Swisscom Ventures

A wave of opportunities - for all of us driving innovation 💫 The city of Basel was an incredible turning point for us: It was here, seven years ago, that we set off on our journey to become Switzerland's largest Tech VC. There's never been a better reason to celebrate our annual investor event! We met at the Basel Theatre, where we brought together over 120 guests to discuss talent scouting. We've discovered some amazing parallels between art and deep tech talents - both require vision, patience, and the right support. What an incredible evening of innovation we had! This year's gathering was truly an amazing event, from theatre backstage tours to silent discos! Stefan Kuentz Alexander Schlaepfer Pär Lange Peter Ibbotson, CFA, Victoria Lietha Max Vogt Tina Willibald Adrian Bult Benedikt von Peter, Domenico Scala Christoph Klöpper Regula Berger Simone Staehelin Basel Area Business & Innovation #Talent #SwisscomVentures #DeepTech #Startup #BaselArea #TheaterBasel #SwissTechVC #Inspiration

Want to land a great exit? Focus your time where it actually moves the needle 💡 At SSA Founders Day 2025, Swisscom Ventures hosted a panel on one of the most important - and often underestimated -  topics in the startup journey: Preparing for Exit. The session, led by our partner Alexander Schlaepfer along with Thomas Inhelder, Co-Founder & CFO of Yokoy – a Swisscom Ventures portfolio company that successfully exited this past January – explored how founders and investors can work together to design successful transitions. The panel made one thing clear: if you're a founder eyeing an exit, here’s where to focus: 1. Be known before you're bought 💡 You don’t get acquired by strangers – know your competitors and channel partners personally. Build a reputation, not just a product. Go beyond the pitch deck – call your competitor’s CEO, grab a beer (just don’t talk pricing), and make sure the people who matter know you're making progress. 2. Partnerships aren’t just commercial - they’re strategic 🤝 Strong partnerships tell a story. They create optionality and signal momentum. Think beyond short-term revenue – what’s the shared vision? Could this lead to an IPO? Does it open new markets or build defensibility? If yes, it’s a narrative worth investing in. 3. Timing is key - be ready ⏱️ Exit windows don’t stay open for long. If you get serious interest—especially written offers—take it seriously. You can't always engineer an exit, but you can be ready when the opportunity shows up. Competitive situations speed up the process 4. Financials are crucial – but story sells 📊 Yes, the numbers need to add up. But don’t underestimate the power of narrative. Buyers don’t just buy metrics – they buy belief. A clear story around your vision, momentum, and market position can make all the difference. It was a pleasure to take part in SSA Founders Day once again – a truly valuable platform for open conversations and shared learning within the Swiss startup ecosystem. We’re already looking forward to the next edition! Alexander Schlaepfer Thomas Inhelder Max Vogt Tina Willibald Regula Bleuler Lars Mangelsdorf Philippe Sahli Swiss Startup Association #SSAFoundersDay #SwissStartupAssociation #SwisscomVentures #Yokoy #TechExits

START Summit 2025 was full of energy with AI, Robotics & a vibrant Investor Night! Our Investor Director, Klea Wenger, took the stage for the Robotics Panel: "Chocolate, Watches… and Robots?" alongside the startups Mimic, ANYbotics, and Ascento. The discussion sparked insights into the intersection of deep-tech innovation and commercialization, reaffirming Switzerland’s leading role in robotics. It was also a great pleasure to host the Investor Night this year! A private evening designed for those who move markets and back bold ideas. Investors and founders gathered, starting with a welcoming reception and ending with a fun afterparty. A big thank you to everyone who made these events possible, from the incredible speakers and startups to the organizers and attendees. Your passion and commitment made it all worthwhile! Klea Wenger, Alexander Schlaepfer, Tina Willibald, Damian Janzi, Max Vogt, Peter Ibbotson, CFA, Pär Lange, Paloma Bosco, Roger Wüthrich-Hasenböhler, Andreas Göldi, Lukas Böttcher, Bettina Hein #SwisscomVentures #STARTSummit #InvestorNight #Innovation #AI #Robotics #Networking #VentureCapital  

Once again, we reunited with our CISO Community Forum to tackle a crucial question: What’s next in cybersecurity, and how can we be prepared? 🤖 Bringing together experts and innovative startups, the Swisscom Ventures CISO Community Forum focused on the latest advancements and strategies to address emerging cybersecurity challenges. One of the key discussions was the threat posed by quantum computing to current encryption methods. Our Head of Innovation B2B, Dr. Thomas Zasowski, highlighted the risk of “harvest now, decrypt later” and recommended creating a Crypto Inventory and implementing Crypto Agility for new systems. While Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) generally offers protection, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) may be crucial for critical systems. We also explored how digital identities become prime targets. Santhosh Jayaprakash, CEO and Founder of Unosecur, shared insights into detecting identity-based threats, reinforcing the importance of ITDR. Lastly, Dr. Andrei KUCHARAVY, Professor at HES-SO Valais-Wallis, addressed LLM security issues from a CISO perspective, discussing the potential vulnerabilities introduced by large language models and how to mitigate these risks. It was an honor to bring together such a diverse group of cybersecurity innovators. Thank you to everyone who made the event insightful and engaging! What are the biggest cybersecurity challenges you’re seeing right now? Or the companies leading the way? Let us know in the comments! Martin Lechmann, Marco Wyrsch, Stefan Kuentz, Semih Kaçan, Tina Willibald, Thomas Zasowski, Andrei KUCHARAVY, Santhosh Jayaprakash #CyberSecurity #QuantumCryptography #ITDR #SwisscomVentures #CISOForum #Innovation #CyberThreats

100% faster Kubernetes upgrades with 80% less effort thanks to Chkk! 🚀 Handling Kubernetes migration can be challenging. That’s why Camptocamp, a leader in open-source IT infrastructure, explored how Chkk’s Upgrade Copilot could help mitigate risks and accelerate Kubernetes migrations. The results were impressive: upgrade time was reduced from 4 weeks to just 2, with significantly fewer resources required. Chkk’s comprehensive approach - covering hidden dependencies, safety checks, and EOL software detection - proved to be a valuable asset for production environments. Curious to see how they achieved these results? Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/dHtwweKT Fawad Khaliq Awais Nemat Mathieu Bornoz Sarah Decorvet-Foley Wendy Cartee Bernard Jaccard Rico Dähler

Congratulations to xFarm Technologies on this major milestone 🌍🌱 Expanding into Latin America and strengthening the future of digital agriculture. This step accelerates their work in traceability, regenerative agriculture, and MRV, bringing their expertise to one of the world’s most important agricultural markets. Proud to support their journey as they scale globally! Alexander Schlaepfer #SwisscomVentures #xFarmTechnologies #AgTech #Sustainability #Innovation

Great conversations, inspiring pitches, and plenty of new connections - that’s what #MWC was all about for us this year. On stage at #4YFN, our investor Max Vogt shared valuable insights on Corporate Venture Capital: the key to success - both in investing and in life - comes down to two things: the people around you and a long-term vision. The panel on evolving CVC strategies highlighted the changing role of corporate investors, with those looking beyond short-term gains set to make the greatest impact. Swisscom Ventures is in a unique position, combining the agility of independent VC with the strength of Swisscom’s market presence. Beyond the panels, we kept the momentum going at our cocktail party at the yacht club, where over 120 guests joined us for an evening of networking, startup pitches, and great conversations. Seventeen startups took the stage for fast-paced elevator pitches, thanks to Venturelab, while our portfolio companies, MATRIXX Software and Billogram, shared their expertise. A perfect mix of innovation, exchange, and some well-deserved drinks. MWC is always a powerful reminder of how collaboration is shaping the future of tech. Looking forward to continuing the conversations! Victoria Lietha Tina Willibald Stefan Kuentz Pär Lange Semih Kaçan Jordi Montserrat Beat Schillig Joanne Sieber Johan af Sandeberg Jennifer Kyriakakis Paloma Bosco Mark Düsener #MWC2025 #CorporateVentureCapital #Innovation #Networking #Startups #FutureOfTech #SwisscomVentures

#PortfolioSpotlight Getting ahead of International Women’s Day! 🌸 At Swisscom Ventures, we celebrate the achievements of women founders shaping the future of technology. One of them is Jennifer Kyriakakis, co-founder of MATRIXX Software. Jennifer built her career by solving complex challenges in the telecom industry, and her passion for innovation led her to create MATRIXX, a company that transforms real-time digital monetization for telecom operators worldwide. Her journey is a testament to the impact of diverse leadership in tech. As we approach International Women’s Day, we reaffirm our commitment to empowering female entrepreneurs and celebrating the talented women on our team who help drive innovation every day. Join us in supporting women who are making a difference! Monica Ricci Tina Willibald Jennifer McCloskey Klea Wenger Victoria Lietha Andrea Auderset Myoung-Ok Kwon, Prof. PhD #InternationalWomensDay #WomenInTech #FemaleFounders #SwisscomVentures #MATRIXXSoftware #FemaleLeaders #IWD2025

Empowering SMEs with Global Banking Solutions 🌍 We are proud to lead the CHF 10 million Series-B funding round for amnis, a fintech empowering SMEs with an all-in-one account for global banking. With its multi-currency platform, amnis is helping over 3,000 companies in 35+ countries scale globally by reducing transaction costs, simplifying team expenses, and automating accounting tasks. “We see significant growth potential and are excited to support the team in scaling their embedded financial ecosystem across Europe.” — Semih Kaçan, Investment Director at Swisscom Ventures, who also joins the Board to support this exciting journey. This investment accelerates amnis’ expansion into new markets and strengthens its embedded financial ecosystem. We’re excited to see amnis' contributions to the future of cross-border finance. Alexander Schlaepfer #SwisscomVentures #amnis #Fintech #GlobalFinance #Innovation #VentureCapital

✨ Investing in employee well-being can unlock trillions in economic value. McKinsey’s latest report highlights the productivity gains of holistic health initiatives. Our portfolio company Kyan Health helps companies achieve this by delivering personalized mental health support through an innovative AI-powered platform. By prioritizing employee well-being, organizations can boost productivity and foster a healthier, more engaged workforce. Want to understand more about Kyan Health’s approach? Connect with them to see how they’re leading the way in mental health innovation. #KyanHealth #SwisscomVentures #Health #Wellbeing