While the overall investment landscape remained weak in 2024, as highlighted in the Swiss Venture Capital Report, female founders managed to break a new record for the second consecutive year in the amount of capital raised. Around CHF 219 million was invested in female-led startups, marking an increase of almost 22% compared to the previous year, which saw CHF 179.6 million in investments. The share of total investment rose to 9.3%, up by 2.4% from the previous year. While these figures remain low compared to those of their male counterparts, there is some optimism that this disparity will shift.
In March, several positive trends were already contributing to this momentum. The biotech sector celebrated a major milestone with the USD 1.1 billion acquisition of Araris Biotech by Japan-based Taiho Pharmaceutical. Co-founded by Isabella Attinger-Toller (CTO), Dragan Grabulovski (CEO), and Philipp Spycher (CSO), Araris is a spin-off company of the Paul Scherrer Institute, pioneering the development of best-in-class ADCs. These ADCs feature superior design, high linker solubility, and simple manufacturing processes that address the shortcomings of current-generation ADCs.
Another acquisition has taken place in the fashion industry, with Adriana Blasi’s company, Kidis Fashion—a leading Swiss online shop for high-quality and sustainably produced second-hand and second-season children’s fashion—joining the family of Petit Marché, which is led by Ann de Chabaneix.
Several million have also been invested in female-led businesses such as Food Brewer, which secured Lindt & Sprüngli and Sparkalis as strategic investors and partners in an extended seed financing round. The Zurich-based startup specializes in producing cocoa and coffee alternatives using plant cell culture technology. Carewell, which addresses the growing healthcare staffing shortage, and Remunn, which develops a modular platform designed to accelerate the discovery of precision antibodies, have both secured CHF 150,000 in Venture Kick funding. Meanwhile, the First Ventures initiative, which enables bachelor’s and master’s students from Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) to transform their innovative business ideas into market-ready ventures, has a new cohort. Among them is „Design for Dignity“ by Violeta Dyka, whose solution advocates for privacy for refugees in Switzerland’s Federal Asylum Centers.
Just as funding fuels growth, customers also provide critical revenue for startups. For instance, the partnership between the fintech startup Rivero and SIX, a leading European financial market infrastructure provider, marked a major step in the startup’s growth journey. This collaboration provides access to numerous users of its SaaS platform for fraud recovery and dispute management. In the energy sector, Enerdrape has signed a significant customer deal in France for the installation of 145 panels over 145 m², supplying sustainable domestic hot water to 72 homes in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Notably, the startup’s geothermal panels can be installed in underground spaces without the need for drilling.
BX Digital, a fintech company led by CEO Lidia Kurt, is one of the few female-led crypto companies in the Swiss crypto space. It has become the first Swiss financial market infrastructure to receive FINMA authorization for a distributed ledger technology (DLT) trading system, paving the way for a regulated platform for digital assets. The company has also begun onboarding its first banks to the platform. Volv Global, where Heidi Bezzant serves as COO, continues to enjoy rapid growth. A leader in artificial intelligence for the healthcare sector, specializing in solutions for difficult-to-diagnose diseases, the company has expanded its global office network for the fourth consecutive year, doubling its operational space yet again.
Awards, Support, and Recognition
DeepJudge has made notable strides with its AI solutions for the legal-tech sector. Shortly after launching AI Workflows, a new suite of AI agents and applications offering instant and accurate access to internal firm data, co-founder and CEO Paulina Grnarova was awarded the SEF.WomenAward 2025, being recognized as Female Founder of the Year. Samantha Anderson, co-founder of DePoly, is a finalist in the associated SEF Award competition, which will be held at the Swiss Economic Forum in Interlaken.
Lea Miggiano, co-founder and CEO of Carvolution, has been nominated as the HSG Founder of the Year. With a team of 75 people, the company offers a car subscription model used by numerous clients across Switzerland. This has resulted in a positive EBITDA and sales growth of 25% last year. Virtuosis, a digital health startup founded in 2022 by Lara Gervaise and Edoardo Giudice as an EPFL spin-off, has been selected to join the Vanguard Accelerator—a six-month program run by Biopôle. The startup focuses on improving human communication using artificial intelligence, with current efforts directed at mental health diagnostics and health improvement through advanced audio analysis and AI.
Five of the 15 finalists in the W.A. de Vigier Award competition are female-led companies: PAVE Space SA (Julie Böhning), CellX Biosolutions (Estelle Clerc), sallea AG (Simona Fehlmann), rrreefs AG (Ulrike Pfreundt) and Visienco AG (Edwige Guinet). These startups are developing solutions ranging from efficient orbital logistics and combating „forever chemicals“ using bacteria to rebuilding coral reefs, cultivating meat alternatives, and AI-powered organoid handling. Enerdrape, meanwhile, will receive coaching and support from Tech4Eva’s mentors and partners over the next eight months to accelerate its growth.
Events and Appointments
Two roadshows are scheduled in the coming months. TheSwissnex Korea Startup Camp, powered by Innosuisse, will bring Mindmetrix and sallea AG to South Korea, while the Venture Leaders Biotech team heads to Boston with Enantios (led by Carin Lightner) and hemostOD (co-founded by CTO Elodie Dahan).
Eva-Maria Beck has been appointed as the new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of mobility technology startup Embotech. She brings with her extensive experience in business development and sales within the B2B deep-tech and mobility sectors, having worked with Lilium and BCG.
Setback at Asceneuron
In contrast, Asceneuron, led by CEO Angehrn Pavik, has faced a setback in its clinical studies. The company recently decided to discontinue its phase 2 study, which began in October 2024 and was scheduled to run for two years. This decision follows the receipt of $100 million in funding, although further details have not been disclosed.
