Start-up boom thriving at ETH Zurich

With 37 new spin-offs, ETH Zurich continues its long-term upward trend in the launch of new companies from its research. Artificial Intelligence and machine learning led the list with ten spin-offs, followed closely by biotechnology and pharmaceuticals with eight.

Rising investments also bear witness to the attractiveness of ETH spin-offs, with the total amount invested having increased tenfold in the past decade. In 2024, almost CHF 425 million was invested in ETH spin-offs in 42 published financing rounds, an increase of 25 percent over the previous year.

Neustark was particularly successful, raising a total of USD 69 million. The company is engaged in the battle against climate change, working on a process that captures CO2 from the atmosphere in recycled concrete with a view to reducing carbon emissions. Bright Peak Therapeutics, a biotech company from Allschwil, specialises in the development of advanced immunotherapies. Bright Peak raised USD 90 million in a Series C financing round led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation in June 2024.

Foreign entrepreneurs, but here to stay

The founders of ETH spin-offs created between 2017 and 2024 come from 46 different countries, primarily Switzerland (45%), Germany (18%), and Italy (6%). While the founders themselves may come from all over the world, an overwhelming amount of the spin-offs stay in Switzerland. Of the 530 spin-offs created at ETH Zurich since 1973 and still active today, 519 of them are operating in Switzerland and make a significant contribution to society. The survival rate of the spin-offs is also impressive, with 93 percent of companies still active five years after they were established.

“These figures make it clear how Switzerland benefits from ETH Zurich bringing in the brightest minds from all over the world. They develop new products, establish new companies, and create added value for Swiss society and the country’s economy,” says Vanessa Wood, Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations.

More women in founding teams

At 14 percent, the proportion of female company founders in 2024 was in line with the average for the previous four years, although there has been a long-term upward trend. A positive development is the increase in mixed gender founding teams – together with the all-female teams they account for around 35 percent of all spin-offs, with the remaining 65 percent founded by men.

ETH Zurich published a detailed spin-off report for the first time in 2024, with an in-depth insight into the long-term trend in spin-off establishment at ETH and a wide range of information relating to facts and figures from the past year. The report for the last year can be downloaded from the ETH website. General information can be found on the website of ETH Entrepreneurship.

(Press release / SK)