Four Swiss firms make the Tornado Insider 100

Swiss technology firms among top in Europe. Tornado Insider

Tornado Insider, a European business publication, has selected four privately owned Swiss firms in their top 100 ranking of technology companies.

The ‘Tornado Insider 100’ selection criteria favors companies that demonstrate that the technology they are commercializing today will change the way things are done tomorrow.

One of the top ten is Cytos Biotechnology, which aims to create a new class of drug and disease treatments. The company employs 170 people and is considered one of the best-funded startups in Switzerland.

Another firm that made the top 100 is Vivastar, a startup based in Cham that has recently launched a state of the art digital recording device for the computing peripherals market. Two others who made the grade are Xemics, a maker of ultra-low power integrated circuits for wireless applications, and 4digitalbooks, a company that automates the archiving and scanning of books.

“We believe that these companies will continue to provide enduring value to their customers, their shareholders and the marketplace,” said Ron Groen, CEO of Tornado Insider.

Groen’s team decided to “follow the money” this year selecting only firms that sold products to match their marketing promises and that utilized their funding most effectively.

The selections also reflect a shift in risk capital investors’ taste towards later stage funding.

“These companies are the cream of Europe,” said Timothy Weeks, Tornado
Insider’s Senior Research Analyst. “The fact that they not just survived but are thriving in a downturn adds even more to their merit.”

Firms were selected based on their ability to deliver innovative products that can attract a wide customer base. Companies’ ability to become global players in their field and to get the valuations needed to take their company public, were some of the other factors considered by Tornado.

The top 100 will be out in the July issue of Tornado Insider.

by Valerie Thompson