February 2026

Switzerland Returns to SusHi Tech with 10 Startups and a Champion’s Mandate

Alexandre Meldem LinkedIn

Deep Tech Nation Switzerland

When the Swisstech Pavilion, organized by Swissnex, took home the SusHi Tech Award 2025 for Most Innovative Pavilion, it confirmed what Switzerland’s innovation institutions had been building toward: a credible, repeatable presence at the frontier of global deep tech diplomacy. In April 2026, Switzerland returns to SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 with ten startups spanning AI, climate tech, cybersecurity, and robotics. The booth will be easy to find. The standard to meet will be higher.

SusHi Tech 2026 at a Glance

Event	SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 — Asia’s largest innovation conference
Swiss startups	10 selected by Swsissnex and Innosuisse
2025 track record	SusHi Tech Award for Most Innovative Pavilion; AVAtronics reached Top 8 out of 700 startups in the SusHi Tech Challenge pitch contest
Sectors covered	Semiconductors, climate AI, cybersecurity, mobility analytics, emotion AI, clean robotics, microbiome diagnostics, and more

From Inaugural Guest to Award-Winning Anchor

Swisstech Pavilion at SusHi Tech inauguration in 2024 (Source: SCCIJ)

Switzerland’s history at SusHi Tech is short and steep. The country first set up a dedicated pavilion at the 2024 edition, where the Swiss Ambassador to Japan and Swissnex CEO Dr. Felix Moesner cut the ribbon alongside Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials, a signal that the bilateral relationship between Switzerland and Japan, now spanning 160 years of diplomatic ties, was ready for a new chapter centered on startup collaboration.

The 2025 edition validated that bet. The Swisstech Pavilion at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2025 attracted over 40,000 attendees across the conference, hosted side events for VCs and corporate innovation leaders, and earned recognition from Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. AVAtronics, one of the 2025 cohort’s standout performers, reached the Top 8 of the SusHi Tech Challenge pitch contest from a field of over 700 startups globally; two Swiss companies were subsequently selected for the prestigious KGAP+ accelerator program. The delegation extended beyond Tokyo, pitching at the Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka in what was the first time a full Swisstech startup cohort presented collectively in the Kansai region.

For 2026, SusHi Tech has expanded its venue and program scope further. Switzerland arrives not as an emerging entrant, but as a recognized benchmark. The ten startups below represent the next argument.

Meet the 2026 Swiss Cohort

The ten startups at the 2026 Swisstech Pavilion reflect the breadth of Switzerland’s deep tech ecosystem — from climate intelligence platforms to edge AI for human-machine interaction.

NovoViz

NovoViz is a fabless semiconductor company designing computational single-photon imaging sensors. Founded by Dr. Andrada Muntean, a PhD graduate from EPFL with research experience at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NovoViz addresses the cost and complexity bottleneck that has long limited the commercial deployment of single-photon detection technology.

ESG Explorer

ESG Explorer provides tools for organizations to assess and track sustainability performance across ESG frameworks, helping companies translate complex compliance requirements into actionable intelligence. The platform addresses the growing burden of sustainability reporting for European businesses facing CSRD and related mandates.

Reor20

REOR20 has built DeepWater, a physics-based AI flood forecasting engine that runs 5,500 times faster and at 150 times lower cost than conventional computational fluid dynamics solvers. The Zurich-based startup — an ESA BIC Switzerland alumnus and 2023 Lloyd’s Lab Innovation Award winner — simulated a 12-hour flood event across 1,500 square kilometers in under two minutes on a single GPU during the Texas floods of July 2025.

AVAtronics

AVAtronics is a Lausanne-based audio AI company developing AI-enriched Active Noise Cancellation technology for headphones, automotive, aviation, hearing aids, and more. An Innosuisse-certified startup and two-time TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award finalist, AVAtronics is a SusHi Tech veteran: it exhibited at CEATEC Japan 2020 and reached the Top 8 in the SusHi Tech Challenge 2025 — the strongest individual result of any Swiss startup at the event. Discover more about Swiss robotics and deep tech.

AckTao

AckTao has developed a “learning by doing” digital education platform focused on cyber awareness and digital practices, achieving retention rates of over 90%. At a time when human error remains the leading cause of organizational security breaches, AckTao’s adaptive learning approach offers a measurable alternative to passive compliance training.

DuoKey

DuoKey is a Swiss cloud security company specializing in advanced encryption and key management, with a focus on Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) and post-quantum cryptography. Its solutions protect sensitive enterprise data across Microsoft, AWS, Salesforce, and Google Cloud environments. A Venture Leader Technology alumnus, DuoKey in February 2025 launched its confidential AI platform enabling privacy-preserving machine learning on encrypted data.

REM Analytics

REM Analytics has developed a microbiome diagnostics platform — Advanced Testing for Genetic Composition (ATGC) — that makes accurate, fast, and cost-effective microbiome testing available for routine use. The Innosuisse-supported startup has already achieved IVD certification and has deployed complete personalized care solutions for women’s health and child nutrition applications.

BeEmotion.ai

BeEmotion.ai delivers real-time human behavior and emotion AI through edge-based software that analyzes facial expressions, gaze, body pose, and emotional cues without cloud dependency. Its technology serves in-cabin monitoring for automotive, social robotics, healthcare, and gaming applications. With backing from Venture Kick and the EPFL Innovation Park, BeEmotion.ai’s on-device processing model addresses growing demand for low-latency, privacy-compliant AI perception.

Kido Dynamics

Kido Dynamics is an EPFL spin-off that transforms raw telecom network data into mobility intelligence for smart cities, transport authorities, and urban planners. The company analyzes more than 2 billion trips daily across 12 countries, having raised EUR 1.9 million in a funding round led by Spicehaus Partners. For a city like Tokyo — managing one of the world’s most complex transit ecosystems — Kido’s analytics capabilities have direct operational relevance.

Jaipur Robotics

Jaipur Robotics builds AI-driven computer vision solutions for Waste-to-Energy plants, identifying oversized waste, mapping calorific value, and tracking crane operations to reduce operational inefficiencies that cost WtE operators millions annually. The Ticino-based cleantech startup secured CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick in July 2025, and its technology addresses the energy recovery challenges facing urban waste infrastructure worldwide.

Switzerland and Japan: A Shared Urban Innovation Agenda

The alignment between Switzerland’s startup cohort and SusHi Tech’s mission is deliberate. SusHi Tech Tokyo is organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to connect global innovation with urban challenges including aging infrastructure, environmental resilience, and smart mobility. Switzerland’s 2026 cohort speaks directly to those priorities: REOR20 on climate resilience, Kido Dynamics on urban mobility, Jaipur Robotics on sustainable waste infrastructure, DuoKey and AckTao on the digital security layer that underpins smart city systems.

The structural framework reinforcing this presence is the Innosuisse Startup Camp, which provides participating startups with preparation, coaching, and structured access to the Japanese market before and during the event. For Switzerland, a country where 85% of startup capital comes from foreign investors, SusHi Tech represents one of the most concentrated access points to the Asian investor and corporate partner network.

What to Expect at the Swisstech Pavilion

At SusHi Tech 2026, the Swisstech Pavilion will serve as a hub for direct engagement with all ten startups and the entire Swiss ecosystem. Visitors can expect live demonstrations, one-on-one conversations with founders, and structured pitch programming. The pavilion is also a venue for business matching between Swiss founders and Japanese VCs, corporate innovation teams, and city government stakeholders, a format that produced concrete outcomes in both 2024 and 2025.

Side events accompanying the pavilion have in prior years included investor-only pitch evenings, workshops on Japanese B2B market entry, and institutional signings. The SusHi Tech Challenge 2026 pitch contest, drawing from 500+ global applicants, provides an additional stage for Swiss startups to compete for recognition in front of a curated international jury.

Discover Swiss Deep Tech at Sushi Tech

Switzerland’s presence at SusHi Tech has followed a clear arc: establish credibility in 2024, win recognition in 2025, and consolidate leadership in 2026. The ten startups in this year’s cohort carry that responsibility across a diverse portfolio of technologies, united by the same precision engineering culture, strong academic foundations, and access to Switzerland’s deep support infrastructure that have made Swiss deep tech a benchmark for the world. As documented in the Swiss Deep Tech Report, Switzerland produces more deep tech spinouts per capita than any comparable nation; SusHi Tech is one of the arenas where that claim is tested in front of global peers. The Swisstech Pavilion will be ready. Come find it.

Swisstech team at Sushi Tech 2025 (Source: Swissnex Japan)

FAQ on the Swiss Startup Reform Agenda

What is SusHi Tech Tokyo?

SusHi Tech Tokyo — short for Sustainable High City Tech — is an annual innovation conference organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, connecting global startups with corporate partners, investors, and city governments to address shared urban challenges. The 2026 edition is the largest to date, with over 500 exhibitors expected and an expanded venue at Tokyo Big Sight.

Why does Switzerland participate at SusHi Tech?

Switzerland participates through the Swisstech program — a joint effort between Presence Switzerland, Swissnex, Innosuisse, and Switzerland Global Enterprise — to connect Swiss startups with international investors and partners. Japan is a strategic market for Swiss deep tech given its advanced industrial base, smart city ambitions, and appetite for precision technology solutions.

What award did the Swiss pavilion win in 2025?

The Swisstech Pavilion received the SusHi Tech Award 2025 for Most Innovative Pavilion, selected from among all international showcases at the event. AVAtronics additionally reached the Top 8 of the SusHi Tech Challenge pitch contest out of 700 globally competing startups.

Who selects the startups for the Swiss pavilion?

Startups are selected through a competitive application process and participate in the Innosuisse Startup Camp, a structured program managed by Swissnex that prepares Swiss founders for the Japanese market. Selection criteria include technological maturity, international readiness, and fit with SusHi Tech’s urban innovation themes.

How can I meet the Swiss startups at the event?

Visit the Swisstech Pavilion at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026 to speak directly with founders. For investors and corporate partners, invitation-only side events, including pitch nights and networking receptions, are typically organized by Swissnex in Japan throughout the conference week.

What sectors does the 2026 Swiss cohort cover?

The ten startups span semiconductor imaging, flood risk AI, audio signal processing, cloud encryption, cyber education, microbiome diagnostics, emotion AI, urban mobility analytics, ESG reporting, and waste-to-energy robotics, reflecting the sectoral breadth of Switzerland’s deep tech ecosystem.