ETH Entrepreneurship

💸 The ETH Zürich Spin-off Tethys Robotics and now a leader in underwater robotics, announces the successful closing of a €3.5 million pre‑seed financing round.  The round is led by Redstone with Euregio⁺ Alpine Venture Capital Sicaf S.p.A. VC, and backed by Zürcher Kantonalbank, ETH Foundation, Kickfund, and Venture Kick. The capital will be used to further develop and scale Tethys ONE: a compact hybrid underwater drone capable of both remote and autonomous operation. The system is designed specifically for safety‑critical missions, including inspections and maintenance in offshore wind, oil, and gas sectors, disposal of explosive remnants of war, and search-and-rescue missions under extreme conditions.  🌊 Revolutionary technology for dangerous underwater deployments: The Tethys ONE drone was engineered with extreme use cases in mind. It weighs only 35 kg, is ready for deployment within 10 minutes, and operates at depths of up to 300 meters, even in low visibility and strong currents. This is made possible by a robust sensor fusion technology developed at ETH Zurich. Tethys ONE is used, among other things, for the disposal of legacy ordnance from World War II. Over 1.3 million tons of explosive war material lie in European waters alone. Rather than putting human divers at risk, the technology allows remote or autonomous missions with high-resolution 3D visualization for simplified navigation and automated data collection.  The drone is already being successfully tested with pilot customers in the offshore wind and energy sectors, assisting in the inspection of turbines, platforms, and subsea cables. Demand is high; more than 30 pilot projects have been launched.  Beyond its focus on civilian applications, the company also plans to deepen collaboration with public safety authorities and international organizations in the field of ordnance disposal. Tethys already works with the Swiss Army and the Swiss Drone and Robotics Centre (SDRC). The vision: A world where hazardous underwater work is carried out efficiently, autonomously, and without risk to humans. Co-Founder and Pioneer Fellow Alumni: Jonas Wüst and Pragash Sivananthaguru Wyss Zurich #Robotics #ETHZurich #UnderwaterRobotics #DeepTech #Innovation #Spinoff #Startup #Sustainability

🤖 CNN Tech for Good showcased ETH Zürich’s work in robotics and innovation. The global feature highlights the ETH Spin-off and Pioneer Fellow Alumni RoBoa and the ETH Focus Project magnecko , both of which took part in the Swiss Robotics Challenge ARCHE this summer. The segment explores how robotics can support disaster relief efforts, from navigating debris to locating survivors, showing how ETH research and technology can make a real-world impact.   Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/dPNJmZEn Alexander Kübler Betim Djambazi Pascal Auf der Maur Dan Meister #ETHZurich #Robotics #Innovation #TechForGood #Startup #Spinoff 

🧬 Thanks to CRISPR/Cas technology, researchers can precisely edit genetic material to treat hereditary diseases. ETH Zürich Pioneer Fellow Lilly van de Venn is developing testing methods to identify undesirable cuts in the genome at an early stage. Thirteen years after starting her studies at ETH Zurich, she is now the lead of a soon to be spin-off aiming to bring gene scissors safely to the clinic. Her method detects off-target effects with just a few cells from a biopsy, fitting seamlessly into clinical workflows. Supported by an ETH Pioneer Fellowship and the Schweizerischer Nationalfonds SNF, her team is developing AutoDISCO/HT-DISCOVER, a procedure for routine analysis of off-target effects. “The pharmaceutical industry is very interested in our work,” says van de Venn. Want to know more? Read the full ETH Article here: https://lnkd.in/gh_dpu39 ETH Foundation #Startup #ETHZurich #Gene #Biotech #Innovation #LifeSciences #HealthTech #SpinOff #WomenInSTEM

🚀 AMA Lunch @ ETH Zürich: Enjoy Cold Calling! Are you an early-stage entrepreneur affiliated with ETH Zürich? Then you know to build a business, you need to talk to your future customers. Cold calling is often the first step, and yes, it can actually be fun! Join our next Ask Me Anything (AMA) Lunch with Cone Switzerland GmbH, a team of founders who have spent years helping startups, SMEs, and corporates grow through effective sales. They’ll share practical insights on how to approach new clients, overcome hesitation, and enjoy the process. 📅 Thursday, 13 November 2025 🕛 12:00–13:30 📍 ETH Zurich, Weinbergstrasse 11 (D floor, near Central) Limited to 20 spots – register by 7 November (first come, first served): 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/ghYqkz3s Who will be there to answer your questions? Barbara Widmer and Martin Petruzzi are both former engineers with deep experience in consultative sales across industries from medical and consumer goods to industrial and digital. After meeting at Zühlke, they co-founded TEQABLE AG and spent over a decade helping to build the company. In 2025, they launched Cone Switzerland GmbH to share their expertise in sales and business growth. At this AMA lunch, we’ll talk about cold calling  and how to make it enjoyable and effective. Looking forward to an inspiring session with you! * Note: This event is tailored for ETH founders and students, who will be given priority. If you’re an ETH student, researcher, or aspiring founder not yet part of the Entrepreneurship Affiliates Program, sign up for free here: https://lnkd.in/gc3tSfaR or contact us at [email protected].

Looking to train new employees in just a few days or support experienced staff in completing complex tasks safely and precisely? ETH Zürich Spin-off Ucentrics AG’s solution could be exactly what you need. More info: https://lnkd.in/e7fyHRgx Video: Nicole Davidson #Spinoff #Entrepreneurship #ETHZürich #Spinoff #Innovation

Discover 30 pioneering exhibitors at ETH Zürich @ Open-i! 📆 On 27 November at the Kongresshaus Zürich / Zurich Convention Center Center Zurich, explore the vibrant exhibition where ETH spin-offs, Research Groups, and ETH Centres showcase their latest innovations. Meet the people behind breakthrough technologies, exchange ideas with industry experts, and find inspiration for new collaborations. 👉 Be part of it! A few tickets are still available – secure yours now and benefit from the 50% ETH discount (only bookable here): https://lnkd.in/eUGKKAKF #Innovation #Networking #Research #Science #Startup askEarth; ETH AI Center; inspire AG; Accelleron; NCCR Automation; Manukai AG; Tethys Robotics; ETH Hangar; ETH Feasibility Lab; Design++, ETH Zurich; Swiss Data Science Center; Ucentrics AG; ETH Zürich | School for Continuing Education; Euresearch; CellX Biosolutions; Winduction AG; NCCR Catalysis; etavalve; vyzn; Energy Science Center, ETH Zurich; ETH Entrepreneurship; DropGen; Tandem Therapeutics; BreezeLabs; Wyss Zurich; World Food System Center, ETH Zurich; House of Charts; RELab ETH Zürich; Medical Microsystems ETH Zurich; Intelligence for Design, Engineering and Learning (IDEAL) ETH Zurich

Investor Insights: Learn. Pitch. Connect. 🤝🏼 Whether you are looking for funding for your project and want to connect with investors, or simply want to understand how the world of venture capital works, this event is for you. We will bring together ETH projects in search of investment and early-stage investors, enabling discussions on eye-level. 📑 Agenda - Introduction to the world of startup investment and how business angels and VCs operate. - Two-way pitch sessions: each project and each investor will get a 1 minute pitch to present themselves. - Networking drinks and food. The event is brought to you in partnership with two student VC funds active in Zurich: Founderful Campus and S2S Ventures. Sign-up here: https://lnkd.in/dQdJkNwj

The first-ever ETH Founders Bootcamp just happened — and once again, the magic was the people. ✨ Over two days, we brought together founders, Entrepreneurs in Residence and guest speakers at Wolfsberg, and it exceeded all expectations! The focus was simple: enabling meaningful interactions between founders, sharing experiences and real stories — the good, the bad, and everything in between — to inspire and empower the next generations of ETH spin-off founders. To all the founders: thank you for trusting us and taking the time out of your busy agendas to be part of this first edition. To our Entrepreneurs in Residence (Mathias Brenner, Emilio Sanz, Josua Jordi) and guest speakers (Philipp Bubenzer, Philipp Furler): big, big thanks for preparing such insightful sessions and sharing your journeys so openly and generously with the community. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to UBS for supporting our new format through the partnership with ETH Zürich — and for providing such an exceptional location and valuable insights throughout the bootcamp (Joachim H. Leonhartsberger, Peter Kempin, Laura Regazzoni, Patrick Arnold, Jan Lederhausen, Amanda Gill, Lukas Döbelin). We’re already looking forward to the next edition! 🚀 Vanessa Wood, Frank Floessel & Maria Friedrich

If you missed the Kickoffs, here's a big announcement that you might have missed. We’re introducing the Spotlight Award, a whole new prize with an extra CHF 50,000 up for grabs ✨ This brand-new award celebrates innovation, creativity, and impact beyond the traditional competition tracks. Each year, it will shine a light on a new frontier of innovation — and for the first-ever edition in 2026, the focus is on artificial intelligence. 🧠 We’re looking for the most innovative Swiss startup using Apertus, Switzerland’s very own large language model (LLM) developed by EPFL and ETH Zürich. If your startup is building something groundbreaking with Apertus — or if you’re exploring ways to integrate Swiss-made AI into your product — this is your moment to stand out. The winner of the Spotlight Award will receive CHF 50,000 in recognition of their outstanding use of Apertus LLM and contribution to Switzerland’s values of trust, security, and innovation. Ready to take the stage? 🌟 Join the competition, showcase your innovation, and you might just be the first-ever Spotlight Award winner! Aurélie Schick, Sybille Zimmermann, ETH AI Center, EPFL AI Center