Péter Fankhauser

Jost Dubacher

“It’s going to be exciting,” says Péter Fankhauser

The co-founder and CEO of Zurich-based deep tech startup ANYbotics is taking the competition with Boston Dynamics – a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group since 2021 – in his stride.

It’s about global technological leadership in the field of self-learning, mobile robots that are able to overcome obstacles, reach targets and collect sensor data. “Our ANYmal,” explains Fankhauser, “goes to places for our customers that are too dangerous for humans.” BP, Siemens Energy and Finnish steel company Outokumpu use the robot dog to inspect drilling platforms, wind turbines and steel mills.

Founded in 2016 at ETH Zurich, ANYbotics spent its early years based at Wyss Zurich, a university incubator funded by Swiss-American billionaire Hansjörg Wyss. “At the beginning, we worked with grant money,” recalls Fankhauser. Since 2020, however, one financing round has followed another: the series B2 round in December 2024 raised USD 60 million. Investors include Qualcomm Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners. The reason for the strong interest is obvious to Fankhauser: “After 10 years of development, the technology is ready for the mass market.”

Background

«My mother is a Hungarian-born engineer and my father was a circus performer. As CEO of a deeptech start-up, I need both skills: analytical logic and creative openness»

Greatest success

«My six co-founders and I come from ETH Zurich – we are tinkerers by nature. Nevertheless, we have succeeded in building a company that combines technological excellence with a clear focus on customer value.»

Goal

«By inspecting hazardous areas or critical locations, our robots help customers to avoid potentially fatal workplace accidents. But there is even more potential in the field of occupational safety: in the medium term, our systems will not only be able to see, hear, sense and record, but also carry out servicing and repair work.”»