Financing for Swiss-based startup increases!

An article from Valerie Thompson on the Swiss Ventures web site sums up recent VC deals in Switzerland. She tracked close to CHF 100 mio VC investment in Swiss startups. Is the startup scene coming to maturity? We believe so. Many of the university spinoffs are now backed by leading VCs and ready to compete in the big league.

Index on the A-list of investors?

An article in the MIT Tech Review Big Payday for a Skype Investor wonders whether the latest success of Index Ventures paves the way for its inclusion in the best VC funds? A great recognition for the Swiss-based venture capitalists who have not only invested in successful Sillicon Valley deals but also close to home with early-stage efforts in two EPFL spinoffs. Web site: www.indexventures.com

Spinx raises 10 mio Euros

Good news from a CERN spinoff, Spinx, which recently raised a Series B round of financing from a pool of international investors. At the same time, the microfluidics company announced new appointments. Swiss microfluidics companies such as Diagno Swiss and Mimotec can rejoice! Read the details in this

Small Times article

PharmaLive: Xigen Closes Its Series A Financing Round with CHF 26m (21m USD)

Check the press release announcing a large first round of financing for a NETS alum, Christophe Bonny, who is developing intracellular peptide therapeutics for the treatment of stroke, myocardial infarction and cancer. The syndicate has several local investors that have joined forces to pool a round with promising activities for Xigen.

Another Swiss startup attracts US VC money

After BeamExpress and Innovative Silicon earlier this year, Nemerix is another startup which attracts tier1 VC Money. The startup just announced a new round of $31M with Oak Partners and Cadence Design Systems as new investors. If you add that Index Ventures was a major investor in Skype, you see that Switzerland is experiencing a positive year 2005.