Life Sciences

Multi-billion dollar exits

The most spectacular exits in Switzerland are made by healthcare start-ups. The record is held by Basel-based biotech company Actelion, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2017 for USD 30 billion US in cash. A few years earlier, Swiss medtech company Synthes was sold for USD 21 billion.

Although such figures are not reached every year, there is a steady stream of large exits: In 2023, VectivBio was acquired by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals for USD 1 billion and Boehringer Ingelheim acquired T3 Pharma for an amount of up to CHF 500 million. And Swiss start-ups are also in demand in the medtech sector: in 2024, Bruker Corporation took over Chemspeed Technologies, which manufactures laboratory automation solutions, and dental technology group Straumann bought Mininavident, manufacturer of the world’s smallest dynamic navigation system for dental implants.

Investment and private investors

Research-intensive life sciences start-ups rely on large sums of money for product development. In the five years from 2020 to 2024, more than CHF 5 billion in venture capital was invested in Swiss start-ups in the biotech and life sciences industry.

The money often comes from private assets. For Swiss VCs, ultra-high-net-worth individuals – UHNWIs – and family offices are the most important financial backers. Private foundations and individuals ensure improvements in the ecosystem through donations and investments.

The sums can be enormous: in 2024, Fondation Botnar donated USD 1 billion for a new immunology research institute in Basel. Over the next 15 years, this money will be used to set up the Botnar Institute for Immune Engineering (BIIE), and for research into cost-effective immunotherapies.