Crowdinvesting lets growing companies raise money from many individual investors online. The Swiss startup crowdinvesting market reached CHF 117.1 million in 2024 [1].
A successful campaign is not luck. It takes careful planning, good execution, and always talking with your new investors.
This guide shows you what really works. We will look at specific steps that Swiss companies took to raise millions through crowdinvesting.
Step 1: Get Ready Before You Launch
Many company founders think they are ready to launch if they have a good product and a business plan. This assumption creates problems. In Switzerland, being campaign-ready means you meet specific legal rules and have the right proof points to convince individual investors.
Your Legal Structure Must Be Right
- Swiss crowdinvesting requires your company to be a stock corporation (AG) [2].
- Any small or medium-sized Swiss business that is an AG can run a campaign on Swiss platforms [3].
- This structure matters because you will be selling securities, like company shares, to the public [2].
FinSA Compliance
Your campaign might need a document called a prospectus under the Swiss Financial Services Act (FinSA) [4]. This law aims to protect investors and creates fair rules for financial service providers [5].
- Action: Work with a Swiss law firm that knows about crowdinvesting to make sure you follow the law [4].
Your Company’s Value Must Be Fair (Valuation)
Investors will doubt forecasts that sound too good to be true [6]. They want realistic forecasts that show you understand your market, your competitors, and the risks [6]. This fact means your company’s value, or valuation, cannot just be a guess.
- How to Forecast: Use a “bottom-up” approach. Start with how your business will grow, not how big the whole market is [7]. This way gives a more realistic financial forecast than a top-down model [7].
- Pricing: Overpricing shares will kill a campaign early [29]. Price your shares at a level that gives room for the company to grow, but also respects your current business stage [29].
You Need Proof of Success (Traction)
Investors are more cautious now. They want proof that your startup is already successful in the market [8].
- Traction Examples: Success does not only mean millions in revenue. It can be a successful test project (pilot project), a long waiting list, strong user activity numbers, or important business deals (key partnerships) [8].
- Exemple : A Swiss vegan bakery that was already profitable and had eight locations raised CHF 1.4 million from 699 investors [9, 10]. This history of success gave investors confidence [10].
- Action: For business-to-business (B2B) companies, show letters from future customers or finished pilot projects. For business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, show active users and repeat sales.
Step 2: Create Your Campaign Materials
Your pitch deck, financial numbers, and video are the tools that turn interest into investment.
Your Pitch Deck Must Tell a Full Story
A pitch deck for crowdinvesting should include: an overview of the business, information on your market and competitors, your product, your business model, your team, and a section about risks and challenges [11]. Financial plans are a cornerstone of the pitch deck [11].
- Finances : Investors expect to see financial plans for at least three to five years [12]. These plans should be clear with key numbers like sales (revenue), costs (expenses), and when you expect to start making a profit (profitability) [12].
- Risk: The risk section matters more than many founders realize [13]. Experienced investors see an honest talk about scaling risks, legal risks, and competition risks as a sign that you are well-prepared [13]. This honesty builds trust.
- Avis de non-responsabilité : Include legal warnings (disclaimers) for all future-looking statements [14]. These statements make it clear that your plans are only estimates, not guarantees [14].
Your Video Pitch Sells Your Vision
A good pitch video is a critical tool that can make or break a campaign [15]. Successful campaigns use the video to tell a story rather than just asking for money [15].
- Authenticity: Being real often matters more than a fancy production [15]. Introduce your team to build trust.
- Length: Keep your video between two and three minutes. Longer videos lose viewer attention [15].
Focus on Key Financial Details
While three-to-five-year plans are standard, only give enough detail for an investor to understand how your business makes money without giving too much information.
- Key Metrics: Show the cost to get a new customer (customer acquisition cost), how much money a customer brings in over time (customer lifetime value), and the path to making a profit. These numbers show if your business works as it gets bigger.
Step 3: Build Excitement Before You Go Live
The most successful Swiss crowdinvesting campaigns spent weeks or months building a community of potential supporters before the public launch.
Building Community Creates Fast Momentum
- Marketing agencies stress building a community of thousands of potential supporters before the launch [16]. This preparation creates very strong early momentum [16].
- Action: Start building your email list at least two to three months before you plan to launch. Share updates about your progress to create excitement.
The “Family and Friends” Phase Reduces Risk
A typical financing round often has two parts: a two-week “Family and Friends” pre-phase, followed by a public campaign of about four weeks [17]. This plan lets you secure early promises before facing the public.
- Social Proof: A Swiss smartwatch company raised over CHF 614,000 during a prefunding stage [18]. They then raised over CHF 1 million total in the first week of their public campaign [19]. This early success created social proof that attracted more investors [21].
- Goal: Aim to have 20% to 30% of your total funding goal committed from your inner circle before the campaign goes public. Studies show that campaigns reaching 30% of their goal in the first week are more likely to fully succeed [21].
Launch Day Should Be a Big Event
When you launch publicly, your community should already know it’s happening. The first 24 to 48 hours matter enormously for creating momentum.
- Exemple : A Swiss impact investing platform first asked its community and found over 1,000 people interested in buying shares [22]. The company eventually raised CHF 7 million through Swiss crowdinvesting [23].
Step 4: Keep Momentum During the Campaign
Most campaigns run for four to six weeks after the first pre-phase. You must actively manage the campaign to keep investor interest high.
Regular Updates Keep Your Company Visible
- Posting updates has a significant positive effect on the number of investments and the total amount collected [24]. Investors also look at what other investors are doing [24].
- Action: Post updates at least twice per week during your active campaign. Share progress toward the goal or new customer wins. Your updates should be honest and show specific results.
Answer Investor Questions Quickly
Individual investors will ask questions on your campaign page. Answer all of them professionally and promptly.
- Transparency: Unresponsive founders are a major red flag for potential investors. Quick responses signal that you respect the investors. If you do not know an answer, say you will find out, and then follow up publicly so everyone can see the answer. This approach builds trust.
Step 5: After the Campaign: Your New Responsibilities
Raising capital is only the start of your relationship with the new shareholders. You have ongoing legal and ethical duties.
Regulatory Compliance Continues
After a successful raise, you must keep following Swiss financial regulations, including FinSA [25]. If you issued shares, you have duties associated with being a stock corporation (AG) [25].
- Platforms may set conditions on receiving the money, such as providing progress reports [26].
Communication Builds Long-Term Relationships
- Your new shareholders deserve regular updates. Most companies send updates every three or six months. These updates should include financial results and major goals achieved.
- Accountability: Be transparent about how you are using the money you raised. This step maintains trust.
Plan for Your Next Funding Round
Some venture capital firms worry about a startup that has many small shareholders on its ownership list (capitalization table) [27]. This big number of shareholders can make future funding rounds complicated [27].
- Nominee Structure: Some Swiss platforms fix this by using a fiduciary function for smaller investments [27]. This structure puts hundreds of small investors into a single legal entity on the ownership list [27]. This structure makes the company more attractive to later investors.
Campaign Value Beyond Capital
A crowdinvesting campaign is not just a funding tool. It creates a community of brand supporters who have a financial stake in your success.
- Market Validation: If hundreds of individual investors back your company, it sends a strong signal to potential customers and future institutional investors.
- Hybrid Approach: A Swiss gamer communications platform launched a crowdinvesting campaign as a second part of its seed round, combining institutional capital with community support [33].
- Multi-Asset Platforms: Platforms like Capiwell that let investors combine real estate, lending, and equity crowdinvesting allow founders to reach a broader investor base aligned with their mission and growth stage.
Références
[1] Swiss Crowdfunding Stabilizes After Years of Decline with Signs of Stagnation, Fintech Schweiz Digital Finance News
[2] How to do crowdfunding in Switzerland?, Loyens & Loeff
[3] Swiss Crowdfunding Market Overview, MoneyToday (2024)
[4] How to do crowdfunding in Switzerland?, Loyens & Loeff
[5] How to do crowdfunding in Switzerland?, Loyens & Loeff
[6] How to create a pitch deck: Essential skills for early-stage and Series A funding
[7] How to create a pitch deck: Essential skills for early-stage and Series A funding
[8] A guide to Pitch-decks, Swiss Startup Association
[9] Grössere Brötchen backen mit Geld von der Crowd, Startupticker
[10] Grössere Brötchen backen mit Geld von der Crowd, Startupticker
[11] A guide to Pitch-decks, Swiss Startup Association
[12] A guide to Pitch-decks, Swiss Startup Association
[13] A guide to Pitch-decks, Swiss Startup Association
[14] A guide to Pitch-decks, Swiss Startup Association
[15] 8 Proven Strategies for a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign, Luca Financial
[16] 8 Proven Strategies for a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign, Luca Financial
[17] Crowdinvestment – a Guide for Swiss Investors
[18] Swiss Smartwatch Campaign Success, Startupticker (2024)
[19] Swiss Smartwatch Campaign Success, Startupticker (2024)
[21] 8 Proven Strategies for a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign, Luca Financial
[22] Swiss Impact Investing Platform Raises CHF 7 Million, MoneyToday (2024)
[23] Swiss Impact Investing Platform Raises CHF 7 Million, MoneyToday (2024)
[24] 8 Proven Strategies for a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign, Luca Financial
[25] How to do crowdfunding in Switzerland?, Loyens & Loeff
[26] Crowdinvestment – a Guide for Swiss Investors
[27] Crowdinvestment – a Guide for Swiss Investors
[28] 8 Proven Strategies for a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign, Luca Financial
[29] How to create a pitch deck: Essential skills for early-stage and Series A funding
[33] Gamer communications platform SONIX: Crowd invests additional million, Startupticker
