Verve Ventures

Our portfolio company ANYbotics raises USD 60m to drive its US expansion. With this financing round, the leader for AI-powered robotic inspections brings its total funding to over USD 130m. The round was led by Qualcomm Ventures and Supernova Invest. ANYbotics is revolutionizing safety, efficiency, and sustainability in the energy, power, metals, mining, and chemical industries. Thanks to large orders from industry leaders such as BP, Equinor, Petrobras, Novelis, and Outokumpu, the company is experiencing unprecedented growth and is expanding globally. Recent milestones include opening an office in Silicon Valley strategically positioned to enhance support and accelerate deployments for its growing North American customer base. Press release: https://lnkd.in/gTpkQnjb Congratulations to the team!

Our portfolio company Scrona Ltd. holds the world record for the smallest ever printed color picture. Today, it announced that it will demonstrate its new 128-nozzle printhead (pictured below) at the Computer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This printing platform achieves micro-meter precision and will change how semiconductors (think AI chiplets) and displays (microLEDs, for example) will be manufactured. Press release: https://lnkd.in/ejPBcWzd Visit them at the SwissTech Pavilion or get in touch with Dr. Patrick Heißler and Walter Braun. Swiss Business Hub USA Michael Blank #deeptech #startups #CES2025

Our portfolio company, Orakl Oncology, raised a EUR 11m Seed round led by Singular to bring data science to biology for more effective cancer treatments. SISTAFUND, Bpifrance, and existing investors Speedinvest and HCVC participated in the round. Coverage by TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/d9ZK22kf Our interview from 2023: https://lnkd.in/dp8uW7PC Congratulations to the founders Fanny Jaulin, PhD, Diane-Laure Pagès and Gustave Ronteix.

"Verve Ventures might be the right place for you if you’re a nerd with social skills who loves exchanging ideas with other nerds." Johanna Kuhn is in the middle of her 6-months Visiting Analyst program at Verve Ventures. In this article, she gives people interested in joining us valuable insights into the hiring process and program. Read her article here: https://lnkd.in/eEZGg8en Apply as a Visiting Analyst: https://lnkd.in/ezEfEnu5 If you know a nerd with social skills who loves exchanging ideas with other nerds, send them the link to this article!

Our portfolio company tozero has closed an 11m $ Seed round led by NordicNinja VC. The company is the first and only battery recycler in Europe successfully supplying customers with its recycled lithium, utilized in end products sold worldwide. IQT (In-Q-Tel), Honda, JGC and existing investors participated in the round, too. The funding will be used to build tozero’s first industrial deployment (FOAK) plant, scale commercial production of recycled lithium, and expand the team. Coverage in TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/d-hP4gEa Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/euBNRwD9 Congratulations, Ksenija, Sarah, and the team! Thomas Meier, Lorenzo Fabritius #cleantech #startup #investment

Our investment team in Zurich is looking for a new colleague with a (scientific) master's degree. The position is for six months, starting in March 2025. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/ezEfEnu5 Why we think the brightest students should consider a career in venture capital: https://lnkd.in/gBBnZRRD The picture was taken at our recent off-site. However, the view from our office is also impressive.

Our portfolio company, Nuclera, raised a USD 75m Series C financing round led by Elevage Medical Technologies. Cambridge Innovation Capital, British Patient Capital, and existing investors participated. Pharma companies spend billions on protein synthesis, a manual process that requires weeks or months of manipulating and growing host cells to produce the proteins of interest. Nuclera’s eProtein Discovery system is designed to speed up protein expression and purification in research labs, including those using AI for protein design. The system reduces the time and cost of these processes by automating construct screening, allowing for protein scale-up, and producing milligram amounts of protein in less than 48 hours. The eProtein Discovery system has already been installed at contract research organizations (CROs), biotech and biopharma companies, and leading academic institutes. Press release: https://lnkd.in/eVfxCw8D

We have participated in the first close of the USD 8M Series B funding round for Retinai, alongside Sanoptis, THINC Ventures (Topcon Healthcare), and Zürcher Kantonalbank. This investment reinforces our commitment to advancing AI-driven solutions in ophthalmology, optometry, and beyond. By supporting RetinAI/Ikerian, we are helping accelerate the development of their powerful platforms— RetinAI Discovery® and Discovery CONNECT™— which are set to revolutionize data connectivity and enhance patient care across European clinics. RetinAI is also broadening its reach into new therapeutic areas, including neurodegenerative disorders and rare diseases, through its mother brand, Ikerian. It is leveraging real-world evidence (RWE) and AI to transform healthcare decision-making. Press release: https://lnkd.in/ei8x7-w6

Somagenetix raises CHF 10m Series A led by Vi Partners. The company appoints Andrin Oswald as CEO. Somagenetix develops a gene therapy against a group of inherited immunodeficiencies called CGD. The condition is characterized by genetic defects that affect a type of white blood cells called phagocytes. Co-founder Prof. Janine Reichenbach said: "My team at the University of Zurich has developed a best-in-class gene therapy platform for phagocytes, and achieved successful preclinical validation of our approach." The funds will be used to advance the company to the clinical stage. Full press release: https://lnkd.in/erzhw7zf

Last week, our portfolio company Orakl Oncology won the Grand Prix in the Pharmacy and Biotechnology category of the i-Lab startup competition organized by the Gouvernement of France in collaboration with Bpifrance and the The French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME). Orakl Oncology was selected among 177 projects and is one of the 10 Grand Prix i-Lab winners that will be supported through #France2030. Congratulations to CEO Fanny Jaulin, PhD and the entire Orakl team! Since 1999, the i-Lab innovation competition has enabled the creation of more than 2,000 companies. A true springboard for deep tech entrepreneurs, it successfully fulfills its role in identifying innovative business projects in France. You can see the full list of the 2024 winners here (French): https://lnkd.in/e-gwgc7W #oncology #ilab2024 #grandprix #startupnews #innovation #technology #drugdevelopment