Switzerland has emerged as global leader in deep tech, a sector that has thrived on the back of surging funding, increased participation from international backers, and the emergence of industry leaders from the country’s world-renowned science, engineering, and technology universities, according to a recent report by Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation and Dealroom.co.

Deep tech companies develop groundbreaking technologies based on significant scientific or engineering advances. Unlike typical software startups, these companies aim to solve complex technical challenges in fields such as artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), quantum computing, biotechnology, semiconductors, and advanced materials.

In Switzerland, deep tech now constitutes the majority of venture capital (VC) investments in the country. Between 2020 and 2026, deep tech startups in Switzerland secured 63% of all VC investments, ahead of China at 56%, and the US at 54%. This means that during this period, more than half of every venture dollar invested in Switzerland was allocated to deep tech startups.

Switzerland also ranks first in Europe on deep tech per capita at US$1,470, making it the ultimate deep tech nation in the region. Globally, Switzerland ranks among the top three nations, alongside Israel and the US.

Surging deep tech funding in Switzerland is being driven by increased participation from international investors. Between 2024 and May 2026, foreign investors provided 88% of Swiss deep tech funding for rounds exceeding US$100 million, compared to 75% across Europe. This indicates robust international faith in Switzerland’s innovation capacity, research infrastructure, and business environment.

Similarly, foreign investors accounted for 64% of deep tech rounds under US$15 million in Switzerland during the same period, compared to 46% in Europe.

In 2025, deep tech funding reached a new record of US$2.6 billion, marking a five-fold increase since 2015. The momentum continued in 2026.

In March, Kandou AI, a fabless semiconductor design company specializing in high-speed, longer-reach, low-power connectivity solutions, raised a US$225 million late VC round. This round aims to accelerate the manufacturing of its high-performance AI connectivity chips, strengthen partnerships with leading hyperscale and AI infrastructure customers globally, and fuel its next generation of chip and intellectual property portfolio.

That same month, Windward Bio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on serious immunological diseases, raised a US$165 million round, extending the company’s cash runway and enabling multiple clinical readouts within the next 12 months.

Other notable rounds so far this year include PAVE Space, a spacecraft firm developing orbital transfer vehicles, raising a US$40 million seed round. This round aims to develop a new generation of spacecraft designed to rapidly move satellites between orbits.

Additionally, Metafuels, an aviation technology company developing proprietary sustainable fuel technologies, secured a US$24 million Series A to support the introduction of its aerobrew product into the market.

Switzerland’s deep tech sector

Switzerland is a powerhouse in technologies driving the world’s economy, especially AI/ML, robotics, and biotech and techbio.

Since 2020, the country has created 5 times more VC-backed robotics startups per capita than the UK, and 3.5 times more than the US. It’s now home to more than 45 VC-backed robotics startups, collectively valued at US$3.8 billion. Notable startups in this field include Embotech, Flexion, and ecorobotix.

Switzerland is also a prominent player in AI, boasting the highest density of researchers in the field globally and twice the number of researchers compared to the UK and the US. The country is home to over 80 VC-backed AI startups, which hold a combined enterprise value of US$4.4 billion. Prominent startups in this domain include ethon.ai, LatticeFlow, and DeepJudge.

Switzerland’s presence in the semiconductor and quantum computing sectors is equally noteworthy. The country has more than 60 VC-backed startups in this space, with a combined enterprise value of US$2.3 billion. Notable startups in this field include Corintis, Terra Quantum, and ZuriQ.

Biotech and techbio represent another key deep tech vertical. This segment encompasses over 295 VC-backed startups, collectively valued at a substantial US$75 billion. Notable startups in this field include Adaptyv, Glycoera, and Neurimmune.

Switzerland’s dynamic deep tech industry has emerged as a result of the presence of world-renowned science, engineering, and technology universities. Notably, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) and the Federal School of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), both esteemed science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) universities, rank first and second among Europe’s universities by new deep tech spinout creation.

Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Magnific