Tethys Robotics: The Venture Leader Mobile automating inspections in rough waters

09.02.2026 11:00, Rita Longobardi

Meet Jonas Wüst, co-founder of Tethys Robotics. The robotics startup develops autonomous underwater robots for inspections in turbid, high-current waters. In March, Jonas will join nine other innovators on a business development and investor roadshow in Barcelona.

Name: Jonas Wüst
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: ETH Zurich
Prior role: CEO & Co-Founder
Founding team members: 7
Number of employees: 18
Money raised: Over CHF 8 million (PreSeed 2025: CHF 3.5 million)

What does your product or solution do, and what makes it unique?
Tethys Robotics develops compact autonomous underwater robots that inspect, monitor, and secure subsea infrastructure in rough and confined waters. What makes us unique is the combination of hybrid AUV/ROV operation, advanced sensor fusion and real-time 3D mapping, enabling high-quality data collection without large vessels in rough offshore environments.

What trend or shift in your industry is currently creating the biggest opportunity for you?
There is a strong shift toward automation and remote operations in subsea and maritime industries, driven by rising costs, workforce shortages, and increasing security concerns around critical underwater infrastructure. At the same time, regulators and asset owners demand more frequent, data-driven inspections, which traditional methods cannot scale.

How did the idea for your startup originate?
The idea originated at ETH Zurich, where we worked on autonomous systems for complex environments. We saw a clear gap between cutting-edge robotics research and what was actually deployable offshore. Tethys was founded to bridge that gap and bring autonomy into real-world subsea operations.

Which market are you addressing, and what potential do you see for your startup in that market?
We address the global market for subsea inspection, monitoring, and maritime security across offshore energy, telecom cables, ports, and defense. This is a multi-billion-dollar market with strong long-term growth, as underwater infrastructure continues to expand and becomes increasingly mission-critical.

What impact do you want your technology to have five years from now?
In five years, we want autonomous subsea inspection to be the default rather than the exception. Our goal is to significantly reduce offshore risk, cost, and environmental footprint by enabling continuous, reliable underwater situational awareness from shore-based control centers.

What major challenges have you faced so far?
Building trust in conservative maritime and defense markets takes time and requires real deployments and strong partnerships.

What motivates you on tough days?
What motivates me is seeing our robots operate successfully in environments where traditional methods struggle, and knowing that our technology can make offshore work safer and more sustainable. The commitment and resilience of the team also play a huge role on tough days.

Why did you decide to join the Venture Leaders Roadshow, and what are you most excited about?
We joined the Venture Leaders Roadshow to connect with experienced founders, investors, and partners who understand scaling deep-tech companies globally. I’m particularly excited about the strategic discussions, high-quality feedback, and the opportunity to position Tethys for its next growth phase and funding round.