In 2024, Swiss startups saw considerable growth, with a record CHF 2.37bn invested across 357 financing rounds. A total of CHF 350m was raised by 36 IMD-affiliated startups, showcasing the lasting impact of IMD’s MBAs, Executive MBAs, LeadiNNg to Scale-Up program, and Venture Capital Asset Management (VCAM) program.
Each year, IMD selects promising Swiss ventures for its Startup Competition, offering them the opportunity to get support from IMD’s EMBA and MBA participants for their entrepreneurial projects. In its 27th edition, 22 ventures were chosen, from a diverse range of innovative solutions, including advancements in optical sensing, battery technology, robotics, medical therapeutics, neurosurgery, water management, and sustainable energy solutions.
Launched in 2022 by IMD and Innovaud, the LeadiNNg to Scale-Up program is designed to support tech startups in becoming fast-growing scale-ups. This year marks the fourth edition of the program, with 15 companies having joined the cohort in January.
“A great idea, a huge market, and an amazing team are the lifeblood of successful startups, but Venture Capital is the oxygen that brings them from birth to scale-up,” said Adjunct Faculty, Jim Pulcrano.
The Venture Capital Asset Management (VCAM) program, also founded by Pulcrano, aims to accelerate participants’ learning journey by equipping them with the practical tools and insights needed to navigate the opportunities and risks in venture capital investing.
Some of the largest rounds raised by IMD-connected startups include:
- DistalMotion: CHF 142m (worked with the MBA program in 2012)
- BComp: CHF 36m (worked with the EMBA program in 2012)
- XFarm: CHF 34m (worked with the MBA program in 2019)
- Volumina: CHF 19m (participated in LeadiNNg to Scaleup 2024)
- BioVersys: CHF 12.3m (worked with the EMBA program in 2012 and recently went public on the Swiss stock exchange)
- SamanTree: CHF 12m (worked with the MBA program in 2013)
- FotoKite: CHF 10m (worked with EMBA program in 2018)
- Limula: CHF 6.2m (participated in LeadiNNg to Scaleup 2024)
Earlier this month, Sylvester Stallone joined an investment round to support AI analytics platform Largo.ai. This startup, founded in collaboration with EPFL, had worked with the EMBA program participants in 2019. Read the case on Largo.ai written by Pulcrano.
The success of IMD-connected startups has been supported by the backing of various renowned investors, such as Founderful, Verve Ventures, ZKB, Airbus Ventures, Porsche Ventures, GSK, Ventures, SICTIC, Swiss Entrepreneurs Fund, Kickfund, Zühlke Ventures, SpiceHaus, b2ventures, Dart Ventures, and Swisscom Ventures.
The collaboration between startups and investors has created a rich ecosystem of innovative and successful ventures.
