EPFL startups raise a total of 217 million in 2018

2018 was a prosperous year for EPFL startups, which raised a total of CHF 217 million in fresh capital. Nexthink alone announced a successful CHF 85 million fundraising round last week, while nine other startups each brought in over CHF 8 million during the year. This remarkable showing reflects EPFL's vibrant entrepreneurial culture as well as the many different forms of assistance that the school has introduced over the years. EPFL startups raised a total of CHF 217 million in 2018 - not far from the record of CHF 260 million set in 2016, a year marked by MindMaze's CHF 100 million intake. These figures are up sharply from just eight years ago, when EPFL startups raised some CHF 50 million. "This rapid growth testifies to the entrepreneurial spirit that is very much alive on our campus, as well as the ambition and drive of EPFL-bred entrepreneurs," says Hervé Lebret, Head of EPFL's Start-ups Unit. Today, technology developed at EPFL labs is being readily transferred to industry and eventually on to consumers.