Finanzen / Bilanzen

SISAT simplifies investments in start-ups

The Swiss Investment Syndicate Agreement Template (SISAT) initiative, launched by the association Business Angels Switzerland (BAS) and led by Matthieu Gueissaz, sets a Swiss standard for co-investment in start-ups. This initiative is supported by a multitude of key players of venture capital in Switzerland[1].

SISAT boils down to a simple partnership agreement allowing anyone to invest and take a stake as a shareholder in start-ups or more established companies. Venture capital opportunities are often limited to those capable of investing a required a minimum amount. With the SISAT contract, it is possible to syndicate up to twenty investors and thus reach the threshold required by the company seeking capital.

For entrepreneurs, too, this document represents a major administrative simplification: instead of a multitude of "small" investors, only the syndicate is listed in the shareholders‘ register.

For investors the procedure is simple: it is sufficient to sign the simple partnership agreement between the interested parties and to appoint one of the syndicate participants as the representative of the syndicate (the lead partner). The icing on the cake is that it is free of charge. The co-signatories hold the shares, syndicated by the SISAT contract, in their own name, without an intermediary. This structure thus allows for transparency in tax matters: each investor declares the number of shares of the company he holds and is taxable according to his personal situation.

Legal structure in compliance with financial and tax regulations

The initiators of SISAT have taken all necessary precautions to ensure that the structure of the contract complies with the laws in force on collective investment schemes and money laundering. The simple partnership falls under the definition of an investment club and is exempt from the Collective Investment Schemes Act and the lead partner is not considered a financial intermediary. In order to benefit from these advantages, however, certain rules must be followed:

  • Staying below the threshold of 20 investors ;
  • Not to delegate investment decisions to the lead partner (decisions are taken individually by each syndicate participant);
  • Ensuring that investors have sufficient knowledge to make the necessary investment decisions;
  • The lead partner should not hold the shares on its behalf for others ; and should not circulate funds through her/his own bank account, at the risk of qualifying as a financial intermediary.

As far as tax matters are concerned, the SISAT has so far obtained the approval of the tax authorities of the canton of Neuchâtel, thereby confirming that the use of this structure does not lead to the qualification of investors as professionals. Non-professional private investors are therefore not required to pay capital gains tax.

The initiators of SISAT will continue to improve their project by creating variations of the contract to cover different types of syndication structures. Their next step is to integrate technological solutions to facilitate the establishment and management of unions. SISAT is an initiative entirely based on the principles of open-source and collective intelligence and seeks to bring together and expand access to venture capital in Switzerland.

[1] Blochain Valley Ventures ; Bratschi ; Diventures ; GoBeyond ; Impact 51 ; Investiere ; Kellerhals Carrard ; LE/AX ; Peyrot-Schlegel-Györ ; Schellenberg Wittmer ; SICTIC

Über Business Angels Switzerland

The Business Angels Switzerland (BAS) association offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their project to an audience of experienced investors and successful entrepreneurs, with the aim of obtaining financing, advice and support, or all three.

The BAS has two branches: Lausanne (since 2007) and Zurich. The approximately one hundred members of the BAS are divided equally between the two cities. BAS is a non-profit organisation, is not an investment fund and is not involved in the investment decisions of its members.

With around CHF 2.3 billion raised in 2019, the start-up scene in Switzerland is doing well and continues to grow.

Firmenkontakt und Herausgeber der Meldung:

Business Angels Switzerland
Rue de l’Evole 2
CH2000 Neuchâtel
Telefon: +41 (79) 7734273
http://www.businessangels.ch/

Ansprechpartner:
Matthieu Gueissaz
Telefon: +41 (76) 40966-92
E-Mail: matthieu.gueissaz@sisat.ch
Caroline Gueissaz
Telefon: +41 79 773 42 73‬
E-Mail: caroline.gueissaz@bluewin.ch
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