups and is also home 24 Vaud Biotech to half the TOP 10 and, with Ava, the number 1. The canton’s 16 broad funding landscape has Engineering played a part in this. Cutiss and Wingtra, two Zurich-based TOP Lucerne 15 10 firms from Wyss Zurich, the 2 Medtech joint translational centre of the University of Zurich and ETH 11 Zurich, have both received Online funding. 8 8 Zug 1 Ticino Fintech

These startups have collected the most capital from investors in the past 12 months. 5 5 Geneva 2 Valais Cleantech 75 m 50 m 30 m 30 m 30 m 20 m 5 Drones CHF 2 683 683 000 5197 Jobs 371 startups 28 3 Proptech in financing has flowed have been created have been ranked in the TOP 100 of the TOP 100 Startups 2018 GetYourGuide Neurimmune Ava Climeworks Scandit Abionic into the TOP 100 Startups since 2011 since 2011 by all the since 2011. 36 of those have been sold, were founded by a woman or Zurich Zurich Zurich Zurich Zurich Vaud TOP 100 Startups. two have held IPOs. have a woman in management. Online Biopharma Medtech Cleantech Software Medtech 1 Graphic page 56 page 10 Food 24 STARTUP 2018 Bern Basel-Stadt Zurich St.Gallen High 2 5 46 1 bandwidth Startups from the TOP 100 are active in every important tech sector. This isn’t true just for fields in which Switzerland has traditionally Aargau 3 been strong, such as life sciences. TOP 100 Startups Young IT firms are also well represented, locations by canton developing software or platforms to digitize for instance the finance industry.

Neuchatel 1 19 Software 17 24 Vaud Biotech 16 Engineering

Lucerne 15 2 Medtech 11 Online 8 8 Zug 1 Ticino Fintech

These startups have collected the most capital from investors in the past 12 months. 5 5 Geneva 2 Valais Cleantech 75 m 50 m 30 m 30 m 30 m 20 m 5 Drones CHF 2 683 683 000 5197 Jobs 371 startups 28 3 Proptech in financing has flowed have been created have been ranked in the TOP 100 of the TOP 100 Startups 2018 GetYourGuide Neurimmune Ava Climeworks Scandit Abionic into the TOP 100 Startups since 2011 since 2011 by all the since 2011. 36 of those have been sold, were founded by a woman or Zurich Zurich Zurich Zurich Zurich Vaud TOP 100 Startups. two have held IPOs. have a woman in management. Online Biopharma Medtech Cleantech Software Medtech 1 Graphic page 56 page 10 Food STARTUP 2018 25 TOP 100 STARTUPS RANK 11 TO 100

solutions. The first field of application is taste, thanks to high-pressure ALLTHINGS TECHNOLOGIES entertainment. There is already plenty pasteurisation. Online sales started in 11 BASEL | PROPTECH of interest from Hollywood, which is why Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and CEO Javier Bello Ruiz is peparing to open Yamo, which had a financing round in WWW.ALLTHINGS.ME a branch on the US West Coast. June, has had also a production site in Allthings has created an app that Germany since January. As of summer enables digital communication and 2018, its puréed food can also be found interaction between tenants, home ORBIWISE on the shelves of German pharmacy owners and management companies. Its 15 PLAN-LES-OUATES, SOFTWARE chain dm and Coop. customers include Credit Suisse Asset WWW.ORBIWISE.COM Management, which alone will equip more than 11,000 apartments with the Low-power wide-area networks are the CREAL3D Allthings service platform by the end of backbone of the Internet of Things, since 19 ECUBLENS, ENGINEERING the year. European expansion will now they enable data to be transferred more WWW.CREAL3D.COM follow, thanks to a funding round of cheaply than over wifi or mobile phone more than CHF 13 million. networks. Geneva-based server Although there’s a lot of talk about manufacturer OrbiWise is the leading smart glasses, they have still to make player, enjoying success in India, South their mark in everyday life. One problem EXEON ANALYTICS America, eastern Asia and, since the is that virtual images are projected on to 12 ZURICH, SOFTWARE summer, Australia. the eye from a fixed distance, which means the eye cannot focus naturally. WWW.EXEON.CH CREAL3D is the first company to develop Exeon’s cybersecurity solution can SCANTRUST a fundamental solution to this problem. distinguish between criminal data 16 LAUSANNE, SOFTWARE It now intends to develop its high-end VR glasses with a well-known Swiss outflows from large companies and WWW.SCANTRUST.COM normal internet traffic. After a successful engineering company. funding round and winning the Venture The success of ScanTrust, which has Kick final, the company launched its first developed tamper-proof QR codes, can standardised offer at the start of the be measured in numbers. In November CRISPR THERAPEUTICS year. Tens of thousands of PCs and 2017, it completed an initial funding 20 ZUG, BIOTECH servers have already been analysed. The round of CHF 4.2 million. ScanTrust also WWW.CRISPRTX.COM team is now busy opening further sales received several million in grants from channels in partnerships with the Eurostars-2 programme for its most This company’s invention is good established companies. recent project: real-time monitoring of enough to win a Nobel prize. Its Crispr/ the flow of goods. This will ensure Cas9 genetic scissors can cut out, alter product authenticity and supply chain and then reinsert genetic material. This NANOLIVE integrity. is the basis of Crispr Therapeutics, the 13 LAUSANNE, MEDTECH share price of which quadrupled after its IPO in 2016. The rise in its share price WWW.NANOLIVE.CH TESTINGTIME was stopped at the end of May, when In a first of its kind, Nanolive’s 3D Cell 17 ZURICH, SOFTWARE the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put a temporary hold on a trial. Explorer enables living cells to be WWW.TESTINGTIME.COM microscopically observed for long Crispr has now announced that a periods of time. It has already sold 150 TestingTime is losing no time. The second, European, trial will start in machines. As well as employing more startup has a pool of more than 150,000 autumn 2018. than 20 members of staff, the startup testers to draw from for user and market also has more than a dozen suppliers. Its research on behalf of customers vision is to sell not only the microscopes includng Zalando, Deloitte, UBS and FIXPOSITION but also data, and it recently launched Migros. In June, TestingTime announced 21 ZURICH, ENGINEERING its first database offer for schools. a CHF 2.8 million funding round. WWW.FIXPOSITION.COM

Autonomous vehicles need a real-time IMVERSE YAMO positioning system with unparalleled 14 PLAN-LES-OUATES, SOFTWARE 18 ZUG, FOOD reliability and precision. Zurich-based Fixposition supplies this by combining WWW.YAMO.CH WWW.IMVERSE.CH satellite-based positioning systems such Imverse’s graphics software makes the Baby food should be as fresh and as GPS with computer vision technolo- creation of photorealistic 3D content natural as possible. Yamo’s puréed food gies which can give precise positions to 10 times faster and cheaper than current retains natural vitamins, colours and within a centimetre. Its customers include groups such as Huawei.

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spring, had to be postponed owing to MAXWELL BIOSYSTEMS regulatory considerations. It is now ••••• 22 BASEL, MEDTECH scheduled to take place in the autumn. TOP 5 WWW.MXWBIO.COM THE BEST The MaxOne screening platform enables analysis of the clinical potential of drugs 9T LABS NEWCOMERS in brain cells. This speeds up research 26 ZURICH, ENGINEERING into active ingredients considerably. At WWW.9TLABS.COM the moment, the fully automated Carbon-fibre components are light and analysis machine is used mainly for stable, but time-consuming to research purposes in neuroscience, drug 1. EXEON ANALYTICS manufacture. Zurich ETH spin-off development and cell movement. Zurich, rank 12 9T Labs has now developed a 3D printer for the material. At the start of the year, 2. IMVERSE Giovanni Cavolina’s team raised Plan-les-Ouates, rank 14 GLYCEMICON CHF 300,000 of seed capital, from 23 BRUGG, BIOTECH 3. YAMO investors including GetYourGuide Zug, rank 18 WWW.GLYCEMICON.COM co-founder Pascal Mathis. Last year, this Aargau start-up raised 4. CREAL3D CHF 3.25 million of venture capital. It Ecublens, rank 19 completed the first funding round in INSOLIGHT 5. LAUSANNE, ENGINEERING FIXPOSITION April, generating another CHF 1.8 million. 27 Zurich, rank 21 Glycemion uses a substance that occurs WWW.INSOLIGHT.CH naturally in humans and animals to Insolight’s solar modules are twice as In the security sector, startups often develop dietary food supplements for efficient as conventional modules, take a long time to build up the tackling obesity and other precursors of thanks to a highly efficient combination necessary trust to attract the interest of diabetes. Two clinical trials are now of solar cells and magnifying lenses that large companies. It is all the more under way. track the sun and concentrate the light. remarkable, therefore, that Exeon It completed the first funding round in acquired its first customer almost January, generating more than CHF 2.3 before it was even founded. Founder PERSPECTIVE ROBOTICS million. The first pilot projects are now and CEO David Gugelmann: ‘Our offer 24 (FOTOKITE), under way. The start-up is also involved means we are racing ahead.’ ZURICH, DRONES in GRECO, a European project that Exeon has developed a clever WWW.FOTOKITE.COM researches cheap, environmentally solution for an urgent problem. If a PC friendly and sustainable photovoltaic in a large corporation is A drone controlled like a kite on a line – products. infected ­after a that’s the Fotokite Pro. Employed by targeted hack, data major broadcasters such as CNN and the sometimes flows BBC, it is the first commercial drone to out unnoticed for be authorised by the US regulator for use PROTON TECHNOLOGIES 28 PLAN-LES-OUATES, ONLINE months. Hackers above crowds of people. In April, the exploit the fact that start-up won USD 1 million in prize WWW.PROTONMAIL.COM data is continually money at the GENIUS NY Business Data abuse scandals such as Cambridge sent externally during Accelerator competition in New York. Analytica’s have meant that more and normal surfing. The data theft is hidden more internet users have developed an within this normal data traffic. awareness of data protection. This Large corporates are aware of this CRYPTO REAL ESTATE benefits services such as Protonmail. problem, and now Exeon has a solution. 25 ZUG, PROPTECH Aside from a secure email service, the With the help of machine learning, the WWW.SWISSREALCOIN.CH Geneva-based company also offers a software of the ETH spin-off can service for creation of virtual private distinguish between data theft and This Zug-based company is bringing networks. More than 5 million users normal surfing – or at least identify blockchain to the real estate business already employ its services. suspicious cases, which the company’s – from the investment phase to building IT staff can then assess using clever maintenance. At the beginning of the visualisation. year, Mobimo CEO Christoph Caviezel joined the board of directors. SwissReal- Coin’s IPO, which was planned for this

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••••• CEO Antonio Barresi’s team is currently BRING! LABS working on making ActiveGuard TOP 5 29 ZURICH, ONLINE cloud-ready. THE BEST WWW.GETBRING.COM BIOTECHS The Bring! app let users create shopping POLYNEURON lists on their smartphone and share 33 PHARMACEUTICALS them with other people, enabling them BASEL, BIOTECH to plan their shopping together. They are helped by a self-learning shopping WWW.POLYNEURON.COM 1. CUTISS memory. In February, the Zurich-based The technology platform Antibody-­ Zurich, rank 5 company raised CHF 2.3 million as part Catch enables the development of new of a series A funding round. The startup’s drugs for the treatment of autoimmune 2. VERSANTIS growth plans include direct integration diseases. The startup’s first drug has Zurich, rank 10 of online shops in the app. received orphan drug status from the 3. CRISPR European Medicines Agency for Zug, rank 20 accelerated approval and a licensing CODECHECK agreement with the University of Basel. 4. GLYCEMICON 30 ZURICH, ONLINE In May 2018, it received a second tranche Brugg, rank 23 WWW.CODECHECK.INFO/ of funding, thus completing its first financing round of CHF 3.1 million. 5. TOLREMO Within the space of a few years, Zurich, rank 31 CodeCheck has become Europe’s largest product adviser. By scanning a bar code FASHWELL Last year, the 20 largest pharma with the app, consumers receive ZURICH, ONLINE companies earned CHF 160 billion with information about the contents and 34 cancer treatments – a lucrative, but very their effects of more than 38 million WWW.FASHWELL.COM competitive market. So rather than products. CodeCheck completed its third Fashwell’s technology, which is launch another cancer drug, ETH Zurich funding round last November, revolutionising online shopping, is based spin-offTOLREMO has taken another generating more than CHF 1.5 million. on artificial intelligence combined with approach. Cancer treatments often fail The funds will be used for international visual search. It enables customers to because patients develop resistance to expansion and further development. look for items of clothing using images, them, in a very similar way to bacterial and shows them similar products and infections. After working initially, the outfit suggestions. Zalando is a strategic drug loses it efficacy and TOLREMO THERAPEUTICS investor, and along with other online the cancer returns. ‘We 31 ZURICH, BIOTECH retailers in Europe, already uses have a totally WWW.TOLREMO.COM Fashwell. Last month, the ETH Zurich innovative approach, spin-off opened a branch in New York. which we can use to The human body can become resistant inhibit the develop- or immune not only to pathogens but ment of resistance at also to drugs. This is a phenomenon DAPHNE TECHNOLOGY the outset of seen in the treatment of tumors. 35 ECUBLENS, CLEANTECH treatment. The aim is to TOLREMO’s therapeutic approach lengthen the lives of cancer targets the tumor sites responsible for WWW.DAPHNETECHNOLOGY.COM patients,’ explains CEO Stefanie resistance precisely, destroying them at International agreements require Flückiger-Mangual. Initial human the outset of cancer treatment. ocean-going vessels to slash their trials are due to start in 2021 at the emissions of sulphur and nitrogen oxide earliest. Drug development is a long by 2020. Higher-quality fuels would cost road, but the start-up looks set to make XORLAB shipyards billions, which is the it, thanks to its experienced team of 32 ZURICH, SOFTWARE opportunity being exploited by Valais founders – in addition to Flückiger, it WWW.XORLAB.COM cleantech start-up Daphne Technology, contains not only two professors from founded by Björn Asplind and Mario ETH Zurich but also the former Chief Security software is not usually updated Michan. Their technology washes the Medical Officer of Actelion. until after new threats become known, emissions with ammonia and water, and but Xorlab’s solution is proactive and in the process creates fertiliser as a protects against fraudulent emails. The saleable byproduct. key element is that the software can distinguish between trustworthy communication partners and hackers.

30 STARTUP 2018 Zurich Baselwww.vischer.com

vischer startup desk YOur LeGaL teaM FOr chaLLeNGiNG cONditiONs

Get iN tOuch [email protected] TOP 100 STARTUPS RANK 11 TO 100

ALTOIDA GUURU PRICEHUBBLE 36 LUCERNE, MEDTECH 38 ZURICH, SOFTWARE 40 ZURICH, PROPTECH WWW.ALTOIDA.COM WWW.GUURU.COM WWW.PRICEHUBBLE.COM

Developed by Altoida, this app helps With cloud platform guuru, B2C Proptech is booming: PriceHubble, a doctors – by means, inter alia, of fine companies are turning their core startup founded in 2016, raised several motor tests – to identify patients with customers into new customer advisers. million Swiss francs of growth capital an increased risk of dementia. Klinik Within seconds of a question being from investors in 2017. Stefan Heit- Hirslanden in Zurich will use the app in a asked, a proprietary algorithm finds the mann’s team analyses portfolios based prevention programme. A second right guru. For customers such as Brack. on more than 100 data sources. A funding round of several million Swiss ch and Intersport, the reaction time is self-learning algorithm identifies francs is planned for later this year after less than a minute. At the beginning of price-driving factors and can quickly give market entry, paving the way to launch the year, its three founders – Benno recommendations on valuations and on the US market. Marbach, Antoine Meier and Tonio Meier locations. – completed a funding round of CHF 800,000. Expansion into Germany is BIOWATCH now under way. PREGNOLIA 37 LAUSANNE, ENGINEERING 41 ZURICH, MEDTECH WWW.BIOWATCHID.COM CHIMPY (FORMERLY: WWW.PREGNOLIA.COM Biowatch’s armband brings together the 39 BATTERE) This medtech’s mission is to prevent whole gamut of authentication ZURICH, CLEANTECH premature births. Pregnolia has methods, such as PIN codes, car keys, developed a probe that checks the entry authorisations and credit cards. WWW.HEYCHIMPY.COM stiffness of the cervix, which is an early Identification is by means of the user’s In May this year, the founders of Battere indicator of the risk of an imminent individual pattern of veins and is active changed its name to Chimpy – its premature birth. A funding round to the only when the armband is worn. The solar-driven batteries have been tune of CHF 3.25 million was completed product is due to be launched at the available to hire at all kiosk, avec and in February. Product approval is beginning of next year. Awarded the CTI Press&Books branches for a year. expected in autumn 2018. Start-up Label, the spin-off from Smartphones can be charged from the research institute Idiap is based in powerbank, on the go, and users simply Lausanne, with further offices in hand back the empty battery at the INOSITEC Martigny and Paris. nearest kiosk. The bright green batteries 42 ZURICH, BIOTECH were much sought after at this WWW.INOSITEC.COM summer’s many open-air events. This ETH Zurich spin-off develops innovative drugs based on inositol phosphate, a naturally occurring messenger molecule with a diverse

1. DOTPHOTON 4. DAPHNE TECHNOLOGY ••••• Geneva, rank 68, 19.04.2018 Ecublens, rank 35, 22.12.2017 TOP 5 2. CARVOLUTION 5. CRYPTO REAL ESTATE THE NEWEST Bannwil (BE), rank 60, 08.03.2018 Zug, rank 25, 19.12.2017 COMPANIES 3. MIRRAKOI Lausanne, rank 61, 15.01.2018

These days, instead of fine-tuning the technology behind closed doors, Leaders Technology competition was a big help in building up the top startups are seeking feedback from customers and investors as necessary contact list. The communication continued after founda- soon as possible. The Dotphoton team is one of those that tested the tion, as Dotphoton has developed a compression technique for images market before the company was even founded. This also explains how that can be employed in a wide range of applications. Which is why at just a few months old, the start-up made it into the TOP 100. ‘We things needed to be focused from the start. Balysheva explains that founded the company only after we had had positive signals from the startup, which was founded only in April, now has a clear strategy potential customers and investors, and had signed off on an initial as well as its first customers: ‘Our first step will be to concentrate on funding round,’ says CEO Eugenia Balysheva. Winning the Venture B2B customers in the fields of microscopy and space travel.’

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••••• range of cell functions. The small molecules help, for example, in arterial DAEDALEAN TOP 5 calcification and intestinal infections. 46 ZURICH, SOFTWARE Last November, Inositec won the Swiss WWW.DAEDALEAN.AI THE BEST Technology Award, one of the most ENGINEERS important awards for innovation and Luuk van Dijk, founder and CEO of technology transfer in Switzerland, in Daedalean, predicts that the first the startup category. passenger drones will come to market in 2021. In order to develop an autopilot, the former Google employee has 1. GAMAYA H55 surrounded himself with a team of Lausanne, rank 8 43 SION, CLEANTECH experts in robotics, image recognition, machine learning and air transport 2. CREAL3D WWW.H55.CH technology. The project is being funded Ecublens, rank 19 Andre Borschberg sits in the cockpit. by business angels and venture 3. FIXPOSITION Solar Impulse’s co-pilot is the driving capitalists, which have so far provided Zurich, rank 21 force and executive chairman of H55. almost CHF 6 million. Founded in 2017, the company develops 4. 9T LABS electric propulsion systems for air Zurich, rank 26 transport. That may seem high-blown, AVRIOS INTERNATIONAL 5. INSOLIGHT but it has already attracted investors. In 47 ZURICH, SOFTWARE February, a Swiss-US risk capital WWW.AVRIOS.COM Lausanne, rank 27 company invested in H55. Many SMEs manage their vehicle fleets CREAL3D CEO Tomas Sluka recently using Excel tables. Vendor-neutral hired several new employees. ‘It was a PHARMABIOME platform Avrios Fleet Management 4.0 unique opportunity,’ explains the 44 ZURICH, BIOTECH offers an alternative. The software former CERN and EPFL researcher. The automates the entry and structuring of startup benefits from the fact that it is WWW.PHARMABIOME.COM all fleet-relevant data and enables key not the first company in Lausanne CEO Tomas de Wouters and his team figures and costs to be quickly dedicated to projection technology for develop therapies for diseases linked to compared. Founded in 2015, Avrios virtual and augmented reality. The city’s intestinal flora. This March, PharmaBi- employs 60 members of staff and has Intel branch had already been working ome won the Spark Award, which is more than 600 corporate customers. on smart glasses, but the group recently given to the most promising inventions stopped the project. Some at ETH Zurich. It was the first time a staff have now switched team has won that has already founded CELLESTIA BIOTECH to CREAL3D. In a a startup and is generating revenue. 48 BASEL, BIOTECH first, the startup’s technology enables WWW.CELLESTIA.COM images to be LEMAN MICRO DEVICES, Cellestia has an active ingredient that projected on to 45 LAUSANNE, MEDTECH targets cancers driven by NOTCH glasses in such a way signalling pathways, which are usually that the eye can WWW.LEMAN-MICRO.COM very aggressive and respond to change focus on individ- LMD turns smartphones into medical conventional treatment only temporar- ual objects in the image naturally. In the devices. At the press of a button, the ily, if at all. Since the beginning of the VR glasses currently available, all Lausanne startup’s V-Sensor measures year, the active ingredient has been objects appear equally sharp or always blood pressure, body temperature, tested on patients in clinical trials in the same distance away, regardless of breathing frequency, pulse and oxygen Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. where they are positioned in the virtual saturation in the blood with the The testing programme is due to be space; this means our eyes tire quickly accuracy of a medical measuring expanded to the US in the next year. and our brain becomes confused. instrument. The last clinical trial was The startup’s plans are ambitious. It conducted on the sensor and its related wants the technology to become the app at Lausanne University Hospital at REALLOOK (SELFNATION) benchmark in smart glasses and other the start of 2018. LMD expects to receive 49 ZURICH, ONLINE head-mounted displays. international authorisation before the WWW.SELFNATION.CH end of the year. The founding team is committed to making tailor-made jeans and chinos to order online. And it has paid off: the

34 STARTUP 2018 Less admin

The online desk for companies easygov.swiss TOP 100 STARTUPS RANK 11 TO 100

fashiontech startup has more than delivers the produce directly to the 10,000 customers in Switzerland, customer’s home. Thanks to a LOANBOOX Germany and the UK. This year, CHF 3 million guarantee from the 57 ZURICH, FINTECH RealLook’s Selfnation product received Technology Fund, founders Tobias WWW.LOANBOOX.CH the inaugural Fashion Innovation Award. Schubert and Roman Hartmann and their team were able to set up their own The Loanboox platform brings e-mobile fleet at the beginning of the municipalities that want to borrow into VIU VENTURES year. The company now offers a free contact with institutional investors. 50 ZURICH, ONLINE delivery service in two of Switzerland’s With just a few clicks, they can create a WWW.SHOPVIU.COM main regions – Zurich and Lake Geneva. loan application and at the same time talk to a large number of investors. With its handmade designer glasses, Loanboox already operates in Germany affordable prices and try-at-home ANYBOTICS and Austria. Founder and CEO Stefan model, VIU Ventures is revolutionising 54 ZURICH, ENGINEERING Mühlemann is preparing for entry into online buying in the optical sector. But the Swiss bond market. WWW.ANYBOTICS.COM the Zurich-based company is not only online: VIU glasses are available in ANYmal, the autonomous walking robot flagship and partner stores in Switzer- from Zurich ETH spin-off ANYbotics, can NOMOKO land, Germany and Austria, and can now climb stairs, avoid obstacles and read 58 ZURICH, ENGINEERING also be bought in Belgium, Denmark, the measuring devices. It has already DEV.NOMOKO.WORLD Netherlands and Spain. appeared in US series The X-Files and created a sensation at the last Hannover The photorealistic 3D models, such as Messe. CEO Hanspeter Fässler and his those of a town, taken with Nomoko’s GRZ TECHNOLOGIES team are now working to define the proprietary camera are indistinguish­able 51 SION, CLEANTECH market for their innovation, which has from reality to the naked eye. The areas WWW.GRZ-TECHNOLOGIES.COM taken more than 100 man years to of application are correspondingly big: develop. town and traffic planning, game This Valais-based company is taking production, virtual test environments for hydrogen-based energy storage a self-driving cars. The founders have so significant step forward. Instead of ELTHERA far raised CHF 4.7 million in seed and storing hydrogen under high pressure or 55 ZUG, BIOTECH growth capital in two financing rounds. in liquid form, GRZ uses a metal that WWW.ELTHERA.COM binds with the hydrogen. This increases energy density and needs far less energy Cancer patients whose tumors produce EQUIPPO for storage. the L1CMA protein have a much shorter 59 ZUG, ONLINE life expectancy. Elthera is developing an WWW.EQUIPPO.COM antibody that inhibits the tumor-­ ASTROCAST promoting properties of L1CAM and Equippo is the Zalando for second­-hand 52 ECUBLENS, ENGINEERING activates the body’s own immune construction equipment. If customers WWW.ASTROCAST.COM system to fight the growth. The are not satisfied with their machine, Zug-based startup was founded by a they can return it within five days and The Internet of Things is taking over team under the leadership of Anne get their money back. Equippo takes near-Earth space. Astrocast develops Schmidt, an immunologist with many care of the entire process, including nanosatellites designed to provide years’ experience in pharma. transport to anywhere in the world. The around-the-globe communication Zug start-up has had a branch in France between machines and devices while since early 2018, and there are plans for orbiting. The Lausanne-based company FRONTIFY other branches in Francophone Africa is also working on a chip that makes 56 ST. GALLEN, SOFTWARE and Belgium. existing machines network-compatible. WWW.FRONTIFY.COM Astrocast completed a seed funding round of CHF 4.1 million at the end of 2017. Frontify’s customers include giants such CARVOLUTION as IBM, Nasdaq, Lufthansa, Vodafone, 60 BANNWIL (BE), ONLINE Bosch, ProSieben and Sat.1. The online WWW.CARVOLUTION.COM FARMY platform makes it easier to always use 53 ZURICH, ONLINE the right logos, text, colours and images Customers choose their car online, have WWW.FARMY.CH in digital communication tools. Last it delivered to their home and pay a fixed year, Frontify expanded into Germany monthly price that includes all costs, Online farm shop Farmy.ch connects and has grown by 300%. except petrol. They can keep the car as regional producers with consumers and long as they wish or cancel the

36 STARTUP 2018 subscription with 30 days’ notice. lion. Valais company Vanguard Internet for testing. CyanoGuard’s test shortens Carvolution hopes to compete with sales is seeking a slice of this market for itself. the time between testing and results to and leasing. Serial entrepreneur Peter Using the Batmaid platform, tenants just a few seconds. Schüpbach is a participant. and home owners can book cleaning staff in their neighborhood. Batmaid currently works with 1,000 cleaners in DOTPHOTON MIRRAKOI Switzerland and Luxembourg. Founded 68 GENEVA, SOFTWARE in 2014, the company has broken even 61 LAUSANNE, SOFTWARE WWW.DOTPHOTON.COM and in June acquired a new investor, WWW.MIRRAKOI.COM Geneva real estate group Investis. Digital cameras are getting better and Users of normal CAD programs require a high-resolution images are used in more lot of training. Mirrakoi has changed this and more fields of application. The with a technology called Augmented APIAX alternative to continually increasing CAD, which simulates real, physical 65 ZURICH, FINTECH storage space and computing capacity contact between the user and the CAD WWW.APIAX.COM for processing is the compression of model. This allows models to be worked images. Dotphoton has developed a intuitively. The first product is called Most financial institutions still technology that enables the size of Xirus and is compatible with the most administer legal and regulatory photos to be reduced by a factor of 10, popular CAD programs. provisions manually. Apiax co-founder without loss of quality. Eugenia Ralf Huber intends to change this. Apiax Balysheva and her team intend to create provides customers with the applicable a new industry standard for high-resolu- GRATXRAY regulations via an interface as a service. tion images. 62 VILLIGEN (AG), MEDTECH At the end of 2017, the start-up completed a CHF 1.5 million funding WWW.GRATXRAY.COM round. Financial backers include former SKYPULL Breast cancer is the second most UBS chairman Peter Kurer. 69 LUGANO, CLEANTECH common cancer. Mammograms are WWW.SKYPULL.COM unpleasant and often produce a false positive. GratXray’s unique computed MELONPORT Winds at high altitudes blow more tomography device produces painless, 66 ZUG, SOFTWARE constantly and strongly than winds at high-precision 3D images that enable WWW.MELONPORT.COM ground level, which is why ETH spin-off early diagnosis. Moreover, the Skypull has chosen drones to generate technology works without contrast If you want to invest today, you need a power. Gliding at a height of 200 metres, agents and provides a more comfortable bank. The financial industry is the they unroll a cable connected to a experience for patients. intermediary between savers and the generator on the ground. According to economy. But this position is under founder and CEO Nicola Mona, the flying threat from blockchain, which enables power generator is 10 times lighter than CLEVERDIST forgery-proof, contract-based a wind turbine but achieves the same 63 PLAN-LES-OUATES, SOFTWARE interactions between peers. Zug-based performance, making it more environ- startup Melonport, led by Mona El Isa, mentally friendly and cheaper to build WWW.CLEVERDIST.COM has developed a protocol on the and operate. Cleverdist is all about Industry 4.0; that Ethereum platform that allows is, the integration of large software and participants to create, trade and management and control systems. The manage digital assets. KOMED HEALTH startup is a spin-off of engineers at 70 ZURICH, SOFTWARE CERN, where it is involved in two WWW.KOMED-HEALTH.COM projects. It has also developed a system CYANOGUARD for Siemens Mobility to monitor and 67 ZURICH, BIOTECH According to a trial by Lausanne manage rail and metro infrastructure. WWW.CYANOGUARD.CH University Hospital, every year This solution is now being used in two misunderstandings and lack of metro projects. This University of Zurich spin-off is communication cause more than 1,000 marketing an innovative process for the avoidable deaths in Swiss clinics alone. detection of cyanide. Potential Komed Health, founded by Luiza Dobre, VANGUARD INTERNET customers are those companies legally has developed a communication 64 (BATMAID) required to monitor their wastewater for platform for doctors and other poison, such as plastics manufacturers, healthcare workers to prevent this. The LAUSANNE, ONLINE electroplating operations and gold mine chat program contains a prioritisation WWW.BATMAID.COM operators. Previously, they had to take and alarm function and a bot that The international domestic cleaning samples and send them to a laboratory makes case-related treatment market is worth more than CHF 500 bil-

STARTUP 2018 37 TOP 100 STARTUPS RANK 11 TO 100

••••• suggestions. One of the first customers of Komed Health is Inselspital Bern. ZIPPSAFE TOP 5 74 ZURICH, ENGINEERING THE BEST NANOLEQ WWW.ZIPPSAFE.CH ONLINE 71 ZURICH, ENGINEERING Zippsafe is a textile locker that can save STARTUPS WWW.NANOLEQ.COM up to 70% of the space normally required for employee cloakrooms. Its Cables abrade under a mechanical load, Swiss customers already include which in robots and medical devices can well-known companies such as Swiss 1. PROTON TECHNOLOGIES cause expensive damage. Zurich ETH International Airlines and the cantonal Plan-les-Ouates, rank 28 spin-off nanoleq has developed an hospitals in Winterthur and Baden. In unbreakable, stretchable and bendable July, the start-up closed a CHF 1.1 million 2. BRING! cable for critical applications. The funding round that will enable Zurich, rank 29 patented FlexOne cable has a life of up international expansion to start. 3. CODECHECK to 100 times longer than that of a stand- Zurich, rank 30 ard cable. In May, co-founder and CEO Vincent Martinez was one of the five SONECT 4. FASHWELL winners of the WA de Vigier Award, 75 ZURICH, FINTECH Zurich, rank 34 which comes with prize money of CHF WWW.SONECT.CH 100,000. 5. REALLOOK AG (SELFNATION) The Sonect app gives retailers the Zurich, rank 49 option to let their customers withdraw COMPHYA cash. The service is free for both ‘Revenue, not large funding rounds’ is 72 PRÉVERENGES (VD), MEDTECH consumers and businesses. Sonect’s the maxim of the online startups in the WWW.COMPHYA.COM contractual partners are small and TOP 100. The best example of this is medium-sized banks, which can use the Proton. The Geneva-based company After spinal cord injuries or prostate virtual ATM to lower the cost of offers an encrypted email service and operations, many men suffer from maintenance of their stationary ATM the ability to set up virtual private erectile dysfunction that cannot always network. At the start of the year, networks. More than 5 million users be remedied by drugs. EPFL spin-off Sandipan Chakraborty and his team have signed up to the email service, Comphya offers a new technology as an acquired their first customer in while half a million use the VPN service. alternative to penile implants and Hypothekarbank Lenzburg. The revenue generated is enough to pay injections, based on a neurostimulator in the wages of 80 employees. the pelvic floor. Comphya was one of the ‘You should tap into 20 winners of the European Venture LIGENTEC external funding only Contest last December. 76 LAUSANNE, ENGINEERING if it’s necessary,’ explains Proton WWW.LIGENTEC.COM CEO Andy Yen. CRYPTO FUND Data is the oil of the 21st century. But it Although a large 73 ZUG, FINTECH must be able to flow freely – traffic jams number of investors WWW.CRYPTOFUNDAG.CH on data highways are not welcome. were interested, Yen is EPFL spin-off LiGenTec is developing a convinced that too much By mid-June, it had happened: Crypto production process for optical chips money could have been damaging: ‘I Fund AG became the first crypto based on silicon nitride. These new think we are quicker and better without company in Switzerland to be photonic integrated circuits (PIC) should external investors.’ He benefits in this authorised by FINMA to sell collective increase the data throughput of existing respect from the fact that so far the investment funds. The company aims to fibre-optic cables 200 times. In May, startup has not spent a single franc on provide institutional investors with LiGenTec was awarded seed funding of marketing. Its growth is based on simple and transparent access to the CHF 130,000 as a Venture Kick finalist. word-of-mouth recommendation from rapidly growing, blockchain-based asset users. This proved its worth once again management business. The first of the when the second product, the VPN funds launched by the Zug-based COAT-X service, was launched. It looks as company tracks the performance of 10 77 LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS, ENGINEERING though this service could reach a cryptocurrencies. million users within a year. WWW.COAT-X.COM Coat-X is developing an ultra-thin biocompatible coating. Used as thin, hermetic encapsulation, it protects

38 STARTUP 2018 electronics, wearables, implants and preventative medicine and provide other devices from body fluids, water ONESKY (INVOLI) support to ophthalmologists and and chemicals up to 2,000 times better 81 patients during treatment. The than traditional solutions. ISO RENENS, DRONES founders, a research team from the certification is under way and production WWW.INVOLI.COM universities of Bern and Lausanne, won capacity is being expanded. Near-collisions between drones and air stage 3 of Venture Kick last year and are traffic are becoming more and more taking part in the Venture Leaders China frequent. INVOLI enables drones to be roadshow later this month. IRSWEEP safely integrated into air traffic. The 78 STÄFA (ZH), BIOTECH startup, previously called OneSky, closed WWW.IRSWEEP.COM CHF 500,000 of seed financing this year FUTURAE TECHNOLOGIES and in May won the WA de Vigier award. 85 ZURICH, FINTECH The laser-based infrared spectrometer WWW.FUTURAE.COM of this ETH spin-off offers much faster measurement than traditional devices LEDGY Futurae offers a comprehensive and – microseconds instead of seconds or innovative authentication suite; its core minutes. Its applications include the 82 ZURICH, FINTECH product SoundProof, a two-factor analysis of protein folding mechanisms, WWW.LEDGY.COM authentication solution, functions which are involved in diseases such as Ledgy’s cloud-based tool for the online without user interaction. The technology Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. With the management of share ledgers is a big is based on a machine learning involvement of a strategic investor, its hit and has excited a number of algorithm that reliably recognises the market launch is now being accelerated. notable investors, such as the founders user by means of ambient noise. The of Doodle. The online share ledger startup was founded by an ETH security gives privately held firms control of systems group. The highly secure EMBOTECH administration, transfer and trading of authentication solution will soon be in 79 ZURICH, SOFTWARE shares. The fintech startup has recently use by several fintech companies. WWW.EMBOTECH.COM launched a dashboard for investors, where they can see their investments, When it comes to software solutions convertible loans and other key figures ONEVISAGE for self-driving vehicles, drones and for their holdings at a glance. 86 LAUSANNE, SOFTWARE even space rockets, this ETH Zurich WWW.ONEVISAGE.COM spin-off is ahead of the game. Its motion planning software controls the CARU On average, a person needs to steering, braking, accelerating and remember between 25 and 150 parking of an autonomous vehicle 83 ZURICH, MEDTECH passwords and codes these days. This using real-time calculations performed WWW.CARUHOME.COM is set to change. In mid-2017, 50 times a second. Renault and Volvo CARU, an intelligent alarm device for OneVisage launched the first 3D facial have already implemented the elderly or ill people, is simply placed in authentication solution for iOS and technology. A project involving rocket an apartment and functions without Android devices. A CHF 400,000 loan landings has been started in conjunction maintenance. If someone calls ‘help’ or from the Foundation of Technological with the European Space Agency. the sensors register unusual routines, it Innovation (FIT) has enabled CEO notifies a trusted person. Although the Christophe Remillet to pursue rapid IoT device has been launched, it is due international expansion. NANOGENCE to become even more intelligent. This is 80 RENENS, ENGINEERING the aim of a pilot being undertaken in WWW.VENTUREKICK.CH/NANOGENCE conjunction with Tertianum AG, which GNUBIOTICS operates 78 retirement and care homes 87 EPALINGES (VD), BIOTECH The most frequently used hard in Switzerland. WWW.GNUBIOTICS.COM material in the building industry is concrete, which accounts for up to 8% Gnubiotics develops products that of global carbon emissions. But EPFL RETINAI MEDICAL contain up to 130 imitated carbo­ researcher Kumar Abhishek is now hydrates that are otherwise found only creating a minor revolution. He has 84 BERN, MEDTECH in breast milk. The first product combats developed a nanoparticle additive that WWW.RETINAI.COM pet obesity, while the second is a reduces CO2 emissions by half, and at Prevention is better than cure. RetinAI supplement for baby food. In the same time massively increases is working on an automated solution December, the start-up completed a strength and service life. Nanogence is to identify pathologies of the eye and CHF 2.3 million funding round. Since close to market entry. causes of blindness using artificial spring 2018, the Vaud-based company intelligence. This can improve has been domiciled in the life sciences incubator StartLab at Epalinges.

STARTUP 2018 39 TOP 100 STARTUPS RANK 11 TO 100

••••• LEGAL TECHNOLOGY TWENTYGREEN TOP 5 88 SWITZERLAND (PROXEUS) 91 ROOT (LU), BIOTECH ZURICH, ONLINE WWW.TWENTYGREEN.COM/ THE BEST WWW.PROXEUS.COM MEDTECHS Worldwide, 80% of antibiotics are used Everyone’s talking about blockchain, but in agriculture and excessive use is there are very few applications suitable creating life-threatening resistances. for everyday use. Antoine Verdon, who This probiotic, developed by Twen- has founded several enterprises, has tyGreen, strengthens the immune 1. AVA developed a document management system of animals and replaces the use Zurich, rank 1 system based on blockchain and already of antibiotics. At the end of last year, the tested it for his start-up Proxeus. The startup won the ZKB Pionierpreis and 2. LUNAPHORE initial coin offering (ICO) of his XES completed a funding round. It is now Lausanne, rank 3 Token raised USD 25 million of seed starting the first production of a capital within 48 hours. Proxeus has just supplement for fish food. 3. PIAVITA launched the beta version for blockchain Zurich, rank 6 applications that can be created 4. NANOLIVE without specific programming TOPADUR PHARMA Ecublens, rank 13 knowledge. 92 SCHLIEREN, BIOTECH 5. MAXWELL BIOSYSTEMS WWW.TOPADUR.COM Basel, rank 22 INTERAX BIOTECH Located in the Schlieren biotech park, 89 VILLIGEN (AG), BIOTECH the startup develops innovative therapies for wound healing. These How does a company bring a revolu- WWW.INTERAXBIOTECH.COM tionary technology to market? Many include a product for the healing of Swiss tech startups face this question, InterAx identifies G protein-coupled chronic foot wounds in diabetics, which and Nanolive has found an interesting drugs with improved efficacy and can prevent the need for amputation. answer. The EPFL spin-off has reduced side effects. Its potential The clinical trial is due to start at the end developed the first microscope that can benefits include the advancing of cancer of 2018. Topadur won the Swiss look inside living cells in 3D, without research and a significant reduction in Economic Award in June. any interference. Nanolive launched a the cost of development of new drugs. product last year that combines its The Paul Scherrer Institute spin-off ground-breaking technology with the works with universities in Germany and GLOBAL IMPACT FINANCE proven technology of the Netherlands. 93 (MONITO) fluorescence micros- LAUSANNE, FINTECH copy. ‘We reacted to WWW.MONITO.COM the feedback from OLYMPE researchers, who 90 LAUSANNE, SOFTWARE Monito is a comparison website for wanted to combine WWW.OLYMPE.CH international money transfer services, the results of our and has more than 450 service providers new method with a Users can develop software on Olympe’s from 170 countries on its books. proven technology,’ platform without writing code, and this According to Forbes, the startup is one of explains CEO Yann Cotte, also applies to distributed industrial the top 10 most promising tech SMEs in adding that this had a very positive systems. The startup is already 2018. Monito has so far raised CHF 1.5 impact on the device’s acceptance. profitable, less than three years after million in venture capital and is The company also benefited from foundation. Multinational groups such preparing for the next financing round. the fact that it enjoys the support of a as Givaudan and SICPA are using broad and diverse base of customers, Olympe to switch their supply and partners and collaborations, which pays product chains to the Internet of Things. INSIGHTNESS off in the form of unique market insight SICPA has also become a strategic 94 ZURICH, ENGINEERING investor. and voice-of-customer developments. WWW.INSIGHTNESS.COM The Nanolive tools are now sold through more than 24 partners Insightness develops high-speed worldwide. tracking systems, inspired by the human eye, that recognise and localise the environment. Thanks to this system, for example, drones can avoid dynamic

40 STARTUP 2018 objects. CEO Christian Brändli and his team are working on augmented and URBANALPS ••••• virtual reality products. 98 ZURICH, ENGINEERING TOP 5 WWW.URBANALPS.COM THE BEST XSENSIO Security keys can be copied using 3D SOFTWARE 95 LAUSANNE, MEDTECH printers. Engineers Alejandro Ojeda and STARTUPS WWW.XSENSIO.COM Felix Reinert have developed a stealth key for a secure, mechanical locking Xsensio uses portable sensor technolo- system. The mechanical features of this gies – wearables – that can evaluate 3D-printed metal key are hidden 1. BESTMILE biochemical information from body internally and protected against Lausanne, rank 2 fluids such as sweat. This year, the copying. UrbanAlps’ existing customers startup is leading a research consortium, come from the high-security­ sector. 2. EXEON ANALYTICS which has received EUR 2.4 million in Negotiations are under way with locking Zurich, rank 12 financing from the European funding system manufacturers. and support program Eurostars, for the 3. IMVERSE development of next-generation devices Plan-les-Ouates, rank 14 for health monitoring. Xsensio CEO VERITY STUDIOS 4. ORBIWISE Esmeralda Megally plans to introduce 99 ZURICH, DRONES Plan-les-Ouates, rank 15 the first product next year. WWW.VERITYSTUDIOS.COM 5. SCANTRUST ETH Zurich spin-off Verity Studios is the Lausanne, rank 16 VOLUMINA MEDICAL leading provider of commercial 96 LAUSANNE, MEDTECH autonomous indoor drones for live The Sundance Film Festival, which WWW.VOLUMINA-MEDICAL.CH events. Verity has just raised USD 18 mil- takes place every January, is best known lion in an initial funding round from to film buffs. But it is where well-known This summer, the ETH Lausanne spin-off investors including Airbus and Sony, and directors such as Quentin Tarantino moved into the life sciences incubator at will use the financing to expand growth and Swiss film-maker Marc Forster Biopôle science park, in order to in the US market and take its security made their breakthrough. The festival accelerate the development of a technology into new areas of auto­ has become one of the most important biocompatible paste called AdiPearl and nomous flying objects. marketplaces for new technology in the go to market quickly. This injectable film industry, so Swiss startup Imverse biomaterial can reconstruct tissue could soon also become a well-known destroyed after the removal of a tumor, INOFEA name. In January 2018, or through an accident or a genetic 100 BASEL, BIOTECH Imverse caused a malformation. WWW.INOFEA.COM sensation at the festival with its Last December, Inofea raised a second technology, which IDUN TECHNOLOGIES tranche of seed funding from business can create 3D 97 ZURICH, MEDTECH angels. The spin-off from the University content extremely WWW.IDUNTECHNOLOGIES.CH of Applied Sciences of North-West quickly. ‘It means, for Switzerland has developed a nanotech- example, that users in To monitor the heart, brain and muscles, nological platform technology that can a virtual reality film are no several electrodes need to be attached be used to protect enzymes and longer represented by an avatar but by to the patient. In order to improve enhance them with new properties. a 3D hologram of themselves,’ explains wearing comfort and signal quality, Inofea is focusing on several lines of CEO Javier Bello Ruiz. Behind this cool health scientists Séverine Chardonnens business, including licensing and direct application is a technology with the and Simon Bachmann have developed sales of enzymes. potential to revolutionise the graphics electrodes with mini suction cups, for 3D content on computers and modelled on the grasshopper, that smartphones. Virtual reality is just the self-adhere. A clinical trial has been first market for the start-up. Javier Bello started, and in June IDUN closed its first is convinced: ‘We can become as funding round. important as Adobe.’

STARTUP 2018 41 Illustrations: Brigitta Garcia Lopez Garcia Illustrations: Brigitta

42 STARTUP 2018 TOP 100 STARTUPS FEATURE BY JOST DUBACHER artin Vetterli has his eye on the big picture: ‘History,’ says the president of EPL Laus- anne, ‘teaches us that every industrial revolution takes value creation a step higher; from agricultural products to machines and now from ­machines to data.’ The current data revolution has many faces: it is driven by enabling technologies, such as cryptography, data sciences, arti- Mficial intelligence, sensory technology and software engineering. It makes applications such as self-driving vehicles, the Internet of Things and distributed databases possible. And it opens up completely new perspectives in material, medical, micro and gene technologies. Take blockchain as an example. Who can I trust? What do I DEEP do if my counterpart abuses my trust? This question has been driving people for millennia, but now it seems a partial solution may be available. A database that provides forgery-proof docu- mentation of all the participants’ transactions replaces trust with transparency. Thomas Dübendorfer is a serial entrepreneur who has been involved in about 20 tech startups. He goes into raptures when TECH he talks about the opportunities offered by the use of block- chain for peer-to-peer databases: ‘We are reinventing the inter- net!’ he exclaims. European universities are leading the way in cryptography, the fundamental science that underlies blockchain technology. NATION ‘We now need to maintain this lead, expand it and above all • Machines do it, people do it: Artificial intelligence generate data. It’s now about Whether Nestlé, MunichRe, Bayer or Swisscom, new customers of Zurich-based AI firm Starmind are given a giant glass brain for il- handling this commodity lustrative purposes. It flashes and lights up every time two employ- ees come together and share their knowledge. ‘We link up people with the help of artificial intelligence,’ explains Starmind co- intelligently. founder Pascal Kaufmann. Behind the glass brain is a knowledge platform that learns who in a company knows what, and how they are available. Technologically, Kauf- mann and his co-founder Marc Vontobel do not rely on the com- mon big data machine learning methods, but instead on small data and Hebbian theory, which origi- nates from neuroscience. This ap- proach is seen as extremely prom- ising around the world. Founded in 2010 and with roots in the ETH artificial intelligence laboratory in Zurich, the company is profitable, growing fast and in May this year raised CHF 15 million in risk capital. The headcount is due to rise from 45 to just under 100 in the medium term. At the beginning of the year, Starmind became the first Swiss AI company to be added to Microsoft’s global accelerator programme ScaleUp. Illustrations: Brigitta Garcia Lopez Garcia Illustrations: Brigitta

STARTUP 2018 43 TOP 100 STARTUPS Internet of Things Robotics In the past, if something – a fridge, a drill or a car park sensor – The world’s first marketable walking robot is Swiss. Called ANY- wanted to download information wirelessly, it needed a SIM card mal, it is sold by ETH spin-off ANYbotics. The quadruped moves or wifi adapter. Both interfaces need a lot of electricity, have a like a motorised cat in slow motion, seeking out its destination by small reach (wifi) or are expensive (SIM card). The solution is a means of stored map information or spontaneously via on-board Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN). Julian Studer, co- cameras. founder of Thalwil-based start-up Loriot, is convinced that ‘this ‘The key element is the 12 joints with power sensors,’ says ANY- low-power network with a reach of a kilometre will get the Inter- botics CEO Hanspeter Fässler. These ANYdrives enable the robot net of Things really going’. to recognise external forces – Having worked for many years such as an obstacle – and react to as an investment banker, he and it in real-time. former IBM researcher Vit Praj- After more than 100 man years zler started up an operating sys- of development of ANYmal at tem for PWAN applications that ETH, Fässler and his 18-strong has set a benchmark. One of its team now have to commercialise customers is Lucerne’s water and this unique expertise. Fässler is power company, Energie Wasser not lacking in experience. Until ­Luzern (ewl). The utility uses the Loriot platform to regulate Lu- 2015, he had a corporate career that took him, inter alia, to the top cerne’s traffic, which is spiralling out of control, by means of occu- of ABB Switzerland and construction firm Implenia. pancy sensors in the town’s car parks. Loriot has taken it even fur- The first buyers of ANYmal come from an academic environ- ther in middle and eastern Europe. In the Czech Republic, ment, but ANYbotics is aiming for the commercial market. ‘It Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, local telcos are building nation- would be interesting, for example, to employ ANYmal on offshore wide LPWAN networks with Loriot technology. In parallel, the Zu- platforms,’ Fässler says. The Swiss robot could conduct inspec- rich startup operates public servers on all five continents where tions, read sensors and trigger an alarm if a leaking pipe is discov- third-party IoT networks can be set up. Even NASA is a ­user of ered, whatever the weather. the Miami server.

• use it to set up disruptive business models,’ says Dübendor- business models. A profitable area is the development of arti- fer. Otherwise, Europe faces the threat of something that has ficial intelligence. already occurred before – the Americans will take over. AI is what the EU commission calls a key enabling technol- Indeed, a large proportion of global data traffic passes ogy on which the old continent can build. Niklas Zennström, through the servers of GAFA. An acronym standing for CEO of UK venture capital firm Atomico and co-founder of Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, GAFA also includes Skype, wanted to find out the truth. Micro­soft and global sector platforms such as Netflix For the State of European Tech 2017 report, he and Booking. asked founders and investors to identify the tech- nology areas in which Europe would have a Insatiable GAFA chance of becoming innovation leader within For researcher and science manager Vetterli, five years. The most mentions went to AI, cy- this is disturbing: ‘There’s no way that 30% of ber security, robotics and virtual reality. sales from a digital advertising deal in Europe ‘Europe, and Switzerland in particular, has should flow to California.’ But that’s exactly the best prerequisites to get to grips with the what happens, and no longer exclusively in B2C digital transformation,’ says Felix Mayer, co- business. founder and co-chairman of Sensirion. He Cloud platforms such as Microsoft’s Azure or should know because his company manufactures ­Amazon Web Services (AWS) are also used by industry. a key component of the data industry: sensors. Traditional mechanical engineers lease easily scalable storage Sensirion is a global market leader in humidity, tempera- space and use the apps provided by the operators themselves ture and flow sensors. The small sensors sit in equipment like or by third parties. ventilators and air conditioning units. There is hardly a coun- So deep tech stands not only for scientific and technical try where a sensor from the Stäfa-based company does not expert­ise, but also for the will of Europeans to carve out their convert real-world states into digital signals. • place in the new data world. EPFL boss Vetterli and investor Thomas Dübendorfer both say that companies need to get EPFL president Martin Vetterli: ‘Computional thinking is our new ­involved in areas above and beyond the pure digitization of basic subject.’

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Walder Wyss is one of the leading Swiss law firms with a team of around 190 Iegal experts and offices in Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Berne, Lausanne and Lugano. TOP 100 STARTUPS Blockchain ••••• Olga Feldmeier has big plans. She wants Zug startup Smart Valor DAVID VERSUS to build a platform for the creation and trading of programmable assets; these are contracts stored in a blockchain that guarantee GOLIATH the owner the right to an asset in the real world – part of a house, GETYOURGUIDE, A a share or a bond. The project is complex because it requires TOUR AND ACTIVI- knowledge in three areas: financial market regulation, asset man- agement and blockchain technology. The financial know-how TIES PLATFORM comes from Feldmeier herself, a FOUNDED IN Ukrainian national; before becom- ­ZURICH, IS DEFYING ing self-employed, she worked for THE US SUPER- Barclays in London and at UBS. POWER. For cryptography and security, she has employed a top international, Frenchman Julien Bringer. A proto­ type of Smart Valor is due to go There’s always a hard battle in platform opera­tional in the autumn. The full business, and in the end the Americans version still needs a securities license from FINMA, for which it win. ETH spin-off GetYourGuide, has now applied. co-founded by CEO Johannes Reck, wants ‘We give companies and individuals the opportunity to do busi- to prove there are exceptions to this unwrit- ness together without the involvement of banks or trustees,’ ten rule. According to Phocuswright, a ­explains Feldmeier. market research company that specialises The medium-term plan for Smart Valor is to establish itself as in travel, GetYourGuide is one of the one of the world’s leading trading venues for digital assets. Its in- world’s three largest online sellers of tickets vestors include Geneva-based serial entrepreneur Stéphane Pic- for tours, museums and other leisure tet, a member of the eponymous private banking dynasty. activities. Its competitors are two US companies: TripAdvisor subsidiary Viator and online travel group Expedia. GetYourGuide raised more than CHF 75 million of finance last year to keep going. Its staff of 450 manage and market offers in 22 languages; since last year, customers can now book a skip-the-line ticket for the Sistine Chapel in Chinese, • Mayer and co-founder Moritz Lechner were doing deep tech before the term Japanese and Russian. But the main thing is even existed. In 1998, they made the leap into self-employment with semiconduc- that the company is growing fast. tor technology developed at ETH Zurich. Sensirion was listed on the Swiss stock GetYourGuide sold 10 million tickets exchange at the beginning of the year. Its current market capitalisation is about from its foundation in 2008 to 2016, and CHF 600 million. 6 million in 2017 alone. Meanwhile, it has even succeeded in establishing itself in the Millions for deeptech start-ups US, which it says is one of its most Stories like this will happen again and again, thanks to the fast-growing pipeline of important source markets. deep tech startups which are in hot demand with investors. ‘At the Venture Leaders The five founders came up with their roadshows in the US, Britain, India and China, our startups had meetings with the business concept during a Venturelab term best risk capitalists in the world,’ confirms Stefan Steiner, co-managing director of course, where they also met their first Venturelab. Another indicator comes from the Swiss Venture Capital Report. Every business angel. Although the company’s year, it lists the 20 largest funding rounds. In 2017, this included four rounds with focus has shifted since 2011 towards Berlin, companies that make their money with big data: Sophia Genetics, global leader in its Zurich branch remains the tech location data-driven medicine, raised just under CHF 30 million. and will be expanded massively as part of Jurgi Camblong, founder and CEO of Sophia Genetics, is a member of the new the growth plans, with the current staff of Digital Transformation board of the Federal Council, alongside Martin Vetterli, Fed- 25 due to double. eral Councillor Ruedi Noser and Jürgen Schmidhuber, director of IDSIA, the inter- nationally recognised AI laboratory at the University of Lugano. They all have the same aim: making the innovation location of Switzerland fit for the digital future. A high priority here is to train the next generation of scien- tists and technicians, which is why EPFL has expanded its canon of core subjects for the coming winter semester. In addition to mathematics and physics, it is now offering computational thinking. •

46 STARTUP 2018 START YOUR START AND INNOVATION GROW YOUR PROJECT BUSINESS

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INNOSUISSE IS HERE TO HELP. www.innosuisse.ch TOP 100 STARTUPS INTERVIEW BY JOST DUBACHER

Cristian Grossmann, what does a founders’ breakfast at Beekeeper look like? Cristian Grossmann: CTO Flavio Pfaff- hauser and I meet every Wednesday morning for coffee and croissants. We ­exchange ideas and clear our minds; no agenda and we don’t look at the key per- formance indicators.

You both started with a flirting platform for students. Now you have customers including Heathrow airport and the Hilton hotel chain. How did that come about? The blicKlick flirting platform was all about communication and building groups via smartphones. What we lacked was a business model. Until one day we wondered whether we could also use an app with news feed and chat functions for internal communication within companies. Everything then moved very fast: we ran a pilot project at three Swissôtel locations and shortly af- ter that Swissôtel was taken over by the Canadian FRHI Group, so we had the opportunity to roll out the Beekeeper app for 50,000 ­employees.

You’re focusing on the hotel industry, construction and industry in general; sectors where a lot of man- ual work still exists. Why? ‘OUR AIM IS TO Because there have been software and internal communication systems for ­office workers for ages. That market is dominated by giants such as Salesforce and Microsoft. If you add up the market capitalisation of all existing companies, it comes to USD 180 billion. Conversely, up BE LISTED’ until a few years ago, there were very few solutions for communicating with Beekeeper is one of Europe’s fastest blue-collar workers. It’s a gap we have squeezed into. growing startups. The founder and

What’s the competition like? CEO, Cristian Grossmann, explains There are a couple of competitors, but their platforms are set up for the needs how he is managing expansion. of specific industries, whereas Beekeeper is for all sectors.

Which in turn places high demands on marketing and sales. How are you going about this? We are trying to be as close as possible to our existing and potential clients. We

have operational bases in Zurich and San Photo: Tina Sturzenegger

48 STARTUP 2018 Francisco, and we are also running branches in London, Ber- lin, Madrid and Austin, Texas.

Beekeeper has raised about CHF 26 million in capital to date. Is the next financing round imminent? ‘I make complicated We’ll be ready at the start of 2019. We will close the next big round and put the money into further expansion: for exam- things simple.’ ple, building up a 100-strong team for software development, either in Poland or Portugal. Cristian Grossmann At the same time, you are pursuing the Marketplace project. What’s it all about? The best thing to compare it to is Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Our Beekeeper platform is its operating system and can be used for running apps – ours and also third-party apps; for example, from customers and independent software develop- ers – with additional functionality. This ecosystem approach is a way of accelerating our expansion. We currently have 34 nationalities in our team. We recruit glob- ally and are benefiting, for example, from Brexit, ­because it has Funding rounds, new business models and more and more forced many highly qualified people in the UK to look for a job staff: how do you keep on top of it all? on the Continent. The key factor is that we offer attractive It’s a challenge, but it’s not black magic. The key thing is plan- jobs; besides a motivating environment, that includes things ning. As the boss of a fast-growing company, I always need to like an employee share option program. be thinking today about what will be needed tomorrow. That sort of programme is complicated and time-consuming Such as? to manage. Take the management structures, for example. If a startup You obviously have to comply with certain rules and pro- has more than 15 staff, it becomes difficult for the cesses. But the same applies to data protection or employing founders to communicate directly with every individual non-EU nationals. My job is to set up internal processes that person. You have to define responsibilities and delegate make complicated things simple. and control. When we reached this stage, we set up an eight-strong That doesn’t sound particularly spectacular... management team. The ...but our investors are very appreciative. An investor wants to see us grow, but we can achieve that only if we do our home- So every other employee became a engineer work correctly. manager. Did that make sense? Definitely, because we created the or- Looking ahead, where is Beekeeper heading? ganisational requirements for a com- Mexico-born Cristian Around the world, 600 million people work in front of screens pany with 50 to 60 employees. I think Grossmann came to at office desks. More than three times that number – more that’s the next tipping point, which is Switzerland to study. than 2 billion – work outside on building sites, in warehouses, why we were quick to set up a middle He gained a Master’s factories or hotels. Managers can communicate digitally with management team that can lead 150 em- in chemical engineer- these people only via smartphones. Our aim is that 500 mil- ployees. ing from ETH Zurich lion employees will use our app by 2030. and then a doctorate You’re likely to reach that threshold What are the implication of this for a potential exit? in electro engineer- this year. What then? We are currently market leader with 2 million app users. If we ing. During the Ven- We are currently establishing training manage to keep this position, a trade sale and thus loss of in- courses for future Beekeeper managers, turelab courses, he dependence does not make sense. A company that’s number based on role models and tried and worked on business one in a large, international market should be listed on the tested practices. In a medium-sized models and founded stock market. business, an instruction and control Beekeeper with three system reaches its limits, so the aim is colleagues. In his What makes you sure you can achieve this goal? for participants to internalise our cor- leisure time, the The experience of our customers’ staff. When I was in San porate culture. 37-year-old spends Francisco recently, I talked to a cleaner who uses our app. She six to 10 hours a used to have to spend an hour and a half driving to the office Switzerland has a lack of specialists. week on sporting on a Sunday afternoon to view the shift schedules for the fol- Where do you find all the people to activities. lowing week. Beekeeper saves her this journey. She had tears

Photo: Tina Sturzenegger ­recruit? in her eyes when she was telling me this. •

STARTUP 2018 49 TOP 100 STARTUPS GRAPHIC EXITS Time of founding Time of exit/IPO Buyer

Intel, Apple bexio SG, Fintech Mobiliar SwissLitho ZH, Engineering Heidelberg Instruments Diviac ZH, Online PADI and Logitech YouRehab ZH, Medtech Reha-Stim Medtec Innovative Swiss startups Koemei VS, Software Crealogix are ­coveted acquisition targets. KB Medical VD, Medtech Globus Medical Prominent names now feature Contovista ZH, Fintech Aduno among the buyers. The big Strong.codes VD, Software Snap picture shows who bought what Knip ZH, Fintech Digital Insurance Group and when. MOVU ZH, Online Baloise Poken VD, Engineering GES Dacuda ZH, Software Magic Leap DealMarket ZH, Fintech Drooms CRISPR Therapuetics ZG, Biotech IPO (Börsengang) Housetrip VD, Online TripAdvisor mySwissChocolate ZH, Online Aeschbach Chocolatier Skybotix ZH, Drones GoPro Mila ZH, Online Swisscom Faceshift ZH, Software Apple Koubachi ZH, Engineering Husqvarna BugBuster Sàrl VD, Software AppDynamics Biocartis VD, Medtech IPO (Börsengang) Lemoptix VD, Engineering Intel Upicto ZH, Online Logitech Redbiotec ZH, Biotech Pfizer Doodle ZH, Online Tamedia Parking Solutions (Park it) ZH, Online SBB Covagen ZG, Biotech Johnson & Johnson Trigami BS, Online Teads.tv Jilion VD, Online Dailymotion Kooaba ZH, Online Qualcomm Connected Experiences Inc. Silp ZH, Online x28 SenseFly VD, Drones Parrot Pix4D VD, Software Parrot Procedural ZH, Software Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute) Goodshine (deindeal.ch) ZH, Online Ringier LiberoVision ZH, Software Vizrt FashionFriends BE, Online Tamedia Timeline 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

50 STARTUP 2018 Time of founding Time of exit/IPO Buyer

bexio SG, Fintech Mobiliar SwissLitho ZH, Engineering Heidelberg Instruments Diviac ZH, Online PADI YouRehab ZH, Medtech Reha-Stim Medtec Koemei VS, Software Crealogix KB Medical VD, Medtech Globus Medical Contovista ZH, Fintech Aduno Strong.codes VD, Software Snap Knip ZH, Fintech Digital Insurance Group MOVU ZH, Online Baloise Poken VD, Engineering GES Dacuda ZH, Software Magic Leap DealMarket ZH, Fintech Drooms CRISPR Therapuetics ZG, Biotech IPO (Börsengang) Housetrip VD, Online TripAdvisor mySwissChocolate ZH, Online Aeschbach Chocolatier Skybotix ZH, Drones GoPro Mila ZH, Online Swisscom Faceshift ZH, Software Apple Koubachi ZH, Engineering Husqvarna BugBuster Sàrl VD, Software AppDynamics Biocartis VD, Medtech IPO (Börsengang) Lemoptix VD, Engineering Intel Upicto ZH, Online Logitech Redbiotec ZH, Biotech Pfizer Doodle ZH, Online Tamedia Parking Solutions (Park it) ZH, Online SBB Covagen ZG, Biotech Johnson & Johnson Trigami BS, Online Teads.tv Jilion VD, Online Dailymotion Kooaba ZH, Online Qualcomm Connected Experiences Inc. Silp ZH, Online x28 SenseFly VD, Drones Parrot Pix4D VD, Software Parrot Procedural ZH, Software Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute) Goodshine (deindeal.ch) ZH, Online Ringier LiberoVision ZH, Software Vizrt FashionFriends BE, Online Tamedia Timeline 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

STARTUP 2018 51 start up ticker .ch www.plusgestaltung.com — Foto: photocase.de / froodmat — Foto: www.plusgestaltung.com

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Principal Innosuisse – Swiss Innovation Agency School of Management Fribourg, Swiss Private Equity & Corporate Finance Association SECA, StartAngels Network, Top 100 Start-ups, Partner Foundation Startupticker Gebert Rüf Foundation, STARTUPS.CH, Fongit, BaselLaunch, STARTFELD, Innovaud, Technopark Stiftung Natur und Umwelt, Swiss Startup Invest, ETH transfer, Luzern, Swiss Economic Forum SEF, Swiss Energy and Climate Forum EPFL Innovation Park, Start-up Promotion Centro Ticino swissECS, SEF Growth Initiative for SMEs, Swiss Innovation Forum SIF, SBB, Zürcher Kantonalbank, StartupCampus, Technopark Zürich, P & TS Contributor Swisscom, W.A. de Vigier, EPFL Innovation Park, Intellectual Property, SwissParks.ch, Fondazione AGIRE, be-advanced, GoBeyond, Startup INVEST, Institut für Jungunternehmen IFJ, The Ark, Kanton Aargau, Swiss Prime Site, Switzerland Innovation, F10, Venturelab, digitalswitzerland Fri Up, Biopôle, CP Startup

Supporter State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, Editor Journalistenbüro Niedermann GmbH, Lucerne Business & Economic Development Canton of Zurich, ETH Zurich, Inputs: [email protected] Venture Kick, Switzerland Innovation Park Biel/Bienne, GENILEM, TOP 100 STARTUPS THE JURY A Carole Ackermann, Zurich. President, Business Angels Switzerland (BAS). CEO, Diamondscull, investment firm in the medical and environmental sector. Member of several boards. www.diamondscull.ch Michael Altdorfer, Zurich. CEO, Swiss Biotech Association. www.swissbiotech.org Lukas André, Zurich. Venture partner, investment company Redstone Digital GmbH, Berlin. Co-founder, various IT start-ups. www.redstone.vc Rolf Auf der Maur, Zurich. Partner, law firm VISCHER. IT legal expert. Business angel. Venture Kick jury member. www.vischer.com THE EXPERTS B Thomas Bähler, Bern. Partner, Kellerhals Carrard, private equity/venture capital. Business angel. Jury member, Swiss Economic Award. SEF4KMU expert. www.kellerhals-carrard.ch Patrick Barbey, Lausanne. Managing director, WHO KNOW InnoVaud promotion agency. Co-founder, several start-ups. www.innovaud.ch Brigitte Baumann, Zurich. Co-founder and chairwoman, business angel platform Go Beyond Early Stage Investing. European Business Angel of the Year 2014. www.go-beyond.biz Marc P. Bernegger, Zurich. Serial entrepreneur. THE SCENE Angel investor with a focus on fintech and crypto assets. Board member, Crypto Finance Group. www.cryptofinance.ch One hundred proven experts have chosen Laurent Bischof, Lausanne. Managing Partner, Polytech Ventures. Focus: early phase and Series A the 100 best startups in 2018. Each one funding for high-tech start-ups. Director, Fintech Factory. www.polytechventures.ch Philip Bodmer, Dübendorf. President, Swiss selected and rated their 10 personal favour- Federal Foundation for Promotion of the National Economy through Scientific Research. Business ites: 10 points for rank 1, one point for Angel of the Year 2017. Venture Kick jury member. www.volkswirtschaft-stiftung.ch rank 10. The final ranking is based on the Silvio Bonaccio, Zurich. Head, ETH transfer/ spin-offs. Co-founder and member, Swiss total number of points awarded by all jurors. Technology Transfer Association (swiTT). www.transfer.ethz.ch Diego A. Braguglia, Zug. General partner, venture capital company VI Partners. Focus: life sciences/ biotech. www.vipartners.ch David Brown, Lausanne. Founder/co-founder, various start-ups including buy.at and Flyability. Venture Kick jury member. Business Angel of the Year 2016. www.hightechfondue.com Beat Bühlmann, Zurich. Active business angel. Board president, Ferrum AG. Board member, Invision Private Equity AG. www.ferrum.net

STARTUP 2018 53 TOP 100 STARTUPS THE JURY

Nicolas Bürer, Zurich. Managing Director, digitalswitzerland. Start-up manager and investor. Business Angel of the Year 2018. G J www.digitalswitzerland.com Antonio Gambardella, Plan-les-Ouates (GE): Michel Jaccard, Lausanne. Founder/partner, id Director, Geneva start-up incubator Fongit. est avocats sàrl. Expert in corporate finance, new Venture capital expert and angel investor. technology and media. Jury member, numerous www.fongit.ch startup awards including Prix Strategis. Frank Gerritzen, Lausanne. President and jury www.idest.pro C member, Business Angels Switzerland (BAS). Mario Jenni, Schlieren. Founder, multiple Amanda Chang, Versoix (GE). Manager, Founder, Swiss branch of Wealth Peer Group. enterprises. CEO and founder, Bio-Technopark Yellowstone Holding. Long-term investments in www.businessangels.ch Schlieren life sciences centre. Managing director, Swiss companies entering the Asian market. Eric Gisiger, Zurich. Partner, investment company Empa technology centre glatec. www.yellowstoneholding.ch Helvetica Capital. Chartered financial analyst. www.bio-technopark.ch Raphaël Conz, Lausanne. Responsible for www.helvetica-capital.ch Andreas Jurgeit, Amsterdam. Investment business development and innovation policy, Patrick Griss, Schlieren. Co-founder and manager with focus on life sciences. Board canton of Valais. executive partner, Zühlke Ventures. Focus: member, Indi Molecular. www.indimolecular.com www.vd.ch/promotion-economique high-tech startups. Member of the advisory board, Empa technology centre Glatec. www.zuehlke.com Daniel Gutenberg, Zug. General partner, venture capital company VI Partners. Focus: IT. Business Angel of the Year 2011. www.vipartners.ch K D Matthias Kaiserswerth, Bern. Managing director, Alberto De Lorenzi, Bioggio. Founder, multiple Hasler Foundation; former director, IBM Zurich enterprises. Business angel with a focus on ICT Research Laboratory. www.haslerstiftung.ch start-ups. Partner, De Lorenzi & Partners. Martin Kauert, Bern. Head, energy solutions, www.delorenzi.ch energy company BKW. www.bkw.ch Alberto De Min, Geneva. CEO, Preon Capital H Trudi Haemmerli, Basel. Board member, Bea Knecht, Zurich. Active angel investor. Partners. Co-founder and board member, several Innosuisse – Swiss Innovation Agency. CEO, life Founder and board president, web TV platform start-ups. Venture Kick jury member. sciences startup. Business angel with focus on Zattoo. www.zattoo.com www.preoncapital.com pharma, medtech and ICT. www.innosuisse.ch Cédric Koehler, Zurich. Managing partner, Marcel Denner, Zurich. Corporate venturing & René Hausammann, Winterthur. CEO, Swiss European investment company Creathor Venture. development, Swiss Prime Site Management AG. Parks, association of Swiss technology parks and Focus: ICT, media, new materials. www.sps.swiss incubators. Founder and long-standing CEO, www.creathor.ch William Dougherty, Zurich. Head, investment Technopark Winterthur. www.swissparks.ch Marjan N. Kraak, Zurich. Group leader, spin-off strategies, family office QdN Partners. Business Wolfgang Henggeler, Zurich. Expert in patents companies, ETH Zurich/ETH transfer. Manager, angel. Venture Kick jury member. and research contracts, Unitectra (technology Pioneer Fellowship program. Board of trustees www.venturekick.ch transfer organisation for the universities of Zurich, member, Startupticker Foundation. Thomas Dübendorfer, Zurich. Internet Bern and Basel). www.unitectra.ch www.transfer.ethz.ch entrepreneur and business angel. President, Swiss Reto Hertler, Zurich. Head, private equity/ Pius Küng, St. Gallen. Business angel. Owner, Dr. ICT Investor Club (SICTIC). www.sictic.ch venture capital, family office Wille Finance AG. Pius Küng & Partner. Co-founder, IFJ Institut für Florian Dünner, Zurich. Investment manager, Founder, FriendsTip (Venturetech AG). Jungunternehmen. www.kueng-partner.ch startup finance, Zürcher Kantonalbank. www.friendstip.com Stefan Kyora, Lucerne. Co-founder and www.zkb.ch Bolko Hohaus, Geneva. CEO and founder, asset editor-in-chief, news platform startupticker.ch. Pascal Dutheil, Lausanne. Founder, Andromede management company HCP Hohaus Advisory Editor, Swiss Venture Capital Report. Managing Consulting, high-tech startup coaching and Board member, Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC). director and partner, JNB Journalistenbüro. venture capital. Focus: seed and early stage. www.hcp.ch www.startupticker.ch www.andromede.ch Matthias Hölling, Zurich. Team leader, Technopark Zurich. Jury member/expert, ZKB Pionierpreis and Swiss Technology Award. www.technopark.ch David Hug, Zurich. Managing director, Ringier L E Jean-Philippe Lallement, Geneva. Director, Markus A. Eugster, Zurich. Active business angel Digital Ventures. Board member, several startups. EPFL Innovation Park. Business angel. Co-founder, and start-up board member. Focus: finance and www.ringierdigital.ch several startups, including Prediggo and Attolight. insurance sector. www.markusaeugster.biz Thomas Huth, Baar. Founder, multiple Board of trustees member, startupticker.ch. enterprises, and startup investor. Board member, www.epfl-innovationpark.ch several startups. www.startup.ch Yves Latour, Zurich. Partner and founder, 3w Ventures. Partner and management, startup Lunchgate. www.3wventures.com

54 STARTUP 2018 Hervé Lebret, Lausanne. Manager, support Lutz Nolte, Bern. Director, Institute for Surgical program Innogrants, ETH Lausanne. Former Technology and Biomechanics, University of Bern. venture capitalist, Index Ventures. www.istb.unibe.ch S www.startup-book.com Christian Schaub, Zurich. Angel investor. Chandra Paul Leo, expert in private equity and Co-founder and CEO, Redbiotec. Mentor and venture capital. Investment advisor, HBM Partners. coach, Venturelab. www.redbiotec.ch Multiple board member. Beat Schillig, St. Gallen. Founder and president, www.hbmpartners.com O Institut für Jungunternehmen (IFJ) and Venture- Magne Y. Orgland, Teufen. Business angel. Ariel Lüdi, Zurich. Active angel investor. Founder lab. Initiator, Venture Leaders, Venture Kick and Managing partner, Norga Capital and Meridian and owner, Hammer Team, accelerator for TOP 100 Swiss Startups. Business Angel of the Capital Holding. Venture Kick jury member. software start-ups. www.hammerteam.ch Year 2012. www.ifj.ch www.startup.ch Daniel Schoch, Zurich. Head, startup finance, Markus Oswald, Schwyz. Venture capitalist. CEO, Zürcher Kantonalbank. Jury member, ZKB innovation foundation, Schwyzer Kantonalbank. Pionierpreis Technopark. www.zkb.ch www.szkb.ch/innovationsstiftung Jens Schulte, Bern. Head, corporate venture M capital, PostFinance. www.postfinance.ch Karim Maizar, Zurich. Partner and head, startup Peter Schüpbach, Langenthal. Business angel. desk, Kellerhals Carrard. Specialisation: company Founder, multiple enterprises including Miracle, law, corporate financing. Board member, Swiss Fashion Friends, SwissCommerce. Partner, Startup Association. www.kellerhals-carrard.ch P Maurice Pedergnana, Zug. CEO, SECA Swiss NewBorn Ventures. Focus: ICT projects. Pascal Mathis, Zurich. Co-founder, GetYour- Private Equity & Corporate Finance Association; http://peters.wordpress.com Guide. Partner, startup coaching firm Wingman. partner, Zugerberg Finanz AG. Professor, banking Florian Schweitzer, St. Gallen. Co-founder and Business angel. Active board member, several and finance, Lucerne University of Applied partner, business angel network b-to-v Partners startups. www.wingman.ch Sciences and Arts. www.seca.ch AG. www.b-to-v.com Dominique Mégret, Bern. Head, Swisscom Eric Plan, Sion. General secretary, CleantechAlps, Paul E. Sevinç, St. Gallen. Co-founder, Doodle Ventures. Co-founder, Kickstart Ventures. cleantech cluster for western Switzerland. Steering AG, angel investor with IT focus. www.squeng.com www.swisscom.ch/ventures board member, Swiss Water Partnership. Coach at Michael Sidler, Zurich. Business angel. Founder Didier Mesnier, Geneva. Executive officer, Alp ICT, cimARK. www.cleantech-alps.com and partner, Redalpine Venture Partners. Start-up high-tech cluster western Switzerland. Stefan Portmann, Rüschlikon. Active angel coach. Board member, SECA. www.redalpine.com www.alpict.com investor and professional board member, Luzerner Roland Siegwart, Zurich. Co-director, Wyss James Miners, Plan-les-Quates. Serial Kantonalbank, Calida, Stöckli Swiss Sports, Zurich (WTZ). Professor, autonomous mobile entrepreneur. Business adviser, Geneva incubator Flaschenpost Services (online wine merchant). robots, ETH Zurich. Co-founder, several ETH for high-tech business Fongit. www.fongit.ch www.calidagroup.com spin-offs.www.wysszurich.uzh.ch Felix Moesner, Shanghai. Swiss Consul. CEO, Jim Pulcrano, Geneva. Professor, IMD Business Robert Skrobak, Zurich. Senior client advisor, Swissnex China. Co-organiser, Venture Leaders School. Coach, IMD Startup Competition. Rothschild Bank. Partner, Venturelab. China. www.swissnexchina.org www.imd.org www.rothschild.ch Jordi Montserrat, Lausanne. Co-founder and Philipp Stauffer, San Francisco. Founder and partner, Venturelab. Managing director, Venture general partner, FyrFly Venture Partners. Kick and Venturelab. Business angel and startup www.fyrfly.vc executive board member. www.venturelab.ch Alexander Stöckel, St. Gallen. Partner and Carolina Müller-Möhl, Zurich. Investor and R board member, btov. www.btov.vc multiple board member. Board president, Jost Renggli, Zurich. Co-founder and partner, Nanja Strecker, Zurich. Managing director, Müller-Möhl Group. www.mm-grp.com rating platform Venture Valuation for technology business incubator, European Space Agency (ESA). companies. www.venturevaluation.com www.esabic.ch Simone Riedel Riley, Zurich. Head, Swiss Albert Zabo, Zurich. Entrepreneur and private Technology Fund. Expert in corporate funding, investor. Board president, mobit AG. Seed and Emerald Technology Ventures. growth investments in Swiss tech start-ups. N www.technologyfund.ch Michael Näf, Zurich. Co-founder, doodle.com. www.mobit.ch Max Rimpel, London. Investor, Index Ventures. Venture partner, Cavalry Ventures. Business angel Focus: early phase investments in technology and multiple board member. www.cavalry.vc sector. www.indexventures.com Steven Neftel, Geneva.Director, Forestay Capital, Andreas Roth, Zurich. Director, Credit Suisse; growth equity/venture capital. Director, Waypoint presenting partner, TOP 100 Swiss Startups. Capital, investment company of Ernesto Bertarelli. T Expert in startup and SME funding solutions. Colin Turner, Geneva. Business angel. Mentor, A3 www.forestaycapital.com www.credit-suisse.com Angels. Co-founder, greenTEK ventures. General Peter Niederhauser, Zurich. Serial entrepreneur partner, Rising Star Ventures and Rising Star and angel investor. Founding partner, venture Accelerator (cybersecurity). capital company Redalpine Venture Partners. www.risingstaraccelerator.ch www.redalpine.com

STARTUP 2018 55 TOP 100 STARTUPS THE JURY V W Z Heiko Visarius, Burgdorf. CEO, VISARTIS Lucian Wagner, Zurich. General partner, EuroUS Jürg Zürcher, Zurich. Partner, EMEIA biotechnol- Healthcare. Startup coach, Innosuisse. www. Ventures, with more than a dozen startup ogy leader, Ernst & Young. www.ey.com visartis-healthcare.ch investments. Board member and co-founder, Paul-André Vogel, Sion. Director, CimArk, startup Launch in US Alliance. www.eurousventures.com support network. Start-up coach. www.cimark.ch Steffen Wagner, Zurich. Co-founder and CEO, Pascale Vonmont, Basel. Director, Gebert Rüf Investiere/Verve Capital Partners AG. Expert, Stiftung. President, Startupticker Foundation. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Board member, digitalswitzerland. Strategic www.investiere.ch council delegate, Venture Kick. Jury member, Christian Wenger, Zurich. Partner, law firm Venture Leaders and seif Awards. www.grstiftung. Wenger & Vieli. Focus: private equity/venture ch capital/M&A. President, digitalswitzerland. Jean-Pierre Vuilleumier, Zurich. Founder and President, Startup INVEST. Business angel. director, Startup INVEST. Organiser, Startup DAYs. www.wengervieli.ch Vice-president, Startupticker Foundation. Sandy Wetzel, Neuenburg. CEO, Technopark www.startupinvest.ch Neode. Start-up coach. www.neode.ch Roger Wüthrich, Bern. Head, digital business, Swisscom. Initiator, Swisscom StartUp Challenge. www.swisscom.ch/startup

56 STARTUP 2018 SCENE TOP 100 STARTUPS INDEX IN ALPHABETICALD ORDER Coople AG >> NEW NAME

In 2012 Coople, which was then known as Staff Finder, made it on to the TOP 100 startups list. Since then, the young company NAME FOUNDED SECTOR CANTON RANK hasNAME grown rapidly and by 2016FOUNDED its fully automatedSECTOR platformCANTON hadRANK al- ready facilitated the placement of 100,000 temporary employees. It 9T LABS AG 04.12.2017 ENGINEERING ZH 26 CODECHECK AG 07.05.2014 ONLINE ZH 30 even expanded successfully into the UK. In March last year, Staff A COMPHYA SÀRL 16.05.2017 MEDTECH VD 72 ADVANON AG 03.03.2015 FINTECH ZH 9 FinderCREAL3D completed SA a financing03.11.2017 round of CHFENGINEERING 20 million, ledVD by its19 ALLTHINGS TECHNOLOGIES AG 17.01.2013 PROPTECH BS 11 founderCRISPR THERAPEUTICS Viktor Calabrò AG . This enabled31.10.2013 the BIOTECHcompany to implementZG 20 ALTOIDA AG 17.05.2016 MEDTECH LU 36 its UKCRYPTO expansion FUND AG plans and increase21.04.2017 its staffFINTECH to 100. ZG 73 ANYBOTICS AG 09.09.2016 ENGINEERING ZH 54 AtCRYPTO the REAL end ESTATE of 2016, AG Staff Finder19.12.2017 extended PROPTECH its platform to ZGinclude 25 APIAX AG 02.05.2017 FINTECH ZH 65 CUTISS AG 08.03.2017 BIOTECH ZH 5 ASTROCAST SA 01.10.2014 ENGINEERING VD 52 job CYANOGUARDprofiles AGin the healthcare sector.04.08.2016 After all,BIOTECH the healthcareZH sector67 AVA AG 11.09.2014 MEDTECH ZH 1 is battlingD with acute manpower shortages. The industry suffers AVRIOS INTERNATIONAL AG 05.02.2015 SOFTWARE ZH 47 fromDAEDALEAN a permanent AG shortage of 12.08.2016qualified staff,SOFTWARE particularly registeredZH 46 B nurses,DAPHNE as TECHNOLOGY increasing SA numbers22.12.2017 of elderly peopleCLEANTECH need careVD for 35 BESTMILE SA 28.01.2014 SOFTWARE VD 2 longer.DOTPHOTON Coople SA aims to counteract19.04.2018 this developmentSOFTWARE with aGE flexible68 BIOWATCH SA 03.02.2015 ENGINEERING VD 37 E BRING! LABS AG 14.04.2015 ONLINE ZH 29 workforce.ELTHERA AG 16.02.2016 BIOTECH ZG 55 C TheEMBOTECH rebranding AG took place in24.09.2013 2017: ‘TheSOFTWARE name is simpleZH and 79 CARU AG 08.02.2017 MEDTECH ZH 83 memorableEQUIPPO AG and embodies the08.08.2014 most straightforward ONLINE connectionZG be59 - CARVOLUTION AG 08.03.2018 ONLINE BE 60 tweenEXEON employee ANALYTICS AG and employer,’09.08.2016 explains CEOSOFTWARE Calabrò. TheZH name12 CELLESTIA BIOTECH AG 20.05.2014 BIOTECH BS 48 also reflects the significant growth and development the company CHIMPY AG (FORMERLY BATTE.RE AG) 04.04.2013 CLEANTECH ZH 39 CLEVERDIST SA 08.04.2015 SOFTWARE GE 63 has achieved since it was launched: ‘Coople stands for a labour COAT-X AG 28.04.2016 ENGINEERING NE 77 market in which the relationship between employee and employer is characterised by mutual benefit instead of dependency.’

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58 STARTUP 2018

ktzh_awa_staof_inserat_hz_bild_210 x 140_rz_01.indd 1 23.08.17 18:53 Supertext. The name says it all.

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Coople AG >> NEW NAME

In 2012 Coople, which was then known as Staff Finder, made it on to the TOP 100 startups list. Since then, the young company has grown rapidly and by 2016 its fully automated platform had al- NAME FOUNDED SECTOR CANTON RANK NAME FOUNDED SECTOR CANTON RANK ready facilitated the placement of 100,000 temporary employees. It even expanded successfully into the UK. F R In March last year, Staff FARMY AG 06.06.2014 ONLINE ZH 53 REALLOOK AG (SELFNATION) 07.10.2013 ONLINE ZH 49 Finder completed a financing round of CHF 20 million, led by its FASHWELL AG 30.07.2014 ONLINE ZH 34 RETINAI MEDICAL AG 16.12.2016 MEDTECH BE 84 founder Viktor Calabrò. This enabled the company to implement FIXPOSITION AG 08.08.2017 ENGINEERING ZH 21 S its UK expansion plans and increase its staff to 100. FLYABILITY SA 23.09.2014 DRONES VD 4 SCANTRUST SA 15.01.2014 SOFTWARE VD 16 At the end of 2016, Staff Finder extended its platform to include FRONTIFY AG 04.04.2013 SOFTWARE SG 56 SKYPULL SA 28.09.2017 CLEANTECH TI 69 FUTURAE TECHNOLOGIES AG 13.12.2016 FINTECH ZH 85 SONECT AG 26.08.2016 FINTECH ZH 75 job profiles in the healthcare sector. After all, the healthcare sector G T is battling with acute manpower shortages. The industry suffers GAMAYA AG 22.01.2015 DRONES VD 8 TESTINGTIME AG 12.01.2015 SOFTWARE ZH 17 from a permanent shortage of qualified staff, particularly registered GLOBAL IMPACT FINANCE SA (MONITO) 13.01.2015 FINTECH VD 93 TOLREMO THERAPEUTICS AG 16.03.2017 BIOTECH ZH 31 nurses, as increasing numbers of elderly people need care for GLYCEMICON AG 23.01.2013 BIOTECH AG 23 TOPADUR PHARMA AG 10.03.2015 BIOTECH ZH 92 longer. Coople aims to counteract this development with a flexible GNUBIOTICS SÀRL 08.09.2016 BIOTECH VD 87 TWENTYGREEN AG 27.10.2015 BIOTECH LU 91 GRATXRAY AG 04.08.2017 MEDTECH AG 62 U workforce. GRZ TECHNOLOGIES AG 10.03.2017 CLEANTECH VS 51 URBANALPS AG 29.07.2014 ENGINEERING ZH 98 The rebranding took place in 2017: ‘The name is simple and GUURU AG 15.10.2015 SOFTWARE ZH 38 V memorable and embodies the most straightforward connection be- H VANGUARD INTERNET SA (BATMAID) 07.11.2014 ONLINE VD 64 tween employee and employer,’ explains CEO Calabrò. The name H55 AG 05.06.2015 CLEANTECH VS 43 VERITY STUDIOS AG 08.07.2014 DRONES ZH 99 VERSANTIS AG 18.03.2015 BIOTECH ZH 10 also reflects the significant growth and development the company I IDUN TECHNOLOGIES AG 16.11.2017 MEDTECH ZH 97 VIU VENTURES AG 08.08.2013 ONLINE ZH 50 has achieved since it was launched: ‘Coople stands for a labour IMVERSE AG 22.05.2017 SOFTWARE GE 14 VOLUMINA MEDICAL SA 01.12.2017 MEDTECH VD 96 market in which the relationship between employee and employer INOFEA AG 07.02.2014 BIOTECH BS 100 W is characterised by mutual benefit instead of dependency.’ INOSITEC AG 24.12.2015 BIOTECH ZH 42 WINGTRA AG 01.04.2016 ENGINEERING ZG 7 INSIGHTNESS AG 04.06.2014 ENGINEERING ZH 94 X INSOLIGHT SÀRL 31.08.2015 ENGINEERING VD 27 XORLAB AG 29.07.2015 SOFTWARE ZH 32 ADVERT INTERAX BIOTECH AG 29.04.2016 BIOTECH AG 89 XSENSIO SA 19.03.2014 MEDTECH VD 95 IRSWEEP AG 09.05.2014 BIOTECH ZH 78 Y K YAMO AG 23.08.2016 FOOD ZG 18 KOMED HEALTH AG 22.06.2017 SOFTWARE ZH 70 Z L ZIPPSAFE AG 05.12.2016 ENGINEERING ZH 74 Kanton Zürich LEDGY AG 03.07.2017 FINTECH ZH 82 LEGAL TECHNOLOGY SWITZERLAND AG Volkswirtschaftsdirektion (PROXEUS) 22.07.2016 ONLINE ZH 88 Amt für Wirtschaft und Arbeit LEMAN MICRO DEVICES SA 29.01.2013 MEDTECH VD 45 LIGENTEC SA 12.07.2016 ENGINEERING VD 76 LOANBOOX AG 03.07.2015 FINTECH ZH 57 S tandort für LUNAPHORE TECHNOLOGIES SA 17.04.2014 MEDTECH VD 3 M MAXWELL BIOSYSTEMS AG 01.09.2016 MEDTECH BS 22 M acher, Querdenker MELONPORT AG 16.08.2016 SOFTWARE ZG 66 MIRRAKOI SA 15.01.2018 SOFTWARE VD 61 N & Pioniere NANOGENCE SÀRL 18.12.2017 ENGINEERING VD 80 NANOLEQ GMBH 16.05.2017 ENGINEERING ZH 71 Wir begleiten, beschleunigen und vernetzen. NANOLIVE SA 18.11.2013 MEDTECH VD 13 Standortförderung NOMOKO AG 11.06.2015 ENGINEERING ZH 58 www.standort.zh.ch O OLYMPE SA 11.11.2015 SOFTWARE VD 90 ONESKY SÀRL (INVOLI) 20.07.2017 DRONES VD 81 ONEVISAGE SA 19.10.2016 SOFTWARE VD 86 ORBIWISE SA 20.02.2014 SOFTWARE GE 15 P PERSPECTIVE ROBOTICS AG (FOTOKITE) 10.03.2014 DRONES ZH 24 PHARMABIOME AG 25.02.2015 BIOTECH ZH 44 PIAVITA AG 01.03.2016 MEDTECH ZH 6 POLYNEURON PHARMACEUTICALS AG 27.11.2014 BIOTECH BS 33 PREGNOLIA AG 13.01.2016 MEDTECH ZH 41 PRICEHUBBLE AG 28.01.2016 PROPTECH ZH 40 PROTON TECHNOLOGIES AG 18.07.2014 ONLINE GE 28

STARTUP 2018 59

ktzh_awa_staof_inserat_hz_bild_210 x 140_rz_01.indd 1 23.08.17 18:53 TOP 100 STARTUPS CHECKLIST BY STEFAN MAIR

1. You don’t panic at the idea of being alone 2. You can’t get an idea out of your head 3. You see having satisfied customers as a legitimate aim in life 4. You are mostly dissatisfied 5. You think your old employer is awful 6. You are always asking: what if...? 15 signs you are fit 7. You have an issue with authority to be a founder: 8. At least two people dislike you because you ask uncomfortable follow-up questions 9. You were asked whether you might have ADHD 10. You swap ideas with people who are smarter than you 11. You don’t need anyone to tell you the way 12. You can’t sleep at night for thinking about the opportunity cost 13. You can distinguish between a period of uncertainty and the end of the world 14. You are driven to research by interest alone 15. You want to prove something to someone. And that someone is you ENTREPRENEUR OR FAKEPRENEUR

1. You feel very comfortable in your comfort zone 2. You want to be a founder and get rich quick 3. You think it doesn’t matter whether something is done today or tomorrow 4. You think marketing is a replacement for substance 5. You think the world’s problems will be solved – by other people 6. For you, harmony is a sign of success 15 signs you are not fit 7. Your private life is not negotiable to be a founder: 8. You can’t say no 9. You have blind faith in your boss 10. You love the corporate atmosphere, hierarchical levels and multi-step reporting processes 11. You’re a freelancer and think you’re a founder 12. You think you’re an infallible genius 13. Winning the lottery would be the pinnacle of your life 14. You think you’re entitled to be rewarded immediately for all your efforts 15. You spend a lot of time decorating your office with personal objects – after all, you want to remain there for a long time

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