Swiss firm EquityPitcher closes out second fund at €45 million

Zürich's EquityPitcher has raised €45 million for its second venture capital fund which reached the final close in September, and now says a third fundraising is being "planned".

EquityPitcher fund 2.0 has been active for a while; based out of Lichtenstein, it launched in 2020 and now has 20 shareholdings in DACH region businesses, across a number of verticals.

The second vintage is investing from funds provided by "well-known" professional and institutional investors, not identified in the official press release.

The EquityPitcher thesis encourages its funds to think and function "in the way of a startup."

Formed in 2016, the early-stage VC is keen on "network-driven" startup relationships it says are central to its identity, leveraging the strength of investor, industry and entrepreneurial contacts to spur business growth.

Some 25 portfolio entries are listed on the official EquityPitcher website, covering both the first and second LP vintages.

The platform is broadly sector-agnostic with exposure to multiple verticals, spanning software, hardware components, cybersecurity, automation, AI, food produce and smart cites.

Sascha Horrig, co-founding partner at EquityPitcher, said the firm's ability to put startups in touch with "various leaders in the DACH region" had brought added value to the table in investment rounds.

Horrig said: "Through our network of various leaders in the DACH region, we can proactively support our portfolio companies in their scaling phase and the associated customer acquisition.

"This approach has helped us to enjoy a positive reputation among founders and co-investors as an investor who likes to be seen among the shareholders." 

EquityPitcher's second co-founding partner, Hermann Koch, said the team was pleased to have closed with €45 million on the second fund given increased turbulence on capital markets as of recent.

Koch said: "We are very pleased that, despite the current economic events, we were able to successfully close our second fund and have received the trust of investors. 

"We expect the trend in this alternative asset class to continue to grow and are convinced that our startups will play a key role in shaping the development of the economy."