Geneva’s Backbone and Crìa Technologies secure FIF funding

Backbone and Crìa Technologies are the latest Geneva-based companies to receive funding from the FIF, the canton of Geneva’s innovation financing program supporting technology-driven start-ups, scale-ups and SMEs. Backbone has been awarded CHF 400,000 in FIF Growth funding for its AI marketing platform for real estate professionals, while Crìa Technologies has received CHF 100,000 in FIF Seed Tech funding to advance its cold-chain technology for the life sciences.

Founded in Geneva, Backbone helps real estate professionals market and sell properties faster by simplifying the production of premium visual content. Its platform combines proprietary data and a network of on-site photographers with branded AI workflows that teams can tailor to their visual identity. Already established in the DACH market, the company will use the funding to accelerate its commercial expansion with new hires in Geneva.

Crìa Technologies addresses one of the most persistent challenges in life sciences logistics: the safe, cost-efficient transport of fragile biological materials that require precise temperature control. The company has developed what it describes as the world’s first portable device able to operate across a temperature range from +8°C to -196°C, using a user-selected coolant system and a vacuum thermal insulation technology similar to that used in particle accelerators such as those at CERN. Led by a team of three engineers and a physicist from CERN, the start-up has already been recognized in several competitions, including the De Vigier Award, Prix Strategis, the Venture Startup Competition and MassChallenge.

The FIF, supported by the State of Geneva and the Fondation Genevoise pour l’Innovation Technologique (FONGIT) among others, offers three types of financing across its Tech, Digital and Impact tracks.