Meet Sevensense co-founder and CEO Gregory Hitz and learn what roles robots and yogurts play in his life

30.06.2020 14:49, Isabelle Mitchell

Venture Leader Technology Gregory Hitz co-founded Sevensense, a company that enables mobile robots to support humans. To learn more about his life as a founder, we asked him about the rewards of entrepreneurship, what he expects from the upcoming Venture Leaders roadshow, and how and where he prefers to relax.

In October, the Venture Leaders Technology 2020 will embark on their week-long roadshow to accelerate their expansion into the US market and build a business network through meetings with top-notch investors and industry leaders in Silicon Valley. To shorten the waiting time, we will introduce you to the members of the Swiss National Startup Team. We asked each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose four questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life: 

Name: Gregory Hitz
Job title: CEO of Sevensense Robotics 
Location: Zurich 
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: ETH Zurich (PhD)
Number of employees: 22 (as of 06/2020) 
First touchpoint with Venturelab: The first event that I participated in was the SPS Acceleration Workshop for Mobility Startups in 2018.

“At Sevensense, we build the eyes and the brain for mobile robots that make them move in crowded and fast-changing spaces.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
The idea for Sevensense arose during my PhD at the Autonomous Systems Lab at ETH Zurich. The fundamental concepts of using computer vision in robotics have been researched for decades. But it became clear that the technology is ready for the market when we had the chance to work with industry partners and validate its performance in the field.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
From the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow, I expect to get in contact with the right investors to bring our venture forward. So far, we have been able to gain significant traction with our first customers and are now at a stage to grow further. For this, it is crucial to find the right partners. Partners that believe in the same vision and are willing to bring it to the next level.

How and where do you clear your mind?
I try to spend as much time as I can with my family. Spending a day outdoors in the mountains among your loved ones is the ideal way to relax. It puts things into perspective and lets you view things with a fresh mind.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder?
The most rewarding aspect of being a founder is the many small successes along the road. Be it a happy customer, being contacted by interested investors, or a team member telling you that they enjoy their work at the company. It is these small things that are reassuring me that we are on the right track.

What is your favorite movie and why?
To me, there is no such thing as “the best movie”; there are just so many amazing ones. Many of my favorites are from the 90s—for instance, Taratino’s work from that time: Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Jackie Brown.

What is always in your fridge?
Yogurt. This is absolutely essential. Yogurt is love; yogurt is life.


For more information and updates on Sevensense and the Venture Leaders Technology, follow the Venture Leaders Technology 2020 team with #VleadersTech on social media or subscribe to our newsletter. 

This year’s Venture Leaders Technology roadshow to Silicon Valley is supported by DPD, Kellerhals Carrard, Rothschild & Co Bank, Canton de Vaud, EPF Lausanne, and ETH Zurich.