Focus Sectors | Verticals
Swiss AI x Deep Tech
Why Switzerland for AI X Deep Tech
Swiss AI represents the frontier of global innovation, where foundational models, novel AI architectures, and advanced computing are applied to solve complex scientific and industrial challenges. This intersection of artificial intelligence and deep science is creating a new paradigm, unlocking breakthroughs in everything from AI drug discovery to materials science and autonomous systems.
Switzerland has decisively established itself as a global AI powerhouse, boasting the highest density of AI talent in Europe. This unparalleled talent pool, anchored by world-class institutions like ETH Zurich and EPFL, has attracted leading corporate research labs from Google, Meta, Open AI, Anthropic, and Microsoft among others, creating a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem. This convergence of academic brilliance and industrial application makes Switzerland one of the most fertile grounds for creating and scaling Al-first companies.
This page is your gateway to the Swiss AI ecosystem. You will find a detailed analysis of the investment landscape, a curated list of venture-backed global breakthroughs, and perspectives from top investors on why Switzerland is at the forefront of the next wave of artificial intelligence.
Notable Companies in Swiss AI
Key Stats in Swiss AI*
85+
VC-Backed startups
$768M
VC funding since 2019
$2.7B
Combined Enterprise Value
Tob Hubs for Swiss AI in Zurich (ETH) and Lausanne (EPFL).
* All data is taken from the Swiss Deep Tech Report 2025.
Companies to watch in Swiss AI
AI-powered thermal cameras for early fire prevention.
AI Copilot for metal machining.
Proprietary AI for fashion image model generation.
Multimodal gameplay agents for game testing.
AI governance and testing platform.
Predictive maintenance for buildings and infrastructure.
AI-driven bug resolution platform.
Precision AI search for legal teams.
AI-powered operational intelligence.
«Switzerland stands at the forefront of global Al innovation, leading with the highest Al patents per capita and one of the most dynamic startup ecosystems. In our AWS Zurich Region, we see customers- from ETH labs to global enterprises-launching new generative Al workloads daily, showcasing how Swiss technical precision and deep Al talent drive rapid innovation. This powerful combination helps organizations of all sizes transform breakthrough Al concepts into production-ready solutions at scale.»
Chris Keller
Managing Director Europe Central
AWS
«The Swiss ecosystem around ETH and EPFL has always been producing world leading research and has all the right ingredients for being a cornerstone of the next wave of Al. At Lightspeed we’re working with global Al leaders like Mistral, Glean, Wiz, Anthropic. We see a new pattern of excellent researchers driving commercialized advancements of technologies in venture-backed settings.»
Alexander Schmitt
Partner
Lightspeed Venture Partners
Who’s Who in Swiss AI
-
-
AGIRE FOUNDATION
Lugano
We are the Innovation Agency of southern Switzerland and we provide support to start-ups and innovative SMEs on their path to growth.
-
be-advanced AG
Bern
We guide entrepreneurs to success! with high end Coaching, Workshops and Business Connections
-
-
Bluelion Foundation
Zurich
We are a leading Tech Startup Hub & community in Zurich, supporting founders with everything they need to grow successful tech startups.
-
Boldbrain Startup Challenge
Lugano
Boldbrain Startup Challenge is an accelerator designed for early-stage startups and entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, ready to launch and develop their business from Canton Ticino.
-
-
EPFL Innovation Park
Lausanne
EPFL Innovation Park: A hive of interaction between academia and business, attracting outstanding, innovative projects and empowering them to flourish, scale up and transform society.
Most Active VCs in Swiss AI*
*List established by startupticker.ch based on number of investments in a given vertical
Data-based insights research
Leading global research location
AI research has a decades-long tradition in Switzerland. The Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA USI-SUPSI) in southern Switzerland was founded in 1988. Since 2017, research has intensified significantly, with the number of research projects funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation more than quadrupling between 2017 and 2022, from 30 to over 120 per year. According to the Global AI Index, this puts Switzerland among the top five countries in terms of AI research.
Organisational innovations give research even more clout. In autumn 2024, ETH Zurich and EPFL launched the Swiss National AI Institute (SNAI) to provide a national perspective on AI-based research, education and innovation. SNAI will accelerate the momentum of the Swiss AI Initiative and spearhead research on large-scale AI, enabled by the ‘Alps’ supercomputer with more than 10,000 of the latest generation AI superchips (Graphics Processing Units, or GPUs). Leveraging its integration with the ETH AI Center and the EPFL AI Center, the new institute benefits from the expertise of more than 70 AI-focused professors across Switzerland.
Hundreds of deep tech startups
According to several recent studies, the number of Swiss AI startups is high and growing. An analysis for the study ‘Generate AI-mpact’ by Swiss think-tank W.I.R.E. enumerated 700 AI startups. Using a slightly broader definition, Swiss Startup Radar came up with a total of 1,000 companies, including some older companies such as the unicorn Scandit, which focuses on AI-powered smart data capture software. However, the real wave of startups began only in 2016. Since then, between 60 and 80 new AI startups have been launched every year, most of these with deep tech innovations.
More than 100 startups are developing solutions in the ‘generate and create’ group, and even more companies can be found in the classic AI fields. The ‘predict and recommend’ group comprises more than 300 companies, and 200 companies each are active in the ‘classify and understand’ and ‘optimise, control and connect’ areas.
In terms of number of startups, Switzerland is one of the leading nations in Europe, just behind the much larger countries of the UK, France and Germany. The same applies to investment: according to the AI Europe Report 2024 by Dealroom and Roosh, more than USD 2 billion was invested in Switzerland between 2020 and 2024, putting the country in fourth place in Europe, behind the UK, Germany and France.
Starting advantage thanks to strong home market
In the EY European AI Barometer 2024, Switzerland emerged as an AI success story: the study found widespread financial gains in companies through the use of AI, a positive employee mindset and comparatively low levels of concern about job losses. The study concluded that Switzerland is leading the AI transformation
This leading role opens up various opportunities for startups, with many of them able to gain existing companies as partners or customers. At the end of 2024, the Swiss stock exchange operator SIX introduced Unique’s AI platform FinanceGPT for more than 4,000 employees. Netguardians’ AI-driven anti-fraud solutions are currently used by 60% of Swiss state-owned commercial banks. And the Mikron Group, a globally successful Swiss mechanical engineering company, has acquired startup LYSR’s software platform, which enables manufacturing industries to take advantage of AI-powered process monitoring without the need to code.
The opportunity to work with strong Swiss companies has led AI startups to focus on the most important Swiss industries. The largest group of startups develop solutions for the life sciences, fintech and insurtech companies follow in second place, and Industry 4.0 companies take third place. More than 100 AI startups are active in each of these sectors.
Success Stories
-
Read more: European Spinouts Report 2025: Switzerland Confirmed as Europe’s Deep Tech PowerhouseThe most critical metric in innovation is not volume but efficiency. While larger economies naturally produce higher absolute numbers of companies, the true measure of…
-
Read more: Why Deep Tech Pioneers and Private Equity are a MatchThis autumn saw notable activity from private equity investors in Switzerland, including a USD 500 million exit in addition to investments. Their preference for innovative…
-
Read more: Samuel Müller: FounderScandit has never advertised itself by referring to its Swiss origins. “We had a global vision from the beginning,” explains Samuel Müller, CEO and co-founder…
AI x Deep Tech
News
-
Cerrion banks $18M Series A funding to fuel international growth
Zurich-based Cerrion has secured $18M in a series A funding round led by Creandum, supported by existing investors and business angels. The proceeds will be…
startupticker.ch
-
Albatross raises CHF 9.7 million to reinvent product discovery for the web
Former Amazon AI leaders raise CHF 9.7 m to deploy AI that understands user intent in real time, transforming how they discover products and content…
startupticker.ch
-
NNAISENSE gets acquired by Germany asset management firm
Based in Lugano, NNAISENSE has built a generative AI framework for financial markets to enable the prediction of coherent market scenarios across multiple asset classes,…
startupticker.ch
-
Delvitech closes USD 40 million Series B round to accelerate global growth
Delvitech, specializing in the development of AI-native Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) solutions for electronics, closed a Series B investment round of USD 40 million. Delvitech…
startupticker.ch
-
DeepJudge closes $41.2M Series A round
With revenues growing over 500% year-over-year, DeepJudge continues to establish itself as the go-to AI platform for legal professionals worldwide. Alongside new customers, the startup…
startupticker.ch
-
General Intuition raises USD 134 million
General Intuition, a start-up with teams in Geneva and New York, closed a USD 133.7 million funding round. The spin-off from Dutch company Medal uses…
startupticker.ch
FAQ on Swiss AI
1. Why is Switzerland considered an AI powerhouse?
Switzerland has the highest density of AI talent in Europe, 3.7 times its share of the population. This talent, emerging from top-tier universities, has made hubs like Zurich a prime ecosystem for creating AI-first companies.
2. What makes Zurich a key hub for artificial intelligence research?
Zurich is home to ETH Zurich, a deep pool of world-class engineers, and major research labs for global leaders like Google, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft. This creates a unique density of both academic and industrial AI expertise.
3. How does Swiss AI talent density compare to other European countries?
Switzerland leads Europe with 3.5 core AI talents per 10,000 inhabitants. This is significantly higher than other hubs like Ireland (2.2), the Netherlands (2.1), and the UK (1.5).
4. What are the main applications of deep tech AI developed in Switzerland?
Swiss AI startups are active in foundational models, AI governance (LatticeFlow), AI for legal (DeepJudge), autonomous systems (Neural Concept), and AI drug discovery (cradle).
5. What investment opportunities exist in Swiss foundational models and AI?
With AI/ML now accounting for 23% of all new deep tech companies (almost double its previous share), the primary opportunities are in venture-backed spin-offs from ETH Zurich and EPFL that are commercializing world-leading research.
