CHARLIE HOLDING: FINTECH, INVESTMENTS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Swisspod Technologies: Supporting the Next Generation of Hyperloop Mobility
Sector: Advanced Mobility & Deep Technology | Investment: Pre-Series A (July 2024) | Region: Switzerland / United States
Charlie Holding is an investor in Swisspod Technologies, the Swiss-American company developing hyperloop transportation systems. Its participation was named publicly in Swisspod’s announcement of the successful closing of its Pre-Series A round on 11 July 2024. The investment connects Charlie Holding to a highly specialised engineering venture addressing one of transportation’s hardest problems: how to move people and goods rapidly over long distances while making the infrastructure technically and economically viable.
Swisspod’s full-scale hyperloop test infrastructure in Pueblo, Colorado. Image: Swisspod Technologies.
Rethinking high-speed transport
Hyperloop refers to transport concepts in which specially designed vehicles travel through low-pressure tubes, reducing aerodynamic drag. For Swisspod, the central engineering question is not simply how fast a capsule could travel under ideal conditions, but how to build a workable system whose construction, control and maintenance can support eventual commercial operations.
Swisspod’s proposed architecture aims to keep much of the sophisticated propulsion and control technology inside the vehicle, with relatively passive fixed infrastructure. This is a deliberate departure from proposals that require extensive active equipment throughout the transport corridor. The approach remains under development and is being validated through staged test programmes; planned operating speeds are targets rather than speeds already achieved in passenger service.
From Switzerland to Colorado: testing the technology
The company’s research programme has two important geographical centres. In Switzerland, Swisspod has worked with EPFL and HEIG-VD at a reduced-scale facility near Lausanne, where researchers can repeat journeys and study propulsion, levitation, thermal management and low-pressure operation. In November 2024, the partners reported a trial covering 11.8 kilometres at reduced scale, equivalent to 141.6 kilometres at full scale.
Swisspod infrastructure photograph accompanying the company’s Pre-Series A announcement. Image: Swisspod Technologies.
In the United States, Swisspod has been developing a full-scale test site in Pueblo, Colorado. The facility is intended to validate components, autonomous control and vehicle behaviour in a more representative environment before further scaling. The 2024 financing announcement identified expansion of this testing infrastructure as a key use of the capital raised.
AERYS 1 milestones and the next vehicle
In May 2026, Swisspod reported that its first full-scale capsule, AERYS 1, reached 146 km/h during a test at Pueblo. The company described the run as a hyperloop speed record and as a validation milestone for its propulsion and autonomous control systems. AERYS 1 was a technology demonstrator, not a commercial passenger service.
Following these tests, Swisspod announced a shift in development focus toward AERYS 2, a next-generation capsule intended to improve efficiency and operating capability. The work shows the iterative nature of deep-tech investment: progress is measured through rigorous testing, redesign and certification preparation rather than through short product-launch cycles.
Why the investment matters to Charlie Holding
Charlie Holding’s participation in the publicly announced Pre-Series A round demonstrates its willingness to identify and finance ambitious technologies during a demanding stage of commercial development. The company was named alongside international investors in the 11 July 2024 funding announcement, an independently verifiable portfolio milestone that lends substance to Charlie Holding’s cross-border investment profile. The investment is best understood as early-stage capital supporting research, infrastructure and product validation. It does not imply that hyperloop technology has reached mass commercial deployment or that future performance has been guaranteed.
Swisspod also announced a separate strategic partnership with ICM.com in April 2024. This commercial partnership should not be confused with Charlie Holding’s participation in the subsequent equity-financing round; they are different relationships with the same technology company.
Looking ahead
The central opportunity lies in whether full-scale demonstrations, regulatory work and infrastructure economics can translate an innovative engineering concept into a practical transportation solution. Charlie Holding’s publicly documented investment positions it among the international supporters of Swisspod as that process continues.
Further reading: Swisspod Pre-Series A announcement | AERYS 1 testing update | Swisspod official website