Zurich stays attractive to investors despite Covid-19

Over the first three quarters of 2020, venture capital investments in Europe fell by 12 percent in comparison with same period of 2019, as detailed in an analysis published by Sifted, a start-up platform supported by the Financial Times. However, the analysis does indicate the emergence of major regional variations. In this context, venture capital investments in Zurich actually increased by 98 percent over the first nine months of the year. This puts Zurich at the top of a list of 16 European cities. Second place is occupied by the Finnish capital Helsinki, where a rise of 62 percent was recorded, while Dublin takes third spot with an increase of 26 percent.

According to the study, Zurich was particularly attractive to investors during the second quarter of the year. Between April and June 2020, just three European cities registered an increase in venture capital investments. Leading the way in this regard was Zurich, having recorded a rise of more than 300 percent over this time frame. The only other increases came from Munich and the Oxford/Cambridge region.

In the third quarter of 2020, Sifted indicates that a recovery has set in. Several of the European cities investigated as part of its analysis registered a rise in venture capital investments during this period. While the increase amounted to 51 percent for Zurich, the negative trend persisted in Barcelona (-47 percent) and Madrid (-69 percent). The two major Spanish cities also occupy third-last and last place in the overall evaluation, with scores of -45 percent (Barcelona) and -69 percent (Madrid). Berlin slots in between them with a score of -51 percent.