Biopôle launches enhanced Investment Programme to boost life sciences start‑ups

Biopôle has evolved its Start Up Fund into a 24 month scheme combining non dilutive capital, investor training and growth support.

Biopôle SA, the leading life sciences campus located in Lausanne, has launched its revamped Biopôle Investment Programme, a 24-month innovation scheme building on the original Start‑Up Fund to better prepare high‑potential life sciences companies for investment and scale‑up.

Open exclusively to start‑ups based at Biopôle, the programme begins with up to CHF 90,000 in non-dilutive, no-strings-attached funding—ideal for covering rent, R&D, consultancy or salaries. Alongside financial support, participants benefit from:

• Investor-style training, including real-world due diligence simulations and structuring a virtual data room with expert feedback.
• Access to an Investment Advisory Board (IAB), providing tailored feedback at application and throughout the programme.
• Regular exposure to investors through Biopôle-hosted panels and networking events.

Start-ups that have secured at least CHF 250,000 in external funding may also qualify for a Pre‑Clinical Top‑Up: a CHF 250,000 convertible loan, along with support to recruit a key C‑level fractional executive, bringing total funding up to CHF 500,000.

The programme’s training curriculum is delivered in partnership with leading advisory firms: Katzarov for IP, EY for market and commercial strategy, Lenz & Staehelin for legal structuring and virtual data room setup, Virgo Ventures for finance and team dynamics, and Biopôle Postgrad Consulting coordinated by Alcimed for scientific evaluation.

This upgraded offering reflects Biopôle’s long-term commitment to life sciences innovation and entrepreneurial support in the region. It succeeds the earlier Start‑Up Fund, which provided CHF 500,000 annually in no‑strings funding based on scientific excellence and team quality.

The Biopôle Investment Programme aims not only to fund early-stage ventures but to elevate their readiness, ensuring founders can speak the language of investors from day one and accelerate their path toward securing meaningful equity funding.