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Switzerland is quietly becoming one of the most concentrated hubs for deep tech and climate innovation in the world.

From programmable proteins to recyclable plastics, geothermal panels to sustainable aviation fuel, a new generation of startups is rebuilding entire industries from the molecule up.

We spoke with investors and ecosystem leaders to understand what truly sets Switzerland apart as a climate innovation powerhouse. And reveal 14 startups to watch from across the country.

“Switzerland’s prototyping facilities and pilot infrastructure are critical. Facilities like the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) or CSEM allow startups to validate complex hardware at scale without having to build their own factories, significantly lowering the funding risk faced by Hard Tech ventures. The infrastructure available to startups in Switzerland is world-class, even attracting foreign companies to build here,” notes Thomas Meier, Partner at Verve Ventures  

This strength in infrastructure is closely tied to the country’s deep research base.

“For deep tech, Switzerland is an incredible place to develop complex technologies because of its strong research ecosystem and universities,” says Giorgia Scetta, Materials Science and Partners Manager at MassChallenge Switzerland. “But once the technology is ready, founders should think internationally early if they want to scale.”

And in Switzerland, that leap to international markets is rarely left to chance.

Patrizia Bischof, Campaign Manager at Presence Switzerland tells us: “Switzerland offers ideal conditions to develop advanced technologies and scaling is supported by early and consistent exposure to global markets. As the official campaign to promote Swiss innovation abroad, swisstech opens international access to startups at all stages enabling them to build visibility, attract partners and accelerate market entry.”

“When founders ask whether to build in Switzerland, the honest answer is: yes, if you are R&D-driven,” says Myke Näf, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Übermorgen Ventures. “The talent density is world-class, especially around ETH Zurich and EPFL. Switzerland is expensive, but that can be a feature, it forces focus and rewards capital efficiency early.”

At the same time, Switzerland is not a one-size-fits-all solution. “If manufacturing scale or market access is the priority, those parts of the company should often be built closer to where they matter most. If manufacturing scale or market access is the priority, consider building those parts closer to where they matter most,” Myke adds.

“The biggest beneficiaries are climate hard-tech companies with substantial R&D and difficult engineering — novel materials, carbon capture and carbon utilization processes, energy-storage chemistries, battery process innovation, industrial decarbonization technologies,” Myke explains. “They benefit from the talent base, the research ecosystem, and early de-risking support.”

This momentum is now being translated into tangible opportunities for founders to scale, connect, and showcase their innovations globally:

Co-Founder and CEO: Julian Englert
Latest Funding: $8 million
HQ: Vaud

Solution: Cloud lab for protein designers
How it works: Proteins are the most advanced nanotechnology we know of. Adaptyv Bio are building a next-gen protein foundry to allow you to synthesize and test any protein you design.
Outcome: Adaptyv generates the data that AI models need to design new proteins, in just 3 weeks.

Co-Founders: Hermann Tribukait and Loïc Roch
Latest Funding: $5 million
HQ: Vaud

Solution: AI and robotics to accelerate the development of molecules and materials
How it works: Atinary are reimagining the laboratory to dissolve traditional bottlenecks and unlock limitless science, enabling researchers to focus their expertise on pure innovation.
Applications: The sweet spot applications are in formulation, catalysis, and synthesis for the pharma, biotech, food, chemicals, energy, and climate tech industries. 

Co-Founder and CEO: Jessica Farda (CEO) and Stefan Grieder
Latest Funding: €4.3 million
HQ: Aargau

Solution: Plastic-free biomaterials for industrial use.
How it works: Developing plastic free films made from materials nature accepts, with no chemical modification, and designed to run on existing production systems.
Applications: norifresh™ is our seaweed-based film material developed for top seal packaging applications.

Co-Founders and Co-CEOs: Florent Héroguel, Remy Buser and Jeremy Luterbacher
Latest Funding: $14 million
HQ: Fribourg

Solution: By transforming natural materials found in biomass, Bloom Biorenewables creates the first true alternative to petroleum.
How it works: With their groundbreaking process, Bloom provides a novel, cost-competitive route to source molecules from plants. This technology is the first of its kind and offers an unprecedented alternative for many petroleum-based products.
Applications: From fragrances to polyurethanes, Bloom is committed to offer tailored solutions to our customers and help companies around the Globe in reducing their carbon footprint.

Co-Founder and CEO: Bardiya Valizadeh, Samantha Anderson, Christopher Ireland
Latest Funding: $23 million
HQ: Valais

Solution: Novel, clean technology to recycle PET and Polyester
How it works: Their cutting-edge recycling process converts plastics into high-quality raw materials without compromising their quality.
Applications: Not only is it energy-efficient, but it also has the remarkable ability to handle even the most challenging streams of PET plastic and textiles, including mixed, dirty post-consumer and post-industrial waste that are traditionally considered unrecyclable.

Co-Founders and CEO: Margaux Peltier (CEO), Alessandro Rotta Loria, Lyesse Laloui
Latest Funding: CHF 1.3 million
HQ: Vaud

Solution: Turning underground spaces into sources of renewable heating and cooling.
How it works: Enerdrape operates the world's first prefabricated geothermal panel technology.
Applications: Thanks to an installation without drilling, Enerdrape panels make it possible to capture renewable thermal energy from underground areas such as car parks or tunnels, thus achieving CO2 savings. Available for new buildings, it is also available for the optimization of existing buildings. Enerdrape scalable panels are quick, easy to install and compatible with all heat pumps.

Co-Founders: Dominik Blaser, Jonas Roch, Nicolas Weber
Latest Funding: CHF 4.8 million
HQ: Vaud

Solution: Delivering sustainable energy to greenhouses without compromise.
How it works: Voltiris enables double-use of large greenhouses surfaces to produce electricity without impacting their high agricultural yield.
Applications: Voltiris introduces a solar panel design to generate electricity from the part of sunlight's spectrum that is unused for crop growth.

Founder and CEO: Philipp Man
Latest Funding: €192 million
HQ: Zug

Solution: LAYR, the flexibility platform for proprietary and third-party BESS asset virtualisation.
How it works: The unique multi-optimiser model provides a solution for merchant mode of operation by eliminating binary trading risk and ensuring real-time performance transparency to maximise asset performance. Tailored tolling structures are enabled through flexible slicing of physical capacity. Offtakers gain access to capacity via API and infrastructure build to scale infinitely.
Application: terralayr enables asset owners, utilities, and traders to maximise value through advanced flexibility solutions.

Co-Founders and CEO: Moritz H. Futscher (CEO), Abdessalem Aribia
Latest Funding: $5.7 million
HQ: Zurich

Solution: BTRY, an EMPA- and ETHZ- spinoff, is developing a new type of thin-film solid-state battery.
How it works: The battery can be charged and discharged in one minute, has a high energy density, and delivers reliable energy even at extreme temperatures.
Applications: Unlocking new possibilities in IoT, MedTech and consumer electronics.

Co-Founders and CEO: Saurabh Kapoor (CEO), Leigh Hackett, and Ulrich Koss
Latest Funding: $24 million
HQ: Zurich

Solution: Making affordable net-zero aviation a reality with their breakthrough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology, aerobrew and their methanol-to-jet approach.
How it works: Starting from renewable feedstocks including green hydrogen, driven by renewable electricity, and sustainably sourced CO2, for example from direct air capture, aerobrew™ provides an efficient route to large-scale production of e-kerosene, overcoming the scale up challenges and high costs of alternative e-fuels technologies.
Applications: aerobrew™ is also compatible with the biogenic route whereby the carbon required for the process is derived from renewable and sustainable cellulosic biomass which, does not compete with the food chain (wood, miscanthus, etc.).

Co-Founders and CEO: Frederic Fournier (CEO), Michael Kelly and Aureline Grange
Latest Funding: $4.1 million
HQ: Zug

Solution: Enabling, validating, and delivering high quality carbon credits.
How it works: From large government initiatives to small landowners and indigenous communities who have been classically left behind by legacy systems, Open Forest Protocol provides the tools to demonstrate the impact of their land restoration or reforestation efforts, opening access to long-term financing with innovative, intuitive technology.
Applications: Forest projects of any size anywhere on earth can measure, report, and verify their progress with no up-front costs.

Co-Founders and CEO: Tomas Turner (CEO), Dimitri Zogg
Latest Funding: $5 million
HQ: Zurich

Solution: Cosaic develops a unique natural multifunctional emulsion to enhance the texture and stability of dairy and dairy-free products, all at once, by itself.
How it works: Some of the most stable emulsions already exist in nature. Milk and egg yolk, for example, are naturally stable systems where water and tiny fat droplets remain perfectly dispersed, creating a smooth, uniform texture that lasts over time.
Applications: In manufactured foods, achieving this kind of stability is highly desirable but typically requires added emulsifiers and stabilisers. Cosaic Neo is produced by yeast cells and replicates this natural stability, delivering a clean, effective, animal-free solution inspired by nature.

Co-Founders and CEO: Julie Böhning (CEO), Jérémy Marciacq
Latest Funding: $40 million
HQ: Vaud

Solution: Last-mile satellite delivery, moving multi-ton payloads from LEO to any orbit within 24 hours
How it works: PAVE Space is a Swiss company built on the success of the Gruyère Space Program, which developed Europe’s first reusable rocket demonstrator.
Its expertise spans space propulsion, control algorithms, and rapid integration of complex systems.
Applications: PAVE Space now targets last-mile satellite delivery, using its kickstage to move multi-ton payloads from low Earth orbit to any orbit within 24 hours.

Co-Founder and CEO: Luc Piguet (CEO) and Muriel Richard-Noca
Latest Funding: EUR 26 million
HQ: Vaud

Solution: ClearSpace is pioneering active debris removal and in-orbit servicing with several groundbreaking missions in our pipeline.
How it works: The company is developing advanced, inherently dual-use technologies for satellite disposal, inspection, and life-extension, supporting both institutional and commercial missions while contributing to the safe, secure, and sustainable use of the space environment.
Applications: The world's first active debris removal mission, commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA), targeting the removal of the PROBA-1 satellite from orbit.