Gilytics Closes Seed Round with High-Tech Gründerfonds, Swiss Startup Group and Zürcher Kantonalbank to Optimize Energy Infrastructure

December 17, 2020

Gilytics closes CHF 1 million seed investment round with High-Tech Gründerfonds, Swiss Startup Group and Zürcher Kantonalbank to further optimize energy and transportation infrastructure projects with game changing spatial data cloud software solution.

Founded in 2017 by Stefano Grassi, Heather Pace Clark, and Philippe Bieri, Gilytics is an ETH spin-off which is supported by the European Space Agency Business Incubation Center Switzerland, Venture Kick and the European Union Horizon 2020 Program. The company’s Pathfinder Software is a Geographic Information System (GIS) cloud platform used for overhead line and underground cable connections, identifying routes with the lowest cost or least overall impact on the public and the environment. The solution helps clients to automate infrastructure routing, monitoring and management with big data and an algorithm, improving design, visualization, and communication, replacing manual paper processes. Users can quickly analyze detailed scenarios in just a few clicks with realistic 2D, 3D and AR visualization. Greenfield and brownfield projects and linear infrastructure including powerlines, cable, pipe, rail, roads, renewables, telecom and offshore projects can be delivered faster using the software and related data services throughout the project process.

Gilytics is today announcing the closing of its CHF 1 million Seed investment round co-led by the High-Tech Gründerfonds and Swiss Startup Group, with the Zürcher Kantonalbankand angel investors also participating.

With experienced investors, a very talented team and strong partners, Gilytics is well positioned to grow globally and support innovation in the infrastructure sector by helping our expanding client base to make better data driven decisions, delivering the automation and visualization needed to make information sharing easier.

Stefano Grassi, Co-founder and CEO of Gilytics

We are impressed by the team’s industry knowledge, the proven technology and the commercial traction already generated with industry leading players in Switzerland and abroad.

Fabian Hogrebe, Investment Manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds

We see a unique potential in Gilytics as the roll-out of renewable energy assets keeps growing and both energy and engineering providers need to accelerate the digitization of their processes to leverage big data and achieve further efficiency gains.

Guillaume Waser, General Partner of the SSUG Flagship Fund 1

The company plans to use the funds to further develop features to support construction monitoring and operations for solar and wind projects among other use cases, while also expanding their distribution network. Gilytics is also pleased to welcome on its board of directors the successful startup entrepreneur Olivier Küng, Co-founder of Pix4D, who will support management in further developing the company.

About Gilytics
Gilytics delivers a Cloud GIS-based platform and service solution allowing users to calculate alternative routes for powerlines, pipelines, roads, and railways, helping energy, engineering and transport companies save time, money and CO2 with better data, visuals, and communication. Our vision is to become the standard software solution for the planning of linear infrastructure with the potential to expand into asset management. Our mission is to accelerate the clean energy transition. The company is an ETH Spinoff founded in 2017 with clients throughout Europe and the Americas with headquarters in Zurich. www.gilytics.com

Contact
Heather Pace Clark
T: +41 79 150 90 54
heather.clark@gilytics.com

About Swiss Startup Group AG
The Swiss Startup Group is a leading privately financed venture platform based in Switzerland with offices in Zurich and Lausanne. Through its subsidiaries it scouts, analyses, values, builds and invests in startups locally and internationally. The Swiss Startup Group has set up its own venture investment fund, the SSUG Flagship Fund I, with the aim of investing in early stage tech-driven companies and conducting follow-on investments in its existing portfolio. Swiss Startup Capital AG, the fully owned subsidiary of Swiss Startup Group AG overseeing the group’s investment activities, is responsible to manage the SSUG Flagship Fund I. www.swissstartupgroup.com

Contact
Christine Maier
T: +41 79 420 25 30
christine.maier@ssug.ch

About Zürcher Kantonalbank
Zürcher Kantonalbank is a leading universal bank in the Zurich economic area with Swiss roots and international reach. It is an independent, incorporated public-law institution of the Canton of Zurich and has received top ratings from the rating agencies Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch (AAA/Aaa). With more than 5,000 employees, Zürcher Kantonalbank offers its clients a comprehensive range of products and services. The bank’s core activities include financing businesses, asset and wealth management, trading, capital market transactions, deposits, payment transactions and the card business. Zürcher Kantonalbank provides clients and distribution partners with a comprehensive range of investment and retirement provision products and services.​ www.zkb.com

Contact
Marco Metzler
T: +41 44 292 24 41
marco.metzler@zkb.ch

About High-Tech Gründerfonds
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is a seed investor that finances high-potential, tech-driven start-ups. With around EUR 900 million in total investment volume across three funds and an international network of partners, HTGF has already helped forge almost 600 start-ups since 2005. Driven by their expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and passion, its team of experienced investment managers and startup experts help guide the development of young companies. HTGF’s focus is on high-tech start-ups in the fields of digital tech, industrial technology, life sciences, chemistry and related business areas. To date, external investors have injected over EUR 2.7 billion into the HTGF portfolio via more than 1,600 follow-on financing rounds. HTGF has also successfully sold interests in more than 100 companies.

Investors in the public-private partnership include the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, KfW Capital, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and 32 companies. The Fund Investors
www.htgf.de/en

Media Contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Stefanie Grüter, Head of Marketing & Communications
T.: +49228 – 82300 – 188
s.grueter@htgf.de

Investor Contact
High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH
Fabian Hogrebe, Investment Manager
T.: +49  228 – 82300 – 189
f.hogrebe@htgf.de