TOP 100 companies that progress to a successful exit or IPO deliver on the potential that was recognized by the TOP 100's jury of investors and experts. Learn more about the top Swiss companies that were acquired or went public since September 2021.
Innovative Swiss startups are popular takeover targets for large, international corporations. Of the 512 TOP 100 Startups awarded since 2011, 71 were acquired. Among the buyers of TOP 100 Swiss Startups are prominent names such as Apple, Boehringer Ingelheim, Intel, Johnson Johnson, Pfizer, Qualcomm, and Sony. Here's an overview of the TOP 100 companies that celebrated successful exits in the past year:
Ava AG | Zurich | Medtech | Acquired by
FemTec Health | 19.07.2022
Focused on reproductive health, Ava was founded in Switzerland in 2014 by Pascal Koenig, Philipp Tholen, Peter Stein, and Lea von Bidder. It made the TOP 100 Swiss Startup ranking every year from 2015 to 2019 and was voted a TOP 100 Scale-up in 2021. The company was acquired by Femtec Health, based in Houston, Texas.
routeRANK | Vaud | ICT | Acquired by
Netcetera | 08.07.2022
Created in 2006, the tech company routeRANK provides multimodal mobility portals as an IT service. Unlike other solutions, they address complete, door-to-door routes by integrating all relevant modes of transport and their many multimodal combinations. The company was voted a TOP 100 Swiss Startup in 2011 and 2012. It was acquired by the Swiss software company Netcetera.
CodeCheck | Zurich | ICT | Acquired by
Producto | 04.05.2022
As the leading mobile shopping assistant for food and cosmetics in German-speaking countries, CodeCheck combines information about product ingredients with assessments of renowned experts from Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, WWF, and many others in an extensive database containing several million product entries and available to users free of charge in apps and online. The company was among the TOP 100 Swiss Startups every year from 2014 to 2019. It was acquired by the German company Producto, which runs Testberichte.de.
Artmyn SA | Geneva | ICT | Acquired by
Invaluable | 15.12.2021
The company provides a unique digitizing service setting new standards in digital authentication and powers immersive digital experiences for collectors of fine art. The company was voted a TOP 100 Swiss Startup in 2017. Artmyn was acquired by Invaluable, the world’s leading online marketplace for premier auction houses selling fine arts and collectibles.
ALAYA SA | Vaud | ICT | Acquired by
Benevity | 10.12.2021
The startup's SaaS enables global companies like BNP Paribas, PwC, and L'Oréal to build a purpose-driven culture and engage employees to make an impact by engaging their employees with its Employee Purpose platform. It powers volunteering, donations and fundraising, and small actions to support sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, and wellbeing. Alaya was acquired by the Canadian ESG-focused company Benevity.
Run my Accounts AG | Zurich | Fintech | Acquired by
Infoniqa | 02.12.2021
Founded by Thomas Brändle in 2008, Run my Accounts provides online bookkeeping tools for workflow optimization. It was among the TOP 100 Swiss Startups in 2011 and 2012. The company was acquired by Infoniqa, one of the fastest-growing HR companies in the DACH region.
Inositec AG | Zurich | Biotech | Acquired by
Vifor Pharma | 22.11.2021
Inositec develops first-in-class non-dialysis treatments for soft tissue and vascular calcification disorders. It was deemed one of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups from 2016 to 2019. The company was acquired by Vifor Pharma, a global pharmaceuticals company headquartered in Switzerland.
senseFly SA | Vaud | Robotics | Acquired by
Ag Eagle | 19.10.2021
Founded in 2009, the EPFL spin-off senseFly develops and produces a proprietary line of eBee-branded, high-performance, fixed-wing drones for utilized by customers in agriculture, government, engineering, and construction to collect actionable aerial data intelligence. The company became a subsidiary of the French Parrot Group. The company was voted a TOP 100 Swiss Startup in 2012 and 2014. The Kansas-based drone and sensor provider Ag Eagle acquired senseFly from Parrot.
TestingTime AG | Zurich | ICT | Acquired by
Norstat | 30.09.2021
Established in 2015, TestingTime is the leading self-service test user recruitment platform. It was voted a TOP 100 Swiss Startup every year between 2015 and 2020. The company was acquired by Norstat, the leading collector of market research data in Northern Europe.
Bring! Labs AG | Zurich | ICT | Acquired by
Die Post | 16.09.2021
The company's app, Bring!, simplifies grocery shopping by integrating list functions, online shop offers, and purchasing options. The startup was founded by Marco Cerqui and Sandro Strebel in April 2015 and established offices in Zurich, Basel, Cologne, and Berlin. Die Post, the Swiss national postal service, acquired the company and merged it with one of its subsidiaries, Profital.
VAY AG | Zurich | ICT | Acquired by
Nautilus | 03.09.2021
Founded in 2019, the ETH spinoff specializes in motion analysis powered by proprietary computer vision technology. It was named one of 2021's TOP 100 Swiss Startups. The company was acquired by Nautilus Inc., which focuses on AI development and is a global leader in connected fitness.
Ulf Grawunder shares the story of the billion-dollar exit of his company NBE Therapeutics to Boehringer Ingelheim
IPOs
Going public is about raising capital to fuel the company's growth, but can also be motivated by a desire to diversify investor holdings and boost the company's brand. Whatever the intention: preparing for an IPO is a transformative step for any company. Here are the TOP 100 companies that decided to take that step in the past year:
ONWARD Medical SA | Lausanne | Biotech | 21.10.2021
Founded in Lausanne in 2014, ONWARD develops therapies to restore movement, health, and independence in people who suffered spinal cord injuries. Its first patients were enrolled in January 2021, launching the large large-scale trial of its non-invasive spinal stimulation technology. After raising USD 32 million in funding in April 2021, the company's IPO brought in another CHF 93 million in October 2021. The company was voted a TOP 100 Swiss Startup every year from 2015 to 2020.
On AG | Zurich | Engineering | 16.09.2021
As one of the fastest-growing global sports brands, On celebrated a successful debut on the NYSE, raising USD 746 million with an IPO led by Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan Chase & Co. The company was named a TOP 100 Swiss Startup in 2014 and 2015, as well as a TOP 100 Scale-up in 2019 and 2020.
Energy Vault SA | Lugano | Cleantech | 10.09.2021
Founded in 2018, Energy Vault develops advanced energy storage systems based on advanced material science and proprietary software technologies. Following the recent advances in commercial-scale technology validation and rapid customer adoption, as well as a successful private Series C financing round, Energy Vault entered into an agreement for a business combination with Novus Capital II, a U.S.-based special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that is publicly traded. After closing the transaction, the combined company will be named Energy Vault Holdings, Inc and is traded as NRGV on the NYSE. The expert jury voted the company one of 2022's TOP 100 Swiss Startups.
LEARNING ABOUT IPOs
SIX Swiss Exchange and
Venturelab aim to equip Swiss entrepreneurs to make optimal decisions about their financing—both in private and public capital markets. In May 2022, a two-day event in Thun concluded the first edition of
Sparks IPO Academy 2021/22. Twelve fast-growing, capital-seeking scale-ups and established SMEs participated in the first Sparks IPO Academy - a 6-month training program developed by SIX Swiss Exchange in collaboration with leading capital markets specialists in Switzerland. Several TOP 100 startups learned about topics such as corporate governance and what to consider when preparing for an IPO. The
next IPO Academy started in November.
Fabien Jordan, CEO of Astrocast, talking about his company's IPO at the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award 2021
Discover more exits and IPOs of the past years here.
