(09.03.2022) Switzerland is fertile ground for start-ups. The Swiss Venture Capital Report published by the information portal startupticker.ch shows that startup investments increased by CHF 935 million in 2021, a 44% increase in one year.
Investments in Swiss startups have almost tripled since 2018. Information and communication technology (ICT) or fintech companies are driving this surge. In 2021, such companies accounted for more than 85% of additional investments (CHF 799 million) as compared with 2020.
The median investment, on the other hand, is down. This is due to a decline in biotech and medtech investment volumes. The median total fell by 20% year over year to CHF 2.3 million. At the same time, other sectors such as cleantech and healthcare IT have seen record levels of investment.
Zurich and Vaud are the cantons with the strongest investment activity. In Zurich, investments increased by 102.1% to CHF 1.285 billion. In Vaud, they rose by 47.8% to CHF 604.6 million. Ticino, Lucerne and Schwyz are also enjoying a strong investment climate, each with over CHF 100 million of investments.
Swiss investment funds interested in start-ups are booming. There are 35 new Swiss investment vehicles. This can be explained by last year's positive exit trend that saw a total of 11 IPOs and 55 commercial sales.
Last modification 09.03.2022
