Participated · Seed · Jul 2024

Regenosca develops TissueSpan bio-implants—temporary scaffolds that guide the body’s own cells to regenerate urethral tissue without harvesting patient tissue. The implants are intended for endoscopic delivery to treat urethral strictures, a condition affecting nearly a million patients in the U.S. annually. Current endoscopic methods can have failure rates up to 80%, and Regenosca’s approach aims to reduce invasiveness, pain, and recovery time. The company reported first‑in‑man study results showing perfect tissue regrowth at the implantation site. Leadership includes CEO Eva‑Maria Balet and CTO Mattias Larsson, and the company recently added Aydin Kurt‑Elli to its board. Regenosca has received awards at the European Association of Urology and the American Urological Association and cites a global market opportunity of up to USD 5 billion annually for urethral stricture treatments.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2023

CareerFairy is a video recruiting platform for Generation Z that leverages social-media elements such as TikTok-style short videos and livestreams to provide authentic insights into companies and roles. Founded in 2019 by Thomas Schulz and Maximilian Voss, the company works with over 250 corporate clients and more than 230 universities and colleges. It operates offices in Zurich, Berlin, Utrecht and Lisbon. The product portfolio includes short-format videos called “Sparks” and interactive livestreams where students can ask questions. CareerFairy aims to expand its product offerings and grow geographically across the DACH region and the Benelux countries. The company has recently added major German clients including the Lufthansa Group and Dr. Oetker as it focuses further on the German market. CareerFairy is an interactive live streaming platform that enables companies to connect with students via university career services. Launched last year by ETH Zurich graduates Thomas Schulz and Maximilian Voss, the platform lets students meet prospective team members and ask questions about employers and roles. The company has partnered with over 16 university career centres in the DACH region and works with more than 100 employers, including CreditSuisse, ABB, Ernst and Young, Ferrari, AXA Winterthur, Bühler, BMW Group and Microsoft. Over the past 12 months CareerFairy completed some 200 live streams engaging over 350 students from target universities. The company plans to enhance the platform with new interactive features and to expand its service across Europe and into the United States. To support this strategic move it has secured a convertible loan of over CHF 425,000 from members of the StartAngels Network and other Swiss business angels. CareerFairy will also leverage the experience of new board members Peter Pfister, Urs Ernst and Fabio Magagna to drive growth and international expansion.

Participated · Seed · Dec 2022

Voltiris develops colour-optimized photovoltaic modules that convert greenhouses into renewable powerplants by filtering light so plants receive needed wavelengths while other components are reflected onto photovoltaics. Its spectral filtering technology reduces greenhouses' dependence on gas and the electricity grid and cuts CO2 emissions without reducing crop yields. The company has already installed roughly 400 modules across 12 projects in five countries. Voltiris plans to use a CHF 500,000 Tech Growth loan from the Foundation for Technological Innovation (FIT) to further industrialize its solution and execute a commercialisation plan with flagship projects in Switzerland and the Netherlands. If installed across all Swiss greenhouses the technology could save CO2 emissions equivalent to 18,000 households. The FIT loan is intended to accelerate industrialization and the rollout of commercial installations. Voltiris develops the first solar modules designed to be installed inside existing greenhouses; their spectral-filtering panels direct essential light to crops while converting unused light into renewable energy. The modules maintain crop yields, support behind-the-meter consumption, integrate with existing greenhouse infrastructure, and require no special permits. The company received an initial 12 months of Biopôle Start-up funding, which provides visibility, recognition, financial backing, coaching, and supplementary services. Voltiris will allocate a significant portion of the funds to procure advanced tools to further its expertise in plant photobiology. The startup is scaling a pipeline of projects in Switzerland, the Netherlands, and France and is preparing a CHF 3 million seed round to power up commercial activities. Voltiris builds solar modules that allow a double use of greenhouse land by producing electricity while maintaining crop yields beneath the panels. Its modules do not require installation permits, which accelerates deployment and adoption. The start-up raised CHF 1.4M in a Pre-Seed round to accelerate development and commercialisation, expand commercial pilots, prepare for industrial production, and add key team competencies. In early 2023 Voltiris will commence multiple solar projects with tomato and flower growers in Switzerland and the Netherlands. It will also run a one-year agronomical tomato study with Wageningen University at its Bleiswijk testing facilities. These projects are intended to scale through 2023 and lead to full-scale commercialization in 2024. Voltiris has developed colour-optimized, greenhouse-compatible photovoltaic modules and a self-developed sun-tracking system that let through the red and blue light plants need while reflecting green and near-infrared to photovoltaic cells to generate electricity. The company says this approach produces renewable energy without impacting agricultural yield and delivers a competitive cost of energy and strong ROI for growers. A three-person team supported by a broad advisory network is conducting live pilots in collaboration with HES‑SO and Agroscope. Voltiris has submitted two patents covering high photovoltaic yield and solar tracking. The company received CHF180,000 of support from Innosuisse, HES‑SO and Agroscope for an agronomical study and a CHF100,000 Tech Seed loan from the Foundation for Technological Innovation (FIT) to fund ongoing pilots. Using the FIT loan, Voltiris plans to prepare industrialization, execute larger-scale pilot projects and complete technical development to unlock customer access, then begin commercialization with selected partners in Switzerland and the Netherlands before expanding globally.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2022

Wegaw develops a climate tech solution that combines satellite imagery with AI and machine learning to deliver datasets and economic insights for predicting future renewable energy production from space. Its products are used to plan and operate renewable energy assets and help balance the grid alongside existing infrastructure. The company reports operations in five countries and delivers data to 15 clients and more than 30 power plants without additional infrastructure investment. Wegaw works with government bodies and national agencies to support CO2 reduction and Net Zero efforts. The startup intends to further develop its product and expand commercially into new markets using the newly raised funds. In 2016 Wegaw was founded in Morges by Daniel Meppiel and Ion Padilla.

Participated · Equity · Jul 2018

Advances Sport Instruments develops performance measurement and monitoring solutions for sport, with a focus on wearables and GPS-based tracking. Its flagship product FieldWiz is dedicated to outdoor team sports and is used by the Nigerian national football team, the Swiss Football Association, FC Zürich and Stade Rennais. Other product lines include Flynet for free flight and paragliding and X-Track Pro for locating objects or people via GSM or satellite. ASI leverages its GPS expertise to deliver bespoke solutions for demanding athletes, notably providing specific development work for Swiss-ski at the last Olympic Winter Games. The company aims to raise CHF1,000,000 by the end of 2018 to support R&D and accelerate growth through increased sales and marketing investments. Founded in 2012, the team currently has nine employees and plans to grow as it pursues the wearable market for semi-professional and professional athletes.