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HelloBetter is among the world's leading providers of psychological online courses. The company was founded in 2015 by an interdisciplinary team of researchers and psychologists in Germany. HelloBetter offers ten online courses from eight problem areas that serve both the prevention and treatment of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety or panic disorders as well as stress or chronic pain. The company has done more than 30 randomised-controlled studies on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of their courses. No other provider can boast a comparable broad range of studies. With offices in Berlin and Hamburg, the startup currently employs more than 70 people.

WEBSITE:

Our Investments

HelloBetter is an e-mental health startup, offering online courses for prevention and treatment of mental illnesses.

- eCommerce - Food - Last-Mile

MIACAR was an online supermarket and last-mile delivery service. We delivered groceries free of charge for a minimum order value of only 25 francs and within a dedicated time slot of 20 minutes. The range of the assortment included a wide selection of the most popular products, which customers were able to order for the same prices as in the stores via the MIACAR app. The purchases were delivered personally and with MIACAR's own electric vans and drivers. It is the first venture which was built and carved-out by Sparrow Ventures. In November 2020 it was merged with MyMigros, an online grocery effort by Migros Aare, for the next growth phase.

WEBSITE:

miacar.ch

Our Carved-Out Ventures

MIACAR is an online supermarket and last-mile delivery service that was merged with MyMigros in November 2020.

- Food

Ready-4-Cooking offers with meal kits a practical replacement for the effort that is typically required for cooking. Based on our developed recipes, each meal kit contains fresh ingredients and a step-by-step cooking guide. The products are pre-cut, marinated and pre-portioned for two portions. Each meal is freshly prepared within minutes and ready to eat on the table. Quick, easy and healthy. During the pilot phase available in selected Migros supermarkets in Zurich city.

WEBSITE:

Our Current Ventures

Ready-4-Cooking offers with meal kits a practical replacement for the effort that is typically required for cooking.

- Digital Health

With Quit4Good we tested a novel way to help smokers quit smoking through offering the first digital, all-round smoking cessation service for companies and their employees in Switzerland. Controlled by app and guided by behaviour change for long-term and sustainable success, the programme was based on a holistic approach that included in-app coaching, nicotine replacement therapy (NET) and CO breathalyser. While initial results showed a higher success rate than existing approaches, we decided to stop this personal digital assistant and motivator solution to finally become smoke-free after a three months pilot phase and not pursue it further at this stage. One of the reasons includes that companies in the current context of Covid-19 put emphasis on other topics when it comes to employee benefits.

WEBSITE:

quit4good.ch

Our Former Ventures

Quit4Good was an all-round solution to quit smoking.

- Digital Health

Olly was an app that helped Swiss people to find out the causes of their health problems. To do this, the app asked specific questions related to the symptoms to identify a possible cause of the health problem and suggested possible steps to take next. Powered by artificial intelligence (AI), the technology behind Olly used an algorithm to access a database of medical knowledge of thousands of diseases and symptoms. The Symptom analysis via app helped the user to gain insight into their own health and was completely free of charge. One of the reasons why we stopped this venture is that a stand-alone service that only covers one aspect of the patient journey currently offers too little value-add for users.

WEBSITE:

olly.ch

Our Former Ventures

Olly was a Symptom-Checker app for everyone.

- Health - Community & Lifestyle

Petcare was a venture project, where we tested a portal where pet owners were able to get access to experienced veterinarians remotely and get clarity over the next appropriate steps immediately. After a three-month pilot phase, the business model to make veterinary care more accessible via video appointments at any time, aiming to reduce the stress for both owner and pet that is often associated with a visit to the practice, was stopped. We were not able to validate some of the core hypotheses for the subscription-based telemedicine service of Petcare during the test phase needed to justify it as a Venture in our portfolio. Some of the reasons include that due to use cases, which were limited to emergencies and consultation outside opening hours, pet owners preferred one-off video consultation. As a result, the business model itself showed too little potential in terms of frequency of use and acquiring a recurring customer base. Knowledge generated during this test phase will be share

WEBSITE:

pet-care.ch

Our Former Ventures

Petcare was a digital veterinary service for health-related concerns accessible at any time.

- Lifestyle & Happiness - Health

WePractice is a flexible Co-working Community, which offers psychotherapists and coaches access to modern practice rooms on an hourly basis and supports them in the acquisition of new clients. In this way, WePractice facilitates the personal and professional exchange amongst therapists and provides an environment to not just work but also network with each other. Linked with a digital platform, WePractice enables clients to find the right practitioner for them and creates an ecosystem in which psychotherapists and their clients can focus on what is important - improving mental wellbeing.

WEBSITE:

wepractice.ch

Our Current Ventures

WePractice is a co-working community for psychotherapists linked with a digital platform that helps clients to find the right

- Community & Lifestyle - Food - eCommerce

The quality of the dog’s food can have a huge impact on the canine’s health. Governed by only a few regulations, some ingredients that go into making commercial dog food are not only unhealthy but can even impact health. We started MyBuddyBox with the vision to make a positive impact on the quality of a dog’s life and delivered fresh, nutritious and healthy dog meals straight to the doorstep. The meals consisted of food-grade ingredients that were gently cooked based on nutritionist-crafted recipes and tailored to the dog’s individual nutritional needs. We have decided to stop this venture and not pursue it further at this stage. One of the reasons includes that the profitability of the subscription model was not stable enough in the context of the current economic situation (Covid-19).

WEBSITE:

mybuddybox.ch

Our Former Ventures

MyBuddyBox was a venture, that delivered fresh, nutritious and healthy dog meals straight to the doorstep.

- Food - eCommerce

Kindish was a venture project, where we tested the delivery of frozen, healthy kids’ meal options directly to families that can easily be prepared at home via a subscription model. After a three-months pilot phase, the e-commerce model with express mail delivery in Germany was stopped. We were not able to validate some of the core hypotheses for Kindish during the test phase needed to justify it as a Venture in our portfolio. Some of the reasons include that families wished for a different format to buy the product and thus the business model itself showed too little potential in terms of acquiring loyal, recurring customers online. Yet elements such as the taste of the meals and the sustainable packaging have been very well perceived by customers and we generated overall a lot of knowledge that will be shared and used for the development of future business models in this area.

WEBSITE:

kindish.de

Our Former Ventures

Kindish was a subscription service, delivering healthy, frozen, ready-to-prepare meals for kids straight to the doorstep.

- Lifestyle - eCommerce

VIU, founded in 2013 in Switzerland, is a direct to consumer eyewear brand that is revolutionizing the optical industry. At its core, it stands for premium eyewear at accessible prices. Designed in Zurich and handmade with high-quality materials in Italy and Japan, every pair of glasses combines timeless aesthetics and innovative technology, resulting in personalized eyewear with a perfect fit. VIU seamlessly combines online and offline channels to offer holistic customer experiences and is currently strengthening its position as the number one D2C eyewear brand in Europe.

WEBSITE:

shopviu.com

Our Investments

VIU is a direct to consumer eyewear brand

- FinTech

The smart financial advisor, Selma, helps you to build and manage your investments tailored to your financial life. For a simple monthly fee, Selma takes care of your pillar 3a and financial investments without any effort. The Swiss-Finnish fintech Selma Finance, with offices in Zurich and Helsinki, offers a new kind of user experience and makes investing simple and financial advice accessible to everyone. Selma Finance is regulated as an independent financial advisor in Switzerland. The digital asset manager currently employs 12 people and has more than 4’000 paying users in Switzerland.

WEBSITE:

selma.io

Our Investments

Selma is a digital financial advisor

- Food

Snäx is the smart fridge that offers employees a diverse and affordable range of meals right at their office - and that for every kind of foodie and their dietary preferences. Customers can purchase and rate the freshly prepared hot and cold dishes, snacks and beverages directly within the Snäx app. Snäx currently caters to offices in the Zurich area and is on a mission to roll-out its service throughout Switzerland. Over the coming years, Snäx will position itself as a leading office food supplier. Snäx is the second venture that was carved-out as an independent start-up from Sparrow Ventures.

WEBSITE:

snaex.ch

Our Carved-Out Ventures

Snäx is the smart fridge that offers employees a diverse and affordable range of meals right at their office.

- food & beverage - eCommerce

heymigrolino is an online supermarket and last-mile delivery service with a 60-minute home delivery time, currently operating from selected migrolino stores within the regions of Zürich, Winterthur, Effretikon and Wallisellen. Customers get their groceries delivered to their doorstep for a minimum order value of only CHF 20 within a 60-minute delivery window after placing the order. The service operates Monday through Saturday from 7:30 - 21:30 and the range of assortment features over 800 products from local migrolino stores.

WEBSITE:

heymigrolino.ch

Our Current Ventures

Heymigrolino is an online supermarket with a 60-minute home delivery service.

- Food - eCommerce

FROZEDOSE° was a venture project, where we tested the delivery of portioned, frozen smoothies directly to customers for mixing them freshly at home via a subscription model. After a three-months pilot phase, the e-commerce model with mail delivery in Germany was stopped. One of the reasons for this was that the demand for the subscription model was below our expectations. Thus, Frozedose lost its justification as a Venture in our portfolio because the business model showed too little potential in terms of acquiring loyal, recurring customers during the pilot phase. Yet, the product itself, the frozen smoothies, was very well received by the end customers in terms of taste. True product innovation and therefore we are currently looking for the best owner for this product.

WEBSITE:

frozedose.de

Our Former Ventures

FROZEDOSE° was a venture project, delivering portioned, frozen, ready-to-mix smoothies via a subscription model straight to t

- Fintech

Finly allowed small to medium sized companies access to cash tied up in their yet-to-be-paid invoices. But, rather than operating a peer-to-peer lending marketplace, Finly did the factoring.We started Finly because we realized traditional methods of finance are out of sync with what today’s SMEs need. We saw the opportunity to help SMEs get access to the cash they need to fuel their business. We wanted to be seen as a new kind of cash flow utility – where Finly was simply there in the background for businesses to access the money in their unpaid invoices when they needed it. We have decided to stop this venture and not pursue it further at this stage. This is partly due to the current economic situation but also because it is difficult to assess the demand and need for Finly's services in the context of Covid-19.

WEBSITE:

finly.ch

Our Former Ventures

Finly was a Swiss operating factoring service.

- Community & Lifestyle - Health

Launched in 2018 bestsmile is a Swiss dental start-up specializing in clear aligner therapy. Due to modern 3D print technology and direct contact with customers bestsmile is able to provide cost-efficient therapies for tooth correction. The team of dentists consults patients in a comfortable setting at the Smile-Shops directly to develop a personalized treatment plan, allowing them to reach a beautiful smile within a few months' time. bestsmile is currently rolling out more shops in different regions of Switzerland, bringing the service to even more people throughout the country.

WEBSITE:

bestsmile.ch

Our Investments

bestsmile is a Swiss dental start-up specializing in clear aligner therapy.

Explore our

growing portfolio

portfolio highlights

Sparrow Ventures invests in HelloBetter

Sparrow Ventures invests in Selma Finance

Veneers from Bestsmile

Snäx & Dallmayr partnering up: Fresh food and coffee in the office

Lastest shop opening: bestsmile

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Founder Workout by Sparrow Ventures