immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Tag: Startup

  • 1.47 billion in venture capital invested in Swiss start-ups in the first half of the year

    1.47 billion in venture capital invested in Swiss start-ups in the first half of the year

    In the first half of 2025, CHF 1.47 billion flowed into Swiss start-ups, an increase of 36 per cent compared to the previous year. This is the third-best result since measurements began. However, growth was driven by a small number of startups that raised large sums from international investors. The number of financing rounds fell for the third time in a row to 124, which corresponds to a decline of ten per cent.

    Biotech as a growth driver
    The biotech sector in particular produced a strong result. It set a new record with an inflow of CHF 705 million in capital. The previous record of CHF 436 million from 2021 was clearly surpassed. The reasons for this success lie in highly qualified start-up teams and technological developments based on excellent research.

    Recovery in ICT and fintech
    The recently weakening ICT and fintech sectors were also able to recover. General ICT start-ups recorded investment growth of 86 per cent to CHF 247 million. Fintech companies received CHF 153 million, which corresponds to an increase of 93 per cent. The number of transactions remains low, which indicates continued investor selectivity.

    Swiss startup ecosystem remains resilient
    Despite the uncertain market environment, the Swiss startup ecosystem is able to produce internationally competitive companies. One example of this is Sygnum Bank, which became Unicorn in the first half of 2025. The bank, which specialises in digital assets, was valued at over 1 billion dollars, a signal of the potential of innovation outside of the healthcare sector.

    Gloomy outlook among investors
    A broad-based survey shows that expectations for the coming twelve months are subdued. Fundraising and more difficult exit opportunities are of particular concern. International trade barriers, on the other hand, only play a subordinate role. Access to capital is likely to remain challenging for many start-ups, despite individual success stories.

  • New investor for sustainable construction start-ups

    New investor for sustainable construction start-ups

    Buildify.earth was founded with the vision of supporting sustainable innovation in the construction industry. The investment company is particularly involved in the early development phases of start-ups and offers not only capital but also access to an extensive network. This network has been established over the years as part of the development of Switzerland Innovation Park Central, NEST and other organisations and is a valuable asset for the supported companies.

    Strategic partnerships and long-term goals
    Eight years ago, planning began for the location of the Innovation Park in Central Switzerland, which opened its doors in Rotkreuz in 2019 and has officially been part of Switzerland Innovation since 2021. The park now has over 100 members, including well-known players in the Swiss construction industry and research institutions. This network provides direct access to decision-makers and a platform for start-ups to forge important collaborations in a traditionally risk-averse industry.

    Provision of funding and resources
    The funds provided by private investors, the Zuger Kantonalbank and the park itself, which amount to a single-digit million sum, will enable buildify.earth to make significant initial investments, which are to be announced soon. The investment pipeline is richly filled, including 40 startups that are already members of the park. Buildify.earth AG takes a flexible role as a co-investor that can act quickly and act as a catalyst for further investments.

    Long-term planning and open doors for further investors
    Reto Largo and Sem Mattli, the heads of buildify.earth, are not only looking for promising start-ups, but also for further investors to strengthen the capital of the company’s evergreen structure. This structure fits well with the long innovation cycles in the construction sector and allows a portion of the proceeds to be reinvested while seeking attractive returns for investors. This is just the beginning of a long-term strategy aimed at making substantial investments in promising start-ups and actively shaping the future of the sustainable construction industry.

  • Berner Kantonalbank cooperates with Neustark

    Berner Kantonalbank cooperates with Neustark

    Berner Kantonalbank(BEKB) is promoting CO2 storage facilities in the Bern-Solothurn region. To this end, it has agreed a cooperation with the Bernese start-up Neustark, according to a press release. The aim is to support its innovative technology for the permanent storage of CO2 in demolition concrete. The aim is to remove around 1,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere in the BEKB economic area over the next ten years.

    Neustark, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich founded in 2019, is the first company in the world to put carbon removal through mineralisation in demolition concrete into commercial practice and set up a network of storage facilities, according to the press release. In the summer of 2023, the largest plant to date in the BEKB economic area was put into operation in Biberist, Solothurn. Further facilities in the region are being planned. “Through our cooperation, we are not only promoting innovative technologies to achieve climate targets, we are also contributing to the circular economy in the region and making it possible to permanently remove CO2 emissions in our own economic area,” BEKB CEO Armin Brun is quoted as saying.

    In 2022, BEKB’s operational CO2 emissions amounted to 1153 tonnes. These are to be further reduced through various measures. Through this cooperation with Neustark, the bank will permanently remove 100 tonnes of CO2 from its operational emissions in its own economic area every year from 2024. According to the information provided, these are the estimated residual emissions that are unavoidable for BEKB and cannot be reduced in the future.

  • Houzy doubles the number of users

    Houzy doubles the number of users

    Houzy is growing rapidly. Recently the 100’000. Apartment owners are registered on the platform of the same name from the young PropTech company from Zurich, writes Houzy in a statement . Just a year ago, the start-up founded in 2017 reported that its users had increased to 50,000. The number of houses and apartments digitally recorded on the platform increased from 70,000 to 144,000 in the same period.

    Data is intelligently linked on the Houzy platform and recommendations for homeowners are derived from it. For example, it can be calculated there when the heating system should be renovated and how much money should be put aside for it. Houzy also offers a real estate appraisal. Free advice is also available to registered users.

    In the past few weeks, the company has revised its platform and integrated new digital tools, explains Houzy. In concrete terms, homeowners can now check the demand for their property, optimize the corresponding sales price and calculate the real estate gains tax for all Swiss cantons. Houzy emphasizes the platform’s new property search function as the most important innovation. All major real estate platforms would be searched here and the advertisements would be supplemented with “valuable additional information”. As examples of such additional information, a neutral market value estimate as well as energy efficiency, energy saving and solar potential and the need for refurbishment of the property are given in the notification.

  • open2work receives award from the travel industry

    open2work receives award from the travel industry

    The travel industry regularly honors the most interesting start-ups. Four young Swiss companies presented themselves at the fourth Travel Start-up Night organized by the Association of Internet Travel Sales (VIR) and the Travel Industry Club. According to a VIR announcement, open2work was able to convince the analog and digital participants. The Zurich start-up will be able to present itself to representatives of the travel industry in German-speaking countries in Frankfurt in December.

    The open2work platform enables companies with surplus office space to offer these interested parties for hourly or daily use. According to co-founder and CEO Lionel Ebener, the company, which was founded in 2020, already has 27 locations in Switzerland. There is also interest on the demand side. The platform recorded 30 bookings in the first week of September. "Our customers can now see that we are something special."

    The start-up is now looking for funding in the mid six-figure range. “We want to build a professional infrastructure and now make all steps scalable,” says Ebener. open2work wants to become the Airbnb for offices.

  • The federal government wants to strengthen Switzerland as a location for start-ups

    The federal government wants to strengthen Switzerland as a location for start-ups

    In the opinion of the Federal Council, Switzerland as a start-up location is generally well positioned. In some areas, however, there is still room for improvement. The Federal Departments of Economic Affairs, Education and Research and of Justice and Police are now to examine measures on behalf of the Federal Council with which the location could be further strengthened.

    According to a communication , the Federal Council sees potential for improvement in the areas of technology transfer, internationalization, access to skilled workers and financing. He also emphasizes that “numerous states have launched extensive programs to support start-ups in recent years”. He therefore also wants to have the advantages and disadvantages of a Swiss innovation fund examined comprehensively. In particular, it should be made clear to what extent such a fund could expand the risk capital market in Switzerland and thus improve the growth opportunities of innovative companies.

  • Kompotoi is a finalist in the Swiss Excellence Product Award

    Kompotoi is a finalist in the Swiss Excellence Product Award

    Kompotoi is among the six finalists for the Swiss Excellence Product Award 2021 . Swiss Excellence has now announced this. The Zurich start-up convinced the jury with its mobile and sustainability-focused composting toilets. The award ceremony will take place on September 16 in the Technopark Winterthur. With the Swiss Excellence Product Award, the Swiss Excellence Foundation claims to make a contribution to promoting entrepreneurship and Switzerland as a technology and innovation location.

    Kompotoi says it offers a “beautiful, user-friendly and sustainable alternative” to conventional toilets. They are “absolutely odor-free” and are made from wood “by hand in Switzerland”. You can get by without plastic, chemicals, electricity and flushing water. “We have developed a better solution than the conventional one for the mobile toilet area. It’s simple and obvious. That is why customers are enthusiastic about our product, ”said Kompotoi in his presentation for the Green Business Award , for which the company has also been nominated.

    Instead, the collected residues are converted into stable humus soil using a combined process technology of fermentation and composting. “One kilo of compost stores an average of 0.2 kg of CO2,” said Kompotoi when asked about the environmental benefits of their product. “Kompotoi produced around 100 tons of compost in 2019, that’s around 20,000 kilograms of stored CO2. If all mobile toilets in Switzerland were operated as compost toilets, 13,200 tons of CO2 could be sustainably stored in the soil. “

    Kompotoi rents out its wooden toilets for larger festivals, for example. The company is also planning systems in the public sector or for single and multi-family houses. Kompotoi also sells toilet solutions for garden houses, hunting lodges and alpine huts.

    With Kompotoi, two more start-ups are competing for the Swiss Excellence Product Award: Hivewatch and Smartbreed . Three companies have also been nominated in the SME category: Advanced Osteotomy Tools – AOT AG , Qumea and Rheonics . All start-up finalists are already supported with a three-year coaching from the start-up sponsor genisuisse .

  • Drone creates digital twin of Zurich

    Drone creates digital twin of Zurich

    Wingtra , a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich ( ETH ), manufactures special drones for aerial photography and remote sensing. It combines the positive properties of multi-rotors and fixed-wing aircraft. The Wingtra drone takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter. At the same time, however, it flies forward as efficiently as an airplane. Thanks to its high payload, the drone can also carry a wide range of cameras.

    Wingtra recently launched the WingtraOne GEN II. This drone enables a new, angled camera configuration for high-quality 3D drone mapping. In order to use the development immediately, Wingtra has created a digital twin of the city of Zurich.

    According to a media release , the drone only needed six hours of flight for the 3D mapping of the city of Zurich. One pixel in the 3D model corresponds to 3 centimeters of information from the real world. It thus represents "a completely new level of detail".

    According to Maximilian Boosfeld, co-founder and CEO of Wingtra, the new Dorohne is “the perfect choice for capturing infrastructure – from a single industrial plant to entire cities”. Detailed 3D data could help city administrations, town planners, engineers and architects, for example, to increase the quality of life in urban areas, to plan critical infrastructures and to simulate changes in the environment.

  • What does artificial intelligence have to do with facility management?

    What does artificial intelligence have to do with facility management?

    The topic of artificial intelligence has definitely left its “laboratory status ” behind. AI-based solutions are increasingly being integrated into everyday work. In essence, it is not about the “ learning ” technology itself, but about the data behind it. The technological solution takes over the collection, storage, processing and use of the data entered. The interplay between human and artificial intelligence will be decisive for future innovations. Those companies that use AI sensibly will be prepared for the challenges of the future and will gain decisive competitive advantages.

    AI-based solutions have also found their way into facility management. Building cleaning is a very expensive subject and cleaning agents, energy and time are often used more than necessary – this is not only unecological, but also uneconomical. With the help of artificial intelligence, the use of resources can be optimized and costs can be significantly reduced.

    The Swiss startup Soobr offers a usage-oriented AI solution here. The existing performance and building data are read into the software, whereupon the AI plans the daily tours based on factors such as room distances, room priority, number and duration of cleaning. The occupancy of the individual rooms can also be integrated into the operational planning via room sensors, so that cleaning can be carried out precisely where it is really necessary. The cleaning staff are guided through the respective tours by means of an app on mobile devices, whereby you can feed the AI with feedback and documentation. Dynamic route planning increases efficiency, saves time and money in route planning and increases transparency for data evaluation.

    You can find more about digital helpers in the real estate and construction industry at: https://proptechmarket.net/solutions

  • Porsche supports start-ups in Zurich

    Porsche supports start-ups in Zurich

    Porsche supports innovative start- ups through its Forward31 program. Now the German carmaker has also included the Zurich start-up The Embassies in this program, according to a media release .

    The Embassies is developing a new solution for living in old age. This consists of a digital platform and habitable rooms. The company wants to build a network with around 30 locations worldwide. She wants to focus on big cities like Zurich, London, New York or Berlin. The first location is scheduled to open in Europe in 2022.

    At the locations – so-called embassies – of The Embassies, residents and visitors should have publicly accessible catering and leisure facilities available. The goal is to encourage social interaction. Traveling by older people is also supported. This also gives residents and members access to other The Embassies locations around the world.

    "We created our offer for people who want to lead a self-determined, fulfilled and healthy life for as long as possible," says Jan Garde, founder of The Embassies, in the press release.

    Forward31 will now continue to develop the business model together with the founding team of The Embassies and support the company as a strategic partner in the future.

  • Bringhen Group participates in Habitects

    Bringhen Group participates in Habitects

    Habitects launched in 2019 as a digital trading and service platform for the sanitary sector in Switzerland. The Winterthur start-up is now entering into a partnership with the Bringhen Group . The company, which was founded in 1959 and is based in Visp VS, is one of the largest specialist dealers in the construction sector with 14 locations throughout Switzerland and over 120,000 products. "For me this partnership is another important milestone in our company history", Jean-Pierre Bringhen, owner and CEO of the Bringhen Group, is quoted in the announcement from Habitects. "In order to take such a step outside of the traditional market structure, the group of companies had to reach a critical size with a corresponding market coverage."

    Bringhen also financially participates in the Winterthur company. Michael Lochmatter-Bringhen joins Habitects' board of directors.

    Thanks to the partnership, Habitects aims to become a leading marketplace in the Swiss construction trade. To this end, new services for craftsmen are to be launched. Digitization should be used for easier and more efficient handling of construction projects, Christoph Meili, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Habitects, is quoted in the announcement. This should benefit all stakeholders, from homeowners to architects and general contractors.

    Habitects is part of the ConReal Swiss digital ecosystem. This has spawned other companies in the construction and real estate sectors, including Fixify , houzy and SmartDevis . Further start-ups are in preparation, according to the announcement.

  • PriceHubble is taking in fresh money

    PriceHubble is taking in fresh money

    PriceHubble has completed a successful financing round and raised several million Swiss francs, according to a message from startupticker.ch. The round was led by the Helvetia Venture Fund and Swiss Life. The investors also include the Austrian real estate company Soravia and Frank Strauss, former CEO of Deutsche Postbank.

    PriceHubble makes it possible to gain useful knowledge for the valuation of real estate from large amounts of data. With the company's solution, for example, data on the location, the neighborhood or noise pollution can be evaluated and clearly presented with the help of big data analytics and artificial intelligence. PriceHubble is aimed at all parties in the real estate value chain, such as real estate portals, banks, asset managers, insurance companies, real estate investors and private individuals.

    According to the announcement, the company is already successful in German-speaking countries, France and Japan. In the past twelve months, PriceHubble has quintupled the number of its customers to several hundred and doubled the number of employees to 72.

    With the fresh money, the international growth is to be further promoted. "With the newly acquired financial resources, we are ideally equipped for further expansion and can further expand our top European position as proptech for data-driven real estate valuations and location analyzes", PriceHubble founder Stefan Heitmann was quoted as saying.

  • ETH spin-off binds CO2 in broken concrete

    ETH spin-off binds CO2 in broken concrete

    If the concrete industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world. It produces around four times as much CO2 as all global air traffic. The start-up Neustark , a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich ( ETH ), is countering this with its concept: the mineralization of carbon dioxide from the air to obtain limestone.

    Neustark binds CO2 in the pores and on the surface of concrete granulate. This upgraded granulate can then be mixed in fresh concrete as a substitute for sand and gravel. Thanks to these granules, less cement is required while the properties remain the same. This emerges from a communication from the ETH.

    “What appealed to me was that the solution would not be available for five or ten years, but already now,” says business economist Valentin Gutknecht, who is responsible for the operational aspects of the business in the ever-growing Neustark team. Together with Johannes Tiefenthaler, he wants to turn this climate-positive business idea into reality. Tiefenthaler is doing his doctorate at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering ( MAVT ) on the next generation of technology for the mineralization of carbon dioxide.

    There is a lot of research going on in the construction sector, but so far the industry has only achieved small reductions in emissions, so Tiefenthaler. The advantage of the concrete granulate is that it is highly reactive and the broken concrete forms a very stable chemical compound even without climate-damaging pre-treatment with carbon dioxide.

    Your pilot plant for recycling concrete is funded by the Federal Office for the Environment ( FOEN ) and the Swiss Climate Foundation. The project is now intended to demonstrate the added value along the entire value chain. Neustark's goal: negative emissions for which there are only "very few technical approaches". The start-up wants to show "that negative emissions can not only bring costs but even economic benefits".