Participated · Seed · Feb 2026

Founded in 2023 as an ETH Zurich and Empa spin-off, Zurich-based Chiral is building equipment systems and process technology that make nanomaterials manufacturable for cutting-edge semiconductor and quantum applications. Its core offering automates nanomaterial deposition and integration, providing precise process control that accelerates customers’ R&D and production timelines. The company has already delivered its first commercial equipment platform and reports that industrial and research customers are using it to speed development cycles. Recent work has focused on advancing automation and in-line process monitoring to ensure scalability and reliability. With fresh funding, Chiral plans to broaden its operational footprint, deepen product development, and expand customer support. While revenue and user numbers were not disclosed, the company’s progress from prototype to commercial system within two years underscores rapid execution. CEO Seoho Jung leads a multidisciplinary team combining materials science, engineering, and manufacturing expertise.

Participated · Grant · Sep 2025

Unbound Potential is building a membraneless redox-flow battery that stores energy in two liquid electrolytes, eliminating the costly membrane and complex manufacturing steps of conventional batteries. Its design aims to cut capital expenditure and maintenance while enabling rapid, inexpensive scaling of stationary storage systems. The fresh capital will be used to accelerate R&D and to prove scalability in early pilot projects, with a first pilot plant slated for mid-2026 at a local partner site. Early field tests are already underway with high-profile partners such as Amazon, AI data-centre operators, EV-fleet providers and grid operators. Founder and CEO David Taylor positions the technology as a key enabler for a renewable-energy future in which global battery demand is expected to triple by 2040. Financially, the company has just secured €14.4 million in pre-seed funding, split between roughly €6.4 million in equity and €8 million in non-dilutive grants, making it one of Europe’s largest pre-seed rounds.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2025

Manukai is an ETH Zürich spin-off founded in December 2023 by Pascal Weber and Daniel Wälchli, developing patent-pending AI technology to automate and optimize CNC programming. Its software integrates with existing CNC programming tools and enables manufacturers to centralize historical programming knowledge on-premises to preserve IP and privacy. The company aims to accelerate programming, improve machining strategies, and address the industry skills gap in high-precision metal machining. Manukai has established relationships with industry leaders such as Bosch and is guided by advisors including Torbjørn Netland. The startup raised an oversubscribed $3M (CHF 2.645M) pre-seed round to fast-track development and bring its technology closer to market readiness. The founders say the funds will be used to refine the AI-powered product and scale toward becoming a leading AI technology company for manufacturing.

Led · Equity · Oct 2024

LatticeFlow AI is developing the AI Assessments platform that integrates governance frameworks with the technical validations required for regulatory compliance, including the EU AI Act. The company positions the platform as the world’s first to seamlessly combine governance and technical evaluation for AI systems. LatticeFlow emphasizes closing the gap between governance processes and deep technical validation so enterprises can deploy reliable, compliant models. The project is framed to address the growing AI Trust, Risk, and Security Management (AI TRiSM) market, which the article cites as projected to exceed USD 8 billion by 2033. LatticeFlow has collaborated on COMPL-AI, a compliance-centered evaluation framework for LLMs developed with ETH Zurich and INSAIT. The company is also working with KPMG Switzerland in a strategic partnership to accelerate AI risk assessments and help enterprises meet emerging regulations. Recent external funding will be used to advance the platform and its commercial opportunities. LatticeFlow, an ETH Zurich spin-out from 2020, provides tooling that automatically diagnoses issues in computer vision models and improves both data and models. The product inspects pre-trained vision models and the underlying datasets to find labeling issues, poor-quality samples and model blind spots. Customers use the platform to reveal hidden correlations and failure scenarios that standard data checks miss. The company offers its solution as an on-prem tool today and says it may offer a fully managed service in the future. LatticeFlow counts more than 10 customers in Europe and the U.S., including Siemens and Swiss Federal Railways, and is running additional pilots. The team will use new funding to hire aggressively to service customers and expand its product portfolio. LatticeFlow is an AI startup spun out of ETH Zurich in 2020 that builds tools to help teams develop and deploy safe, reliable, and trustworthy models. Its platform provides systematic ways to monitor models, assess reliability across relevant data slices, and supply tools for improving model robustness beyond aggregate metrics like accuracy. The founding team includes CTO Pavol Bielik, CEO Petar Tsankov, and ETH professors Martin Vechev and Andreas Krause, who bring expertise in verification and adaptive learning. LatticeFlow is currently in early access and already has pilot customers including Swiss railways (SBB), Germany’s Federal Cyber Security Bureau and the U.S. Army, and is working with other large enterprises on computer vision models. The company raised a $2.8M seed round led by btov and Global Founders Capital to accelerate product development and acquire new customers. The team plans to build out a U.S. presence in the near future.

Led · Grant · Oct 2024

Vandria SA is developing drug candidates that target mitophagy. Its two lead candidates are aimed at central nervous system (CNS) and muscle diseases, respectively. On Feb. 8, 2024, Vandria was awarded two grants totaling €3.8M (US$4.1M). The grants were awarded by Innosuisse and Eurostars. The funding is intended to support advancement of the company’s two lead drug candidates. Vandria discovers and develops first-in-class small-molecule mitophagy inducers that target a novel protein to induce mitophagy and provide anti-inflammatory effects, with strong genetic links to several human diseases. Its lead program, VNA-318, is aimed at early-stage CNS and neurodegenerative disorders to improve cognition and limit memory-loss progression. The company also maintains a pipeline of mitophagy-inducing molecules targeting muscle, lung, and liver diseases. Since the initial Series A close in December, Vandria has advanced its platform and lead program, expanded its team, and moved into dedicated lab facilities at Superlab Suisse on the Biopôle Lausanne campus. Vandria raised CHF4.2M in non-dilutive funding via two Innosuisse grants and an Eurostars grant to support preclinical work alongside its equity financing. Management plans to complete Single Ascending Dose (SAD) and Multiple Ascending Dose (MAD) Phase 1 studies of VNA-318 and, subject to positive Phase 1 results and regulatory approvals, initiate three parallel Phase 1b/2a efficacy studies in 2025. Vandria develops small-molecule mitophagy inducers aimed at rejuvenating cells to treat age-related and chronic diseases. Its lead program, VNA-318, is a brain-penetrant, patent-protected mitophagy inducer that has shown memory and learning improvement and disease-modifying effects in preclinical models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. VNA-318 is expected to enter the clinic in Q2 2024. The company is also advancing mitophagy-inducing programs targeting muscle, lung, and liver diseases, and a separate program focused on ferroptosis. Vandria intends to use the Series A proceeds to expand operations and advance its development efforts. The company is led by CEO Klaus Dugi, CSO Penelope Andreux and Head of BD & Finance Peter Harboe-Schmidt, and is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.