Yaqeen Blog

By late 2025, Switzerland has solidified its position as the "Silicon Valley of Deep Tech." While other ecosystems chase fleeting consumer trends, the Swiss are building the hard-science infrastructure for the next century. Leveraging the massive intellectual capital of ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne, Swiss startups in 2026 are dominating fields like in-chip cooling, chemical recycling, and autonomous industrial robotics. According to the 2025/2026 Swiss Deep Tech Report, nearly 60% of all venture capital in the country now flows into high-complexity science ventures—the highest share globally.

This list represents the "Precision Architects"—companies that are moving the needle on global industrial efficiency, sustainability, and artificial intelligence.

1. Corintis (Lausanne): The In-Chip Cooling Revolution

Corintis is arguably the most critical company in the 2026 AI infrastructure stack. As data centers struggle with the massive heat generated by high-performance GPUs, this EPFL spin-off has developed a "microfluidic" cooling system that sits directly on the silicon.

• The Innovation: Instead of blowing air or water over a chip, Corintis pumps coolant through microscopic channels inside the chip itself. In late 2025, they demonstrated a 10x increase in heat extraction compared to traditional methods.

• Why it Matters: In the 2026 "Compute Squeeze," energy efficiency is the new gold. Corintis allows AI models to run faster and longer while slashing the electricity costs of data center cooling by up to 90%.

• Official Site: https://www.corintis.com

2. DePoly (Sion): The Infinite Plastic Loop

DePoly has solved the "Unrecyclable" problem. By early 2026, their chemical recycling technology has moved from pilot plants to industrial-scale facilities, allowing for the complete breakdown of PET plastics and polyester textiles.

• The Innovation: Their proprietary process works at room temperature and requires no pre-sorting. It breaks down plastic waste into its original chemical building blocks, which are identical to those made from fossil fuels.

• Why it Matters: This is the first true "Circular Signal" for the global fashion and packaging industries. DePoly is enabling a future where plastic is never "waste" but a permanent, renewable resource.

• Official Site: https://www.depoly.co

3. DeepJudge (Zurich): The Legal Reasoning Engine

DeepJudge is the "Knowledge Sovereign" of the professional services world. Founded by former Google AI researchers, this startup has built an AI platform that understands the deep, nuanced context of millions of legal and corporate documents.

• The Innovation: Unlike generic LLMs that can hallucinate, DeepJudge uses Augmented Intelligence to map out the entire internal knowledge base of a law firm or enterprise. It allows lawyers to perform complex research and due diligence in seconds rather than weeks.

• Why it Matters: It represents the 2026 shift from "Chatbots" to "Reasoning Agents" that can handle high-stakes, high-accuracy professional work with a 0% margin for error.

• Official Site: https://www.deepjudge.ai

4. ANYbotics (Zurich): The Industrial Inspection Titan

ANYbotics is the leader in "Legged Robotics" for the energy and manufacturing sectors. Their flagship robot, ANYmal, is designed to operate in environments that are too dangerous or complex for humans—such as oil rigs and chemical plants.

• The Innovation: In 2025/2026, ANYbotics introduced "Autonomous Sensing 2.0," allowing their robots to detect gas leaks, heat anomalies, and structural defects using AI-native vision sensors in real-time.

• Why it Matters: They are solving the global industrial labor shortage while improving safety. Their robots don't just "walk"; they think, inspect, and report, acting as the eyes and ears of a 24/7 autonomous facility.

• Official Site: https://www.anybotics.com

5. Yokoy (Zurich): The Spend Management AI

Yokoy has outpaced global competitors to become the "Fintech Fortress" of 2026. Their platform uses AI to automate the entire corporate spend cycle—from expense management to credit cards and accounts payable.

• The Innovation: Their 2026 "Self-Learning Audit" engine identifies fraudulent or non-compliant spending with 99.9% accuracy, effectively removing the need for manual finance oversight.

• Why it Matters: In an era of tightening margins, Yokoy gives enterprises total "Fiscal Sovereignty," ensuring that every cent spent is aligned with company policy and tax regulations automatically.

• Official Site: https://www.yokoy.ai

6. RIVR (Formerly Swiss-Mile, Zurich): The Last-Mile Predator

RIVR is the most innovative company in the 2026 logistics space. They have created a hybrid robot that combines the speed of wheels with the agility of legs, allowing it to drive on roads and climb stairs to deliver packages.

• The Innovation: Their robots use "Physical AI," allowing them to navigate complex urban obstacles autonomously. In 2025, they rebranded to RIVR to reflect their new "River" flow logic for urban delivery streams.

• Why it Matters: They are the "Squeeze Signal" for the e-commerce industry, promising a 50% reduction in delivery costs by removing the human driver from the final, most expensive mile.

• Official Site: https://www.rivr.ai

7. BTRY (Dübendorf): The Next-Gen Energy Storage

BTRY is a spin-off from Empa and ETH Zurich that is reinventing the battery. In 2026, they are leading the charge in Solid-State Thin-Film Batteries that can charge in under one minute.

• The Innovation: Their batteries are non-flammable, handle extreme temperatures, and possess a significantly higher lifecycle than lithium-ion. They use a high-vacuum manufacturing process that is far more sustainable than traditional mining-heavy methods.

• Why it Matters: As we move toward a world of "Everything Electric," BTRY provides the high-performance, fast-charging storage needed for the next generation of IoT devices and medical implants.

• Official Site: https://www.btry.ch

8. Planted (Zurich): The Food-Tech Vanguard

Planted is the 2026 leader in "Clean Meat" alternatives. Unlike competitors who use chemical additives, Planted uses a bio-structuring process to create plant-based meat with only natural ingredients.

• The Innovation: Their "Whole-Cut" technology allows them to replicate the complex fibrous structure of a chicken breast or steak using just peas, water, and oil.

• Why it Matters: They are the first company to achieve "Parity of Taste and Price" while maintaining a "Clean Label." In 2026, they are the definitive answer to the global "Protein Squeeze."

• Official Site: https://www.eatplanted.com

9. Lightium (Zurich): The Photonic Foundry

Lightium is at the absolute cutting edge of the semiconductor industry. They specialize in Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), using light instead of electricity to move data.

• The Innovation: Their proprietary Thin-Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) platform allows for the mass production of photonic chips that are significantly faster and more energy-efficient than traditional silicon.

• Why it Matters: Lightium is providing the "Optical Wires" for the 2026 AI era, enabling the ultra-fast data transmission required for the next generation of 6G and quantum computing.

• Official Site: https://www.lightium.ai

10. Tethys Robotics (Zurich): The Underwater Guard

Tethys Robotics has built the world's most advanced autonomous underwater drone. Designed to operate in high-current, low-visibility environments, it is used for inspecting underwater infrastructure and search-and-recovery.

• The Innovation: Their drone features a "Sovereign Positioning System" that allows it to navigate accurately without GPS or acoustic beacons, using AI to "see" through murky water.

• Why it Matters: As global offshore energy (wind and oil) expands in 2026, Tethys provides the essential "Sub-Sea Security" needed to maintain critical underwater assets without risking human divers.

• Official Site: https://www.tethys-robotics.ch

The 2026 Strategic Conclusion: The High-Bar of Innovation

The Swiss startup landscape in 2026 is a masterclass in Technical Sovereignty. Switzerland doesn't just "invent" things; it builds the machines that the rest of the world will rely on for the next 50 years. These ten companies represent the "Swiss Standard": high-precision engineering, radical sustainability, and deep integration of AI into the physical world.

For the modern investor, the "Alpine Signal" is undeniable: while software is eating the world, Swiss Hardware is building the table. As the "Green Squeeze" and the "AI Boom" collide in 2026, these startups are the ones holding the keys to the future.