Led · Equity · Mar 2025

Gaia Turbine develops plug-and-play hydroelectric micro and mini-turbines aimed at aqueducts and minimum vital flows, reporting more than 90% efficiency. Founded in 2020 by Calogero Amato (CEO) and Franco Tommasini (CTO) and based in Lugano, the company launched its first pilot project in December 2024 at AMB (Azienda Multiservizi Bellinzona). The pilot turbine has been connected to the power grid and is demonstrating performance under real-world and variable operating conditions. Gaia Turbine recently completed a €1.15 million funding round with participation from angel investors and returning investor TiVentures SA to accelerate development. The company is using the capital to scale its market presence and advance toward full industrialisation, while evaluating potential sites for a next pilot installation. Gaia Turbine is also strengthening ties with commercial and industrial partners in Switzerland and internationally and has launched a strategic business study with Student Impact from the University of St.Gallen to explore sustainability and growth strategies. Gaia Turbine SA develops and will commercialize an innovative plug-and-play hydroelectric turbine that achieves more than 90% efficiency across a wide range of conditions. The technology was validated in 2021 by Politecnico di Milano, which confirmed the turbine's high performance compared with conventional models. Its mechanical characteristics and versatility make it initially well suited for mini and micro plants, minimum viable flows (MVF) and aqueduct installations. The company was founded in 2020 in the canton of Ticino based on inventor Franco Tommasini's idea and a team of young entrepreneurs and local professionals, and is led by CEO Calogero Amato. Gaia Turbine raised CHF 1 million in a seed investment round and will use the capital to install a pilot turbine at a hydroelectric power plant in Ticino and begin commercialization efforts. Investors include TiVentures (the seed fund of Fondazione Centenario BancaStato) and a group of business angels with entrepreneurial and financial experience.

Led · Seed · Mar 2025

Jaipur Robotics builds a SaaS platform that uses patent-pending computer vision and deep learning to identify hazardous materials, map calorific value for optimal waste mixing, and automate alerts in waste-to-energy (WtE) plants. The company was founded in 2024 by Ermes Zamboni and Nikhil Prakash and is headquartered in Manno, Switzerland. It plans to use recent funding to accelerate product development, obtain international certification, and expand its intellectual property. Jaipur positions its technology as an automation layer to improve operational efficiency and safety in WtE facilities. The article does not disclose revenue, user metrics, or prior financings beyond the Venture Kick award. Jaipur Robotics builds deep-learning and automation solutions for the Waste-to-Energy sector, focusing on real-time monitoring of waste pits and detection of hazardous objects. Its system also provides advanced calorific-value mapping to help operators optimise waste mixing for energy production. The company has established strategic collaborations with leading European industrial players to deploy its technology. Founded in 2024 by Ermes Zamboni and Nikhil Prakash and based in Manno, Jaipur Robotics aims to digitise and automate plant management to improve efficiency and safety. With the newly closed pre-Seed funding, the company plans to accelerate growth and expand its commercial footprint in Europe.

Participated · Equity · Jul 2023

Hive Power, founded in 2017 and based in Manno, Switzerland, develops AI-driven software for energy and electric-vehicle management. Its core products include Flexo Energy Community Manager, a platform for companies to manage one to thousands of energy communities, and Flexo Smart EV Charging, a platform with a companion mobile app to smartly charge EVs and enable vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services. The company raised USD600k in a recent funding round to support expansion of operations and development efforts. Hive Power was founded by Gianluca Corbellini and Davide Rivola. The article does not disclose revenue, users, or specific financial metrics beyond the recent raise. The stated focus is on scaling the product and operational footprint using the new capital.

Led · Series A · Dec 2021

BigOmics builds governed self-service analytics platforms that let biologists and bioinformaticians interactively analyze and interpret omics data via an easy-to-use interface, reducing reliance on static reports. Its platform enables bioinformaticians to delegate routine analyses to biologists while focusing on bespoke work, aiming to balance data quality with analysis agility. The company’s vision is to fast-track omics data analysis and cut discovery time and R&D overhead in data-driven therapeutics and precision medicine. To date BigOmics has closed six enterprise subscriptions with biotech/pharma companies and academic labs. In December the company announced a $1.85 million financing round, and the most recent strategic investment brought total capital raised to CHF 2.7 million. The firm plans to use the funds to further develop its platforms, expand its team and grow its market presence. BigOmics Analytics develops governed self-service analytics (GSSA) platforms, including its flagship Omics Playground, for visualizing and analyzing transcriptomics and proteomics data. Its platforms let bioinformaticians delegate routine tasks to biologists and enable interactive communication between stakeholders, improving data quality and analysis agility. The company supports biotech and pharma companies as well as academic labs, and its Omics Playground has been accessed by more than 16,000 users. BigOmics has closed enterprise subscriptions with three biotech & pharma companies and two academic labs. The startup plans to expand its team and actively commercialize its platform solutions to accelerate scientific discovery and reduce data analysis time and costs. BigOmics is a spin-off of the Institute of Oncology Research and IDSIA and is incubated at the USI Startup Centre in Lugano, Ticino.

Led · Series A · Dec 2019

xFarm Technologies provides farm management and agritech solutions that help digitalise the agri-food sector, support regenerative agriculture and analyse data using AI and geospatial technologies. The company has integrated Greenfield Technologies (Regenerative Agriculture) and SpaceSense (Geospatial AI), strengthening its European position. It plans to accelerate geographic expansion across Europe, Turkey, Latin America, India and the US, while hiring and forming strategic partnerships to deepen market presence. xFarm intends to further develop services, improve performance and tailor offerings to specific markets and customers, with continued investment in R&D, climate intelligence and agronomic AI. The firm is already well established in Europe, particularly in Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Poland and the UK. Its strategy includes building a new Fintech and Insurtech division to expand risk management, lending and insurance-related services. xFarm Technologies offers a digital platform that helps farms manage their business across plantation, logistics, equipment and decision processes. Led by CEO Matteo Vanotti and based in Milan, the company already manages projects with over 70 agri businesses. xFarm plans to develop the platform further by adding new AI-powered features and to expand its business reach abroad. The company intends to grow its team by hiring 20 people, bringing headcount to 80 employees. The fundraising will support product development and international expansion efforts. No revenue figures or prior funding rounds are reported in the article. xFarm is a SaaS platform that helps farmers digitalise operations by simplifying data collection and analysis, reducing bureaucracy, improving efficiency and sustainability, and enabling product traceability. Its open freemium platform combines cloud-based management software, field IoT sensors and a marketplace offering services such as irrigation optimization, agro-meteorological forecasts, disease alerts and precision farming. The company plans to strengthen its technology stack—particularly in AI and blockchain—and to release new modules for customers. xFarm will use the funding to consolidate its presence in the Italian market and to expand into Europe, South America and Africa. xFarm was founded in 2017 in Italy. The company recently closed a funding round to support its international scaling and product development plans.