The TOP Swiss Biotech Startups 2021

Switzerland has a strong biotech sector, and the ranking of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups 2021 reflects this potential. Discover the top biotech startups that impressed the expert jury and the public, and find out how the companies use cellular and biomolecular processes to combat illnesses, personalize medicine, and create tools to better diagnose, manage, and prevent health risks.

The TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award showcases the most promising Swiss startups. The annual ranking has become a benchmark in Switzerland’s startup ecosystem—and beyond. Every year, a panel of 100 leading investors and startup experts chooses the 100 most innovative and promising Swiss startups. Each jury member nominates 10 Swiss startups that are less than five years old and show the greatest commercial potential. The first-placed company gets 10 points, the second nine points, and so on. The individual rankings are compiled to generate the final TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award ranking. In parallel, the TOP 100 Public Voting allows everyone with a LinkedIn account can cast one vote and choose the most promising startup per vertical.
 
Learn more about the 15 biotech startups that received the most points from the members of the TOP 100 Jury and the public in 2021: 



2. CUTISS
CUTISS develops unique personalized skin technology to treat skin defects. CUTISS’s denovoSkin™ is a safe, effective, and accessible therapy for children and adults who suffer large-scale burns or scalds. The human skin grafts of the Zurich-based biotech startups are expected to result in a minimally scarring outcome after transplantation. Daniela Marino (CEO) and Fabienne Hartmann-Fritsch (CCO) founded the CUTISS in 2016.

11. Araris Biotech
Araris Biotech has developed a technology that enables the production of highly efficient antibody-drug conjugates very quickly—drugs are “glued” to antibodies with the “Araris Linker.” The spin-off from the Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH Zurich raised more than CHF 15 million in further seed funding last fall and intends to advance pre-clinical development.

14. HAYA Therapeutics 
The Lausanne biotech company develops precision drugs for fibrotic diseases and other serious health problems related to aging, including cancer. The focus of HAYA Therapeutics is on a drug that works against heart failure, one of the world’s leading causes of death. In May, the startup was able to raise CHF 18 million in a seed financing round.

17. TOLREMO therapeutics 
The molecules developed by TOLREMO prevent the development of resistance in various types of cancer and can be combined with existing cancer drugs. At the conclusion of its Series A financing round, the startup raised another CHF 4.7 million, bringing the total to CHF 13.7 million. The additional funds will be used to develop the first clinical candidate and further strengthen the company’s pre-clinical pipeline.

31. Perseo pharma
Perseo pharma, a spin-off from Muttenz biotech company INOFEA, develops therapeutic enzymes for the treatment of cancer and rare genetic diseases. INOFEA and Perseo pharma’s patented nanotech platform was developed at the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW).

34. EraCal Therapeutics
One-third of the world’s population is overweight or obese. However, the currently available pharmaceutical appetite suppressants are sometimes associated with serious side effects. EraCal, a spin-off from the University of Zurich and Harvard University, relies on a molecule that has been patented under the name Era-107 since 2018 and which has led to significant weight loss in animal experiments. If all studies are positive, the psychoactive appetite suppressant could hit the market in 2028.

36. Annaida Technologies 
If artificial insemination is to be successful, it is important that the most viable embryo is selected. But until now, only the external shape and genetic make-up of embryos have been identifiable. EPFL spin-off Annaida Technologies is developing a magnetic resonance tomograph (MRT) that makes the biochemistry visible inside the embryo, which often is only the size of a grain of sand.

50. Numab Therapeutics 
In May, Numab Therapeutics announced the completion of a Series C financing round of CHF 100 million. The hopes of international investors rest on the active ingredient ND021: The molecule stimulates the immune system to fight cancer cells and will go into clinical trials this year.

52. MaxWell Biosystems 
The sensor devices from MaxWell map the electrical activity of thousands of nerve cells simultaneously, thus helping the pharmaceutical industry to accelerate the development and market introduction of drugs for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Last December, Sensirion Holding, existing shareholders, and business angels injected a further CHF 4 million in venture capital.

54. Versameb
Versameb’s VERSagile technology platform acts as an innovation driver for drugs based on ribonucleic acid (RNA). Versameb develops treatment methods that accelerate the regeneration of cells in muscle, bone, cartilage, and nerve cells and stimulate the body’s self-healing powers. In the last round of financing, completed in July 2020, the Basel-based company raised CHF 6 million.

57. Alentis Therapeutics 
Fibrosis refers to pathological reproductions of connective tissue in tissue and organs. Alentis is working on an antibody that can be used to control the course of fibrotic disease, with a focus on the liver and kidneys. The medical need is great: 3.3 million people in the US alone live with liver fibrosis in an advanced stage, which can lead to cirrhosis and treatment only with an organ transplant.

72. Synendos Therapeutics 
Synendos’ active ingredients locate a newly identified target in the endocannabinoid system in the brain. This is a new approach in treating central nervous system illnesses associated with anxiety and stress-related disorders. A Series A financing round concluded in April raised CHF 24 million.

74. NEMIS Technologies 
According to the World Health Organisation, 420,000 people die every year from consuming contaminated food, with bacteria as the largest source of contamination. The diagnostic kits from NEMIS Technologies detect dangerous germs within a day; in comparison, the methods currently used in the food industry typically take 48 hours to detect viable bacteria.

94. Limula 
Cell and gene therapy represents a real turning point in the treatment of numerous serious diseases, and the manufacturing process is also revolutionary, as it originates from the patient’s own immune cells. Limula’s production platform enables the decentralized production of personalized cell therapy directly at the patient’s bedside.

98. Scailyte 
The ScaiVision software from the ETH spin-off shortens single-cell data analysis from several weeks to two to three days, enabling biomarkers to be found that indicate a tumor or other diseases and, in addition, determine the individual risk of developing the disease. In February, Scailyte strengthened its board of directors with the addition of Pascal König, co-founder of femtech startup Ava.

Public Voting: Synendos Therapeutics
The Allschwil-based startup was a double winner this year: Synendos was chosen as a TOP 100 Swiss Startup by both the expert jury and the public! For more information, see the description above.