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growing portfolio

Making beautiful places in nature accessible in a sustainable way. We are very pleased to have Sparrow Ventures as a lead investor on board who fully supports our strong vision and helps us to grow.
Oliver
Founder & CEO Nomady
With Sparrow Ventures we have found a new partner to support us on our growth path who shares the Swiss Roots and our vision to offer superior quality at accessible prices, which is at the core of the Migros Founding Principles.
Kilian
Co-Founder & CEO VIU
With Sparrow Ventures, we have won a strong partner for our further expansion in Switzerland. They are fully committed to our vision: to rethink mental health care, making effective solutions for prevention and treatment accessible worldwide.
Hannes
Co-Founder & CEO HelloBetter
Being part of Migros Group is a unique opportunity to grow our company and product offering even further in the future. Sparrow acts as our guide in this huge network to help and find synergies.
Michael
CEO bestsmile
It’s fantastic that we were able to launch the pilot of heymigrolino in the Swiss market within less than 3 weeks! Counting on the strong support, also the exceptional capabilities in fulfilling customer expectations and the great team-spirit present at Sparrow Ventures, the realization of such an innovative project was possible.
Markus Laenzlinger
CEO migrolino
I am excited to revolutionize the dynamic and fast growing market for office food supply with Snäx.
Lida
Co-Founder & CEO Snäx
aLLActiveExits
- eCommerce

amible was a kitchen appliance brand and a pilot project from Sparrow Ventures. The amible brand offered innovative kitchen appliances in a modern design and with unusual features at the best possible price-performance ratio via its own web shop and on well-known sales platforms. amible was a so-called direct-to-consumer brand that focused on direct online sales. Due to challenges with the global economic logistic situation not enabling us to cater to the needs of our customers as desired, the venture was stopped in May 2022.

WEBSITE:
amible.ch/
Exits
amible was a direct-to-consumer brand.

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- 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. In March 2022 the startup was acquired by Migros and continues to be managed in the portfolio of Sparrow Ventures.

WEBSITE:
bestsmile.ch
Active
bestsmile is a Swiss dental start-up specializing in clear aligner therapy.

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- 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
Exits
Finly was a Swiss operating factoring service.

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- 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
Exits
FROZEDOSE° was a venture project, delivering portioned, frozen, ready-to-mix smoothies via a subscription model straight to the doorstep.

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- Digital Health

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:
https://hellobetter.de/
Active
HelloBetter is an e-mental health startup, offering online courses for prevention and treatment of mental illnesses.

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- Food & Beverage - eCommerce - Last-mile

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

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

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

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

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- PropTech - FinTech

Nextkey offers a modern and hybrid estate agent for the sale of residential property in Switzerland. On the one hand, Nextkey enables Swiss real estate sellers to appraise their properties and have the sale professionally managed from A to Z by trained real estate specialists. With the hybrid service, Nextkey digitizes time-consuming administrative processes and can pass these efficiency savings on to customers directly in the form of a commission of only 1.75%, where traditional agents charge approximately 3%.

WEBSITE:
nextkey.ch/
Active
Nextkey is a proptech which enables technology-backed real estate transactions.

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Travel

Nomady is a Swiss start-up which was founded in 2019 by Oliver Huber and Paolo de Caro. The booking platform collects the most beautiful nature sites and coziest cabins of private landowners in Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and Austria and makes them accessible for campers, nature lovers and adventurers. Nomady connects guests and landowners in a trusting community and ensures mutual appreciation. For Nomady it is important to promote sustainable and local tourism off the beaten track to protect nature and to cultivate society. “Never been there, never done that” - Nomady creates unique experiences that will be remembered. In June 2022, Sparrow Ventures decided to invest in Nomady.

WEBSITE:
nomady.ch
Active
Founded in 2019, Nomady is a online holiday booking platform which connects private hosts with camping enthusiasts.

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- 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
Exits
Olly was a Symptom-Checker app for everyone.

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- Digital Health

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

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- 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
Exits
Quit4Good was an all-round solution to quit smoking.

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

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- 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
Active
Selma is a digital financial advisor.

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- Food & Beverage

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

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- 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
Active
VIU is a direct to consumer eyewear brand

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- Health

WePractice is a flexible Co-working Community, which offers psychotherapists 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
Active
WePractice is a co-working community for psychotherapists.

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- eCommerce

Yuno is a venture project offering consumer electronics for rent in the form of a monthly subscription model. In the online shop, Yuno offers access to the latest technology at a low price and with full flexibility: Pay it as you use it! The rental model makes it possible to make each product available to several customers and thus to extend the service life. This use of the circular economy enables better use of resources and the reduction of electronic waste.

WEBSITE:
getyuno.ch/
Active
Yuno offers consumer electronics for rent in the form of a monthly subscription model.

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portfolio highlights

Sparrow Ventures invests in camping platform Nomady

June `22. We are happy to announce that we invested in the Swiss start-up Nomady. It is our first investment in the travel segment. The online booking platform arranges private camping-sites and simple accommodation in the countryside. Since its foundation in 2019 by Oliver Huber and Paolo de Caro, the start-up from Einsiedeln has experienced strong growth and established itself as the leading marketplace for sustainable tourism in Switzerland. Over 500 offers from hosts in Switzerland and the neighbouring countries of France, Germany, Italy and Austria are already available on nomady.camp, and the number is growing. The booking rate is constantly increasing. The investment was launched together with Hotelplan Group. Our common goal is to strengthen sustainable, nature-based tourism and expand the range of travel options for people in Switzerland and beyond.

Read the news here

Migros acquires bestsmile and Sparrow continues to manage the startup in its portfolio!

Mar `22 - We are excited to announce the acquisition of bestsmile, the dental startup and market leader in teeth correction, offering an affordable alternative to conventional braces with its transparent, 3D-printed aligners. Over the last three years, bestsmile has been growing at a strong pace: there are now 36 practices throughout Switzerland and 320 employees who are working towards bestsmile's mission of making it possible for everyone to have a beautiful smile at a fair price. With the acquisition the founding team leaves their managerial roles but remains active in advisory capacity. The new management team is formed by Michael Wendt as CEO, Christoph Kohler as CFO and Dominic Schär as CRO, who are coming from within bestsmile's team. Sparrow Ventures invested in bestsmile in 2019 and will remain responsible for bestsmile within the Migros Group.

Read the News here

WePractice opens second practice in Winterthur!

Feb `22 - At the beginning of February, our venture WePractice, the coworking community for therapists, opened a second practice at Marktgasse 56 in Winterthur. Now even more therapists in the canton of Zurich will be able to welcome clients, helping them to improve their mental wellbeing. This opening follows on the footsteps of the first location at Bahnhof Stadelhofen in Zurich, that opened its doors earlier last year. The pilot phase there confirmed the demand for such a solution in the mental health space, enabling the team to bring the offer to other cities in Switzerland in the coming months. More to come! Stay tuned!

Visit WePractice

We have a new CFO!

Jan ‘22 - We welcome Michael Meyer as new CFO to the management team at Sparrow Ventures. Prior to his new role with us, he was the Head of Controlling & Finance at the Retail Department of Migros and is as such already familiar with Sparrow Ventures and our operations. This makes him a great fit for this position, because on top of knowing the Migros universe and our company already he brings tons of investment, startup, controlling and accounting experience with him: From coaching startups in terms of financial matters during his time at PwC to being involved in the establishment of the digital department at Tamedia, where he accompanied the scaling of several startups such as Doodle or Zattoo from a financial standpoint. Together with the rest of the Sparrow investment and finance team, the set-up will continue to be strong to reach our dealflow targets and continuously support our portfolio and venture projects in the best possible way. Welcome Michi! We are excited to have you as part of our team and the Sparrow journey. Note: Michi takes over from Lorenz, who is since November 2021 the CEO of our company.

Team Sparrow

Sparrow Ventures invests in HelloBetter

Oct ‘21 - Sparrow Ventures invests in HelloBetter: We are excited to announce being a Co-Investor in the Series A of HelloBetter, an exciting, forward-thinking startup in the e-mental health space to digitally support psychotherapeutic care. The German startup is a digital health pioneer in the field of mental health and among the world's leading providers of psychological online courses. The financing round sees HelloBetter now accelerating its path of growth and internationalisation of its offering as well as the further development of its tech

Visit HelloBetter
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