KetoSwiss has raised a total of 4 million US dollars as part of a pre-Series A financing round. The Basel-based startup specializes in the area of brain metabolism and the role ketones play in this. With MigraKet, its first medical product under the Brain Ritual brand, KetoSwiss is seeking to support the fight against migraines.

Ketones or ketone bodies are the breakdown products of fat metabolism. If body cells do not receive enough glucose over a longer period of time, for example when starving or on a ketogenic diet, the body burns fat instead of glucose. The ketones produced in the kidneys can be used by the cells to meet their energy needs and heal inflammation.

Market launch in USA

According to an article on startupticker.ch, KetoSwiss will use the fresh capital to prepare for the market launch of its Brain Ritual brand in the USA in the first half of 2023 and is expanding the US-based arm of the company. In addition, the startup is keen to achieve further R&D and clinical trial milestones. For example, the effects of MigraKet on brain function as well as on depression and other mental illnesses are to be examined.

The financing round was led by the North American William K. Karren Foundation, which supports research into neuropsychiatric disorders. Other investors involved include the venture capital firm R42 and the venture capital fund Healthspan Capital, both of which are based in the USA. They invest in biotechnology for longevity and regenerative medicine.

Basel Area Business & Innovation, the investment and innovation promotion agency, supported the startup via its Venture Mentoring program.