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SwissHealth Ventures: digital, innovative, personal.

SwissHealth Ventures invests in start-ups whose ideas set the course for a high quality, cost-effective healthcare system.

Our focus

Who we are

SwissHealth Ventures AG is a member of the CSS Group, Switzerland's leading health insurer. We are the ideal healthcare partner for ambitious start-ups in the field of digital health.

What we offer

Know-how

We offer multi-faceted expert knowledge and support for digital health business models without interfering with operational activities.

Efficiency

With lean and agile decision-making processes, we help start-ups reach their next milestones quickly and easily.

Market closeness

Our strong network within the Swiss healthcare system facilitates rapid market access.

Trust

Some 1.8 million people trust CSS. We can capitalise on this basis and substance to give start-ups a competitive edge in terms of trust.

Team

Jonathan Fraser Head of Corporate Venturing, SwissHealth Ventures AG

Jonathan Fraser

Head of Corporate Venturing, SwissHealth Ventures AG
Marc Dietrich Investment Partner, SwissHealth Ventures AG

Marc Dietrich

Investment Partner, SwissHealth Ventures AG
Daniel Alzer Investment Manager, SwissHealth Ventures AG

Daniel Alzer

Investment Manager, SwissHealth Ventures AG
Markus Rommel Investment Manager, SwissHealth Ventures AG

Markus Rommel

Investment Manager, SwissHealth Ventures AG

Our investment focus

We invest in start-ups that advance healthcare with new digital technologies and strive for synergies with the CSS Group. With targeted investments, we want to support people in staying healthy, getting healthy, or living with an illness. In addition, we focus on digital solutions that directly increase efficiency for the core business of health insurers.

How we operate

  • Volume
    SwissHealth Ventures makes its investments in accordance with the customary venture capital standards. The amount invested in each start-up should generally be in the range of 0.5 to 4 million Swiss francs. That means our investment in any start-up is usually less than 20%.
  • Phase
    We are looking for start-ups in the growth phase. In other words, we invest in series A and series B rounds. Ideally, the company was founded at least two to three years ago and has already achieved initial success. These include market launches, paying customers and significant growth.
  • Region
    We focus on European start-ups whose products and services are relevant to the Swiss healthcare market or aim to become so.

We are shaping the digital health of tomorrow in the following areas:

More efficient thanks to new technologies

Being insured

  • Digital health insurance
  • Communication and marketing
  • Patient rep. outcomes
  • Corporate infrastructure
  • Digitalisation and efficiency gains in health insurance

Lifestyle and wellness innovations

Staying healthy

  • Fitness
  • Nutrition
  • Self-tracking
  • Mental health
  • Independent living in old age

Digitally assisted recovery

Getting healthy

  • Telemedicine
  • Online appointment-booking
  • Early detection
  • Communication with care providers

Support for chronic illnesses

Living with illness

  • Chronicle care
  • Patient monitoring
  • Care coordination
  • Advanced diagnosis
  • Specific therapy

Get Funded

Does your start-up fit our investment criteria and are there potential synergies with the CSS Group? Then we look forward to hearing from you.

Portfolio

Heartbeat Medical

Yannik Schreckenberger explains how the solution developed by Heartbeat Medical strengthens the focus of the healthcare and compensation system on patients' quality of life.

Heartbeat Medical operates a platform that links patient-reported outcomes (PROs) with clinical data to evaluate treatment. PROs use standardised questionnaires to measure how patients assess the outcome of their treatment and their health-related quality of life. Linking them with clinical data provides a sound basis for data-driven decision-making on medical, therapeutic and economic matters. In this way, for instance, Heartbeat Medical facilitates quality-centred reimbursement models. In addition to active use of the platform by hospitals, PROs have recently been gaining more attention in the context of cantonal quality assurance.

Data-driven treatment paths not only mean measurable outcomes and a better quality of life for patients: the improved quality of care can also help to curb healthcare costs.

Humanoo (Exited)

Philip Pogoretschnik shows how he improves the physical and mental health of people with Humanoo.

Humanoo has developed a platform for digital health management that helps make people and organisations healthier. The digital health company offers numerous on-demand programmes for fitness, physio, yoga, mindfulness, sleep and nutrition. SwissHealth Ventures invested in this start-up in 2021 as lead investor in the series B round (which raised a total of USD 10 million in funding from all investors). The capital raised gives Humanoo the resources required to further develop its core product and keep growing.

Humanoo also forms the basis for the CSS active365 (in German) rewards app. Users get access to Humanoo programmes and are rewarded with up to CHF 600 a year for leading a healthy lifestyle.

Flow Neuroscience

Erik Rehn demonstrates how Flow can reduce depression symptoms with the help of brain stimulation and behavioural therapy.

The Flow Neuroscience start-up offers a digital and medication-free therapy for treating clinical depression. The combi­nation therapy consists of a brain stimu­lation headset coupled with a behavioral therapy app. This enables patients to treat depression under guidance at home or in the company of a specialist. SwissHealth Ventures invested in this start-up in 2021 as co-lead investor in the series A round, along with Khosla Ventures and Zühlke Ventures. The additional capital raised will enable Flow Neuroscience to tailor the existing solution more specifically to the individual patient, expand on its offering designed for use in interventions supervised by a professional, and access new markets.

The Flow Neuroscience solution aims to personalise the treatment of people with mental health problems. SwissHealth Ventures is convinced that this innovative form of therapy will close a gap in the healthcare market.

OnlineDoctor (Exited)

Tobias Wolf explains how OnlineDoctor gives patients with skin problems easy access without long waiting periods to a specialist recommendation for action.

With OnlineDoctor, skin problems can be assessed quickly, regardless of location and at low cost by dermatologists licensed in Switzerland. Via a web-based platform, patients receive an initial specialist assessment including a recommendation for action within 48 hours. SwissHealth Ventures participated in 2020 as lead investor in this Swiss telemedicine start-up as part of the A-round (investment volume of all investors total around 5.5 million Swiss francs).

CSS has already made this service a fixed part of its offering, where it is known as the «online skin check». The uncompli­cated skin check by Swiss dermatologists contributes to digital integrated care.

Pregnolia

Bruno Candrian explains how Pregnolia improves medical support during pregnancy.

Pregnolia has developed a device that supports the diagnosis of premature birth. It enables gynaecologists to measure cervical stiffness more precisely and thus make a better assessment of the risk of premature birth. SwissHealth Ventures invested in this ETH spin-off in 2020 in the series A round (which raised a total of 4.2 million Swiss francs in funding from all investors).

SwissHealth Ventures believes in the success of the Pregnolia measurement system and its ability to provide great reassurance to professionals and pregnant women. In addition, we believe that this method will reduce healthcare costs in the long term.

DasLab

Daniel Fallscheer explains how DasLab aims to facilitate access to medical lab tests, thus achieving sustainable cost reductions.

DasLab provides digital access to laboratory diagnostics. Samples are taken either conveniently at home or by professional service providers that are members of its partner network. They are then sent to DasLab’s partner laboratories. Results are transmitted via a data interface to the systems of the respective healthcare providers or directly to patients – easily, securely and quickly. SwissHealth Ventures invested in this German start-up in the pre-series A round in 2023. The additional capital will enable DasLab to develop the solution further and roll out it in various countries.

CSS believes this will save benefit costs in the long-term and increase the quality of medical care. At the same time, it will create simplified access to test diagnostics and results for both patients and healthcare providers.

Kranus

Kranus Health is a health-tech start-up offering digital solutions for men’s health. The start-up’s main aim is to facilitate access to therapies for urological conditions. This goal matches CSS’s mission of working towards transformative change in the healthcare system and improving both its accessibility and effectiveness. That’s why SwissHealth Ventures took part in the start-up’s Series A funding round in 2023 as co-lead investor.

The start-up’s product Kranus Edera is the first digital health app for the treatment of erectile dysfunction on the market. The app offers patients a range of training guides for treating erectile problems. The start-up is expanding its range of innovative, digital urology care solutions by continuously introducing new products, including Kranus Lutera.

Marta

Marta has developed a digital platform that straightforwardly matches caregivers with those in need of care in Germany. SwissHealth Ventures invested in Marta during the most recent round of financing. The additional capital is intended to help expand the platform and drive further growth.

The focus of the caregiving lies on assistance with personal hygiene and mobility, preparing meals and doing household tasks. The start-up also providers caregivers with access to a software solution designed to simplify the administrative processes.

Entyre

Entyre helps people in need of care to live independently, within the comfort of their own four walls, for as long as possible. In Switzerland, the start-up runs the Pflegewegweiser Spitex service and hires family members who act as caregivers. Entyre pays the relatives for the care they provide, supports them with training and takes some of the administration off their hands.

SwissHealth Ventures’ involvement in the ‘A’ funding round will enable the start-up to expand its service in Switzerland. By making this investment, SwissHealth Ventures is taking steps to boost the quality of care provided by relatives.

CSS Group. Your health partner.

Investments for the benefit of insured persons

CSS is committed to high quality, cost-efficient healthcare for the future. As a healthcare partner, it therefore invests in innovative start-ups. These are intended to make tomorrow's medical care accessible to insured persons through new digital offerings. The funds made available for this purpose, amounting to 50 million Swiss francs, come from surpluses from the supplementary insurance business.

CSS Group