Two startups are taking on new approaches to address female-related health issues. Alex Plaza, co-founder of Moonchy, has launched chocolate bars containing the exact quantities of organic seeds that are needed daily to practice seed cycling in order to help women regulate hormones during their menstrual cycle. The products are available in the startup’s online shop. Nalu also focuses on the female cycle, but with educational courses and apps like NALU Cycle Flow to help them understand their cycles. The startup aims to advance its development and win a PoC in the Kickstart program during the next 11 weeks. Besides Nalu, other female-led companies, Enerdrape and atwork, also made it into the program.
Female startups can reach out to many startup support organisations to access expert support, new markets and investors. One such program is Ventute Leaders. The newly selected Swiss National Team for the Venture Leaders Cleantech startup comprises female-led companies such as Biosimo, which offers bio-chemicals and Dimpora, the world’s first non-toxic, waterproof breathable, PFAS-free, and fully porous membranes. The Venture Leaders Medtech cohort also has women-led companies, including Testmate, Regnosca InnoBooster is supporting Murielle Schreck in bringing her startup qcella to the next level. Qcella impregnates natural fibers with copper and uses them to develop heating mats with superior properties to commercially available heating wires.
July saw new startups launch their solutions in the market; Legaltech startup DeepJudge launched a first-of-its-kind Knowledge Search platform to allow law firms to search documents and manage knowledge in natural language. Loopia acquired the first customer for its white label solution for resale and peer-to-peer marketplace enabling companies to enter the secondhand online business in a short time.
On the investment side, four startups closed financing rounds or obtained finding through other channels. Earkick received funding from the US-based Duke Impact Investing Group. The startup developed a technology platform that analyses health markers, vital signs, voice, and sentiment analysis to detect early signs of mental health issues. Fintech startup Umushroom secured CHF 1.5 million to fund its expansion. Board Owl, co-founded by Delphine Trabaldo Togna, welcomed new investors to help it grow its platform that streamlines and simplifies the search for qualified board members. For Carvolution, the financing line of CHF 24 million gives the company financial stability to expand its fleet.
Winning awards is also important for many companies because such recognition motivates startup teams to continue innovating. Numuko and Haelixa are among the winners of the green business awards and Virtuosis won the Microsoft Switzerland Startup of year Award.
Strong leadership is key to bringing a company to the next level. For this reason, Noema Pharma has welcomed Ilise Lombardo as the new CEO to advance its pipeline. The startup focuses on central nervous system (CNS) disorders characterised by imbalanced neuronal networks.
Also worth mentioning is the new leadership at the Swiss Games Developers Association (SGDA). Following the retirement of the founding team, the association has appointed a new generation that will be led by Alice Ruppert as President.
