06.05.2025 11:00 Rita Longobardi
Ten Swiss biotech startups were introduced as the Venture Leaders Biotech during Swiss Biotech Day in Basel. In June, they will travel to Boston for a week of investor meetings and business development activities in the US life sciences ecosystem.
Held in Basel, Swiss Biotech Day has become one of Europe's most prominent life sciences conferences. Since 2021, attendance has grown by approximately 40% each year. The 2025 edition brought together around 2,500 participants from more than 40 countries, including over 100 exhibitors and 17 international delegations. The event continues to attract senior decision-makers, investors, and company representatives from across the global biotech industry.
Switzerland's life sciences sector remains a major contributor to the country's economy. In 2024, the Swiss biotech sector reported record revenues, with CHF 7.3 billion in capital investments, surpassing CHF 2 billion and marking a 50% increase from the previous year. Biotech continues to attract the most venture capital of any sector in Switzerland, accounting for 31% of the total invested capital.
After their presentations, the 2025 Venture Leaders Biotech team joined a workshop on legal considerations for biotech fundraising, hosted by program partner VISCHER. In the afternoon, the startups introduced their technologies and business cases to the audience at Swiss Biotech Day. Kelvin Stott, CEO of Amporin, was elected as the team captain for the upcoming Boston roadshow.
From left to right: Elia Guzzi, Stefan Imseng, Faouzi Khechana, Kelvin Stott, Carin Lightner, Soumya Banerjee, Sasha Melkonyan, Thomas Roder, Edo Kapetanovic, and Michael Zering
The 10 startups will follow in the footsteps of high-flying former team members such as Araris Biotech (recently announced its acquisition for USD 1.1 billion), Covagen (acquired by Johnson & Johnson), Versantis (acquired by Genfit), AMAL Therapeutics (acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim), NBE-Therapeutics (acquired by Boehringer Ingelheim), Alentis (USD 105 million funding round in 2023), and BioVersys (recent IPO on the SIX Swiss Exchange).
Venture Leaders Biotech is organized by Venturelab in partnership with Swissnex in Boston & New York and supported by the University of Basel, EPFL, ETH Zurich, Hansjörg Wyss, Kellerhals Carrard, and VISCHER.
Follow the entrepreneurs and the Venture Leaders Biotech roadshow on social media using the hashtag #VLeadersBiotech or on https://www.venturelab.swiss/venture-leaders-biotech.
Learn more about the Venture Leaders Biotech 2025:
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In late June, the Venture Leaders Biotech 2025 team set out for Boston with a focused mission: to connect with leading investors and experts in one of the world...
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