February 3, 2026 | Switzerland

Switzerland has topped global innovation rankings for 15 years, with world-leading research universities, top-tier technical talent, access to the European market, and a business-friendly regulatory environment. Why, then, do so many Swiss startups look abroad when it comes to funding? “There are founders with technically deep expertise in their areas, and they’ve been able to access resources to help them figure out how to build the company. They almost have all the pieces there,” said Julio de Unamuno of San Diego Venture Capital, who joined the Swiss Venture Connect Roadshow in January. “I was really surprised that the capital’s not following them.”

Recognizing an opportunity to help Swiss startups access international investment, Swissnex’s Boston, New York, and San Francisco offices came together to launch Swiss Venture Connect (SVC), a program aimed at bridging the gap between US venture capitalists and the Swiss ecosystem. In January, the inaugural SVC Roadshow brought twelve US-based VC firms to Switzerland for a one-week immersion into the Swiss innovation ecosystem. From January 26-30, 2025, the group travelled between Zurich, Neuchâtel, and Lausanne, meeting with startups, investors, legal experts, and government and institutional partners to explore the opportunities and challenges of investing in Switzerland.

Insights on the Swiss Ecosystem

The program kicked off at the DeepTech Investor Summit at ETH Zurich, where the investors connected with cutting-edge deep tech spin-offs and start-ups from Switzerland’s Federal Institutes of Technology and associated research institutions. The investors were impressed by the motivation and expertise they met there and elsewhere throughout the week. “It really reminds me a lot of those East Coast, highly technical MIT startups,” said Austin Hwang of ADVentures. “They are mission-driven – they’ve got really big ideas on how to change the world,” said Unamuno. “They’re thinking about how they can do that in a way that maybe isn’t the next big dating app that you see in Silicon Valley that gets tons of funding, but actual tangible things that are going to help improve our everyday life.”

Connecting with founders in person also shed light on Switzerland’s culture of entrepreneurship. “I think that there’s a level of nuance and subtlety that comes across in the way that founders and investors describe their kind of core solutions here,” said Kimberly Blakemore of ADVentures. “It’s a very different style from the way of American investments and pitching.” For Alexis Bittar of Innovaud, which hosted the investors for a reception in Lausanne, this in-person exchange was a key benefit of the program. “Being in the office, the labs, and the ecosystem and feeling the atmosphere of the tech in Switzerland is really important, and this is something you cannot get when you have a Zoom call.”

Among the highlights of the program was a dinner with Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation, as well as high-level representatives from Innosuisse; as well as high-level representatives from the Swiss-American Chamber of Commerce, ETH Entrepreneurship, and Deep Tech Nation Switzerland. During the dinner, the State Secretary continued a discussion on international investment that began when she met with venture capitalists in San Francisco and Boston last December. The dinner demonstrated the shared interest of official, non-governmental, and academic partners in fostering a robust and internationally connected innovation ecosystem. For James de Vellis of Foley & Lardner LLP, a sponsor of the roadshow, “the dinner with the State Secretary was a real highlight — to understand the focus that the Swiss government has on US market entry and market expansion.”

Other participants also noted the strong sense of collaboration within the ecosystem. “All the players, the universities, the government folks, the VCs and other investors are all working together. They all know each other and seem to have a very good idea about how to make this one of the most dynamic and competitive technology ecosystems worldwide,” remarked Troy Estes, head of VCs for EMEA at NVIDIA. The support the startups receive means there’s only one missing ingredient. “The local governments, the organizations, the manufacturing facilities, as well as the startups are able to integrate very quickly, develop very rapidly and really come to us VCs at a point where they are ready to go to market,” said Naël-Pierre Nuseibeh of GS Futures. They have a mature product and they’re just ready to scale.”

Opportunities for Venture Capital

The stiff competition for growth capital also plays into this dynamic, and creates unique opportunities for US investors. “It’s true that Europe has a bit of a lack of financing compared to the US, but scarcity is a mover of innovation,” said JC Jung of Anywhere Ventures. “It forces the entrepreneurs to be top-notch in terms of quality and product development. So I think there’s really a lot of interesting opportunities that can be sometimes 20 to 50% cheaper than equivalent in America.” For de Vellis, “the opportunity to get in on the ground floor with next generation technology is something that distinguishes Switzerland really from the United States or anywhere else.”

Taken together, the week left a strong and lasting impression on the investors who participated. That message resonated clearly with those who took part. “I think you hear a lot about different pockets of the world in terms of great innovation ecosystems. Switzerland definitely seems to punch well above its weight,” reflected Blakemore. Estes was likewise unequivocal: “For investors who are looking for deeply technical folks to invest in, do not sleep on Switzerland at all.”

View photos from the roadshow here.