The Switzerland is often referred to as the innovation paradise. The country was ranked number one in the 2025 global digital competitiveness ranking by the IMD, ahead of Singapore and the United States. Switzerland is also in the top 10 of patent filings globally, as we learned this week. And consistently, EPFL and ETH Zurich appear in the top 50 of international high schools.
There are global podiums. But there is mainly the reality of the field. In the space of a few days, several extremely promising start-ups have announced nice successes: the Vaud company Kandou AI raising $225 million, the specialist in weeding robots Ecorobotix crossing the threshold of 1000 machines and investing in the United States, or the Zurich designer of delivery robots RIVR being bought by Amazon.
In the laboratories, and then in the factories, Switzerland is doing very well. We remember that in January, the industrial AI specialist Neural Concept, based in Lausanne, raised $100 million for its growth. And still in Lausanne, Nexthink, focused on the digital experience of employees, reached a valuation of $3 billion.
Not enough capital
The successes are dazzling. But they are also extraordinarily fragile. Very often, these promising companies are emanations from EPFL and ETH Zurich. Pillars of research, training excellent specialists (and perfectly complementary to the precious HES), these high schools must, however, undergo drastic budget cuts. The Confederation imposes significant financial pressure on the ETH, which almost resembles a suicidal strategy given their importance in innovation in Switzerland.
In parallel, there is still the question of funding. If start-ups easily find $1 to $5 million, scale-ups, with larger capital requirements, often turn to the other side of the Atlantic. Moreover, it is observed regularly that Amazon or Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s empire, come to acquire Swiss tech gems. Good for their founders and investors. Even if sometimes, a team of engineers remains in Switzerland, the substance of these companies is absorbed in the United States.
Let us be aware of the successes of Swiss tech startups. But also, and especially, of their fragility. And let us already think about ensuring the development of those that will be created in the coming years.
