March saw several female-founded companies closing funding rounds. PAVE Space, a space infrastructure company, raised $40 million in seed funding to develop a spacecraft capable of moving satellites rapidly between orbits. The round ranks among the largest seed financings in the global space sector in recent years and will take the company from development into real-world testing and early commercial operations.
Meanwhile, Xsensio closed a $7 million oversubscribed Series A to accelerate clinical validation of its Lab-on-Skin wearable biosensing platform, which provides continuous, near real-time biochemical monitoring to support clinical decision-making. Pregnolia, which was selected for EIC Accelerator support last month, has now closed its third financing round, raising CHF 3.4 million to advance its cervical stiffness diagnostic system toward clinical use in Europe.
Three further rounds closed at a smaller scale. EPFL spin-off Verretex, which regenerates recycled glass fibers into high-performance textiles, secured CHF 1.2 million in dilutive and non-dilutive funding to strengthen industrial operations and accelerate market expansion. ETH Zurich spin-off EVis Bioscience raised €740,000 on Capital Cell, surpassing its original target, for its next-generation RNA delivery systems.
Non-dilutive support also flowed to two companies. The Fondation pour l’Innovation Technologique (FIT) extended a CHF 50,000 Tech Seed loan to Diverssity, whose mixed reality therapeutic gaming software supports neurodiverse adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. NanoZymeX took home first place at the BioCampus Upper Rhine Investor Day Pitching Competition and secured CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick. TightValve received CHF 150,000 in Innobooster support to advance the first device designed to quantify aortic valve leakage during cardiac surgery, enabling surgeons to address leakage intraoperatively.
In fashion tech, MySize plans to acquire assets from Zurich-based EyeFitU through its subsidiary Naiz Fit, including the startup’s proprietary sizing algorithms, brand partnerships and platform technology.
Role models
The FE+MALE Biennial on the 17th of March revealed that younger investment firms are weighing founder diversity in their decisions, and data from MassChallenge Switzerland shows diverse founding teams make better decisions. Looking at the 2025 data, female CEOs broke a funding record for a third consecutive year, attracting CHF 357.31 million across 37 rounds—the first time more than 10% of total invested capital in Switzerland went to female-led startups.
Which is good news for the start-ups welcoming new female executives. Seda Özer joined IMPLANZ as co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, alongside incoming co-founder and CEO Christoph Rickert. Karoline Huber, with a background in international luxury goods, took over as CEO of Zurich-based natural skincare manufacturer Soeder, which increased sales by 25% in 2025.
The SEF.Women Award recognized two female entrepreneurs this month. Deana Mohr, CEO and co-founder of MUVON Therapeutics since 2020, won the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category. The University of Zurich spin-off is developing a tissue-engineering platform for skeletal muscle regeneration, with an initial focus on stress incontinence in women. Natalie Spross was named Entrepreneur of the Year; she has led the Spross Group as CEO and Delegate of the Board since 2013, guiding the 130-year-old family business through its fifth generation. The honorary award went to Karin Lenzlinger, CEO of Lenzlinger Söhne and board member of sustainability-focused investment firm Übermorgen Ventures.
Milestones and expansions
Four female-led companies reached regulatory and clinical milestones in March. On International Women’s Day, HeroSupport announced CE Mark certification for VENUS SHELL, its first medical device, clearing it for marketing across the EU and Switzerland. The FDA granted Fast Track designation to Pilatus Biosciences for PLT012, its lead immunotherapy targeting liver cancer. AC Immune dosed the first participant in a Phase 1 trial of ACI-19764, an orally available small molecule inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome in neurodegenerative disease. Zurich-based augo launched its AI assistant for triathlon, running and cycling coaches, following a beta phase with around 150 users worldwide.
Meanwhile, three companies expanded their geographic footprint. Storage startup SaveSpace, founded in 2021 by graduates of the University of St. Gallen, entered German-speaking Switzerland following a funding round, with further European markets planned. Food surplus marketplace circunis.ch, already established in German-speaking Switzerland for two years, extended operations to French-speaking Switzerland, giving Romandie-based producers and buyers access to its B2B platform. On the partnership side, LEASETEQ and Genesis announced a collaboration to deliver a fully digital leasing and financing process for Genesis customers in Switzerland.
Support for female-led ventures was particularly strong this past month
Enerdrape, an innovator in geothermal energy led by Margaux Peltier, received the coveted Innosuisse Certificate, a readiness label for startups positioned for sustainable growth.
March was a particularly active month for accelerator selections, with 21 female-led companies receiving formal support or recognition. Five of the ten startups selected for the Venture Leaders Biotech 2026 Boston roadshow are female-founded: Biodelphis, Bioscibex, NanoZymeX, Unomr and Visienco. Six female-led startups joined the EPFL Innovation Park program TECH4Regen, including geothermal systems developer EAPOSYS, solar absorber coating company Sunaxer, and coral reef rehabilitation startup rrreefs. Biopôle welcomed femtech company CHD (Connected Health Development) into its Vanguard Accelerator. The startup is developing Moni2, a solution for vital monitoring during high-risk pregnancy. Two further female-founded startups—Healio and HealthyMentis—were selected for the Spring batch of the Future of Health Grant program, run by CSS and EPFL Innovation Park. Finally, the Female Founders Initiative kicked off its Spring 2026 Acceleration Program with eight founders.
On the awards side, Riverkin won CHF 50,000 at the 2026 START Summit in St. Gallen for its water monitoring platform, while Ha Hu, a Zurich-based edtech using generative AI to archive and gamify niche languages, was recognized at the International Cooperation Forum in Geneva.
BLP, an ETH and HSG spin-off automating ERP processes with machine learning, was the sole female-founded company among five Swiss entrants in the Financial Times FT1000 ranking of Europe’s fastest-growing companies. GlycoEra was named a finalist for the ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark 2026.
Female-led funds also made the headlines, with their funds focused on innovation in water value chain and cleantech. Emerald’s Global Water Fund welcomed Temasek and Grundfos Foundation as new investors, moving toward its €150–180 million target. VitaminºC announced the first close of its €18 million debut climate fund, operating from Zurich and San Francisco.
Anne Jomard, Journalist at Startupticker.ch
