Zurich-based Founderful, a venture capital firm, on Thursday, announced the final close of its second fund – Fund II at $140M (approximately €133M)
The Fund II is backed by a range of institutions, family offices, and founders who have successfully scaled their startups into global unicorns such as Duolingo, Climeworks, GetYourGuide, On, Proton, and Scandit.
The VC’s focus on Swiss technology and talent has allowed Fund II to invest in 15 companies, including Chiral Nano’s alternative silicon chips and Eigthinks’ improvements in lithium-ion batteries.
Alex Stöckl, Partner at Founderful, says, “From day one, we have been relentless in our efforts to create a foothold for the Swiss tech ecosystem on the global stage. Fund II is evidence that we have walked the talk, and investors have taken note. This was no easy win, but we fought hard. We’re deeply grateful to our LPs, both existing and new, for recognising our drive and sharing our conviction in the Swiss tech ecosystem—a powerhouse that’s only just starting to claim its place in the global tech industry.”
Fund I: Invested in 40 startups
The announcement comes after the Swiss VC had a successful journey with its $90M Fund I, which invested in 40 startups.
According to Founderful, its portfolio companies have created over 1,100 jobs and raised more than $450M (approximately €427M) in additional funding from top venture firms.
Notable successes include manufacturing analytics startup Ethon AI, Corintis, Grape Insurance, and DePoly.
Founderful: Swiss’ leading pre-seed fund
Founderful was founded in 2019 by Pascal Mathis (GetYourGuide co-founder), Alex Stöckl (former Creathor Ventures Switzerland Lead), and Lukas Weder ( EAT.ch co-founder).
The VC is Switzerland’s leading pre-seed fund, backing founder teams building tech companies with the potential to become global market leaders.
The fund’s strategy is laser-focused on leading first rounds in Switzerland’s tech landscape, where Founderful works in close partnership with leading academic institutions and industry players to identify and nurture breakthrough technologies.
VC’s thesis on Swiss tech and talent
According to Founderful, its thesis on Swiss tech and talent has been proven by three megatrends:
Switzerland has ranked first in the Global Innovation Index for 13 years, excelling in technology and creativity, with the highest patent-per-capita ratio in the world and ETH Zurich producing the most university spin-outs globally.
Major tech companies are attracted to Switzerland, with Google’s largest tech office outside the US employing 5,000 developers. Other companies like Disney, Nvidia, Meta, Huawei, and Intel have also expanded their R&D teams there.
Switzerland is known as a “Unicorn State,” having more billion-dollar tech startups per capita than any other European country. Recent successful companies like Scandit, Climeworks, and SonarSource showcase their growing strength in B2B technology.
Moving forward, Founderful plans to strengthen its role as Switzerland’s leading pre-seed investor, leveraging its strong ties with academia and industry to identify promising breakthroughs at their earliest stages.
Severin Hacker, CTO and co-founder at Duolingo, adds, “Building Duolingo, I’ve seen my fair share of VC firms, and it is rare to collaborate with an investor who is as meticulous and relentless toward creating value to the founders they backed, as the team at Founderful. Their approach, combined with the unfolding potential of the Swiss tech ecosystem, probably makes them one of Europe’s most promising VC firms these days.”
