Zurich-based venture capital firm Founderful, known for supporting Swiss tech entrepreneurs in scaling to global market leadership, has closed its oversubscribed $140 million Fund II to strengthen Switzerland's tech startup ecosystem.
- Founded in 2019 by Pascal Mathis, Alex Stöckl, and Lukas Weder, Founderful is a pre-seed fund dedicated to investing in Swiss tech entrepreneurs, empowering them to scale and become global market leaders.
- With offices in Zurich and Luxembourg, the firm’s portfolio includes 33 startups and includes five exits, including Ava, Selfnation, Insightness, and CyanoGuard.
- Founderful’s Fund I, which closed at €85.5 million, has invested in 40 startups, creating over 1,100 jobs and attracting €428 million in follow-on funding. Notable portfolio companies include Ethon AI (which raised €15.7 million from Index Ventures), Corintis (chip cooling tech), Grape Insurance (which raised €9.5 million from Spark), and DePoly (developing a plastic waste recycling facility).
- Founderful Fund II focuses on leading early-stage investments in Switzerland's tech sector. The fund works in close collaboration with leading academic institutions and industry experts to identify and cultivate innovative technologies.
- To date, the fund has supported 15 tech companies across Switzerland, including Chiral Nano’s alternative silicon chips and Eigthinks’ advancements in lithium-ion battery technology.
- Founderful’s Fund II received support from a range of institutions, family offices, and founders who have built global unicorns such as Duolingo, Climeworks, GetYourGuide, On, Proton, and Scandit.
