TOP 100 - Meet the 5 Best Swiss Engineering Startups of 2019 Ranking

21.11.2019 17:00, Guillaume Tinsel

The TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award ranking features young companies from a range of different sectors. Meet the 5 Swiss startups which took the top spots in the engineering sector in this year's ranking.

Each year 100 investors and experts choose their ten favourite young companies with the most promising business idea. The result is the TOP 100 Swiss Startup ranking. These experts rely on their instinct to propose startups with the best success potential. Year after year, the ranking provides an instant picture of the most innovative and promising young companies in Switzerland. This 5 Swiss startups took the top spots in the engineering sector in this year's ranking.



1. 9TLABS, Zurich, #10 2. ASTROCAST, Ecublens (VD), #12
Astrocast’s ambitious goal is to see 80 satellites orbiting the globe to create a global network for the Internet of Things, so that sensors, machines or buildings can be connected to the internet even in remote areas or at sea. The EPFL spin-off is making good progress in implementing the vision: the first test satellite was put into orbit in winter 2018, followed by the second in spring of this year.
The 30 x 10 x 10 cm nano-satellites are crammed full of high technology and demonstrate Swiss engineering. Two of Astrocast’s nano-satellites, Kiwi and Hawaii, are already in a low orbit between 550 and 600 km from earth. By 2023, 80 satellites should be in orbit. “Starting next year, we will offer our customers a global communication network for direct data exchange with IoT devices,” explains CEO Fabien Jordan (left), who was involved in the development of the first Swiss satellite more than 10 years ago. With its own satellite constellation, Astrocast is extending the Internet of Things to the 90% of the planet that is not covered by cellular networks. “The potential is phenomenal,” says Jordan. Investors are equally interested: the EPFL-based start-up has been able to raise more than CHF 16.6 million from investors and through subsidies, including collaboration with the European Space Agency ESA.

3. CREAL3D, St-Sulplice (VD), #23
Smart glasses have been considered the ‘next big thing’ for several years, but so far it has not materialised. One of the problems has been solved by CREAL3D: images of virtual objects can be projected on to the glasses in such a way that a natural depth effect is created. The technology should become the standard for smart glasses.

4. NANOLEQ, Zurich, #40
If headphones suddenly stop working, it is often because the cable is broken due to mechanical stress. The ETH spin-off has developed an ultra-flexible cable that can withstand much more stress. The first areas of application, however, are not in consumer electronics, but in medical technology, robotics and the aerospace industry.

5. EYEWARE TECH, Martigny (VS), #50
The software from the Valais start-up can observe the human eye and draw conclusions about the user’s attention. Areas of application include, for example, the collaboration of robots with people or even the automotive sector. In addition, the team plans to make the technology available to end users. Investors are supporting the start-up’s entry to the mass market.

Go Global: We are inviting all Swiss medtech startups to apply for the Venture Leaders Program 2020! Are you a founder? Join us on our roadshow to Silicon Valley, to make your startup ready for international partnerships, investments & scale-up!