Precision, proximity and purpose in Swiss composites innovation

Switzerland composite startups landscape. Source | Yannick Willemin

If France shows how institutional-scale and deep tech entities drive national ambition, then Switzerland demonstrates the power of a tightly connected, high-trust innovation ecosystem where precision and collaboration meet.

With a population smaller than that of many other European regions (about 240 times smaller in area and nearly 38 times less populous than the U.S.), Switzerland might seem modest at first glance — but when it comes to (composites) innovation, it punches far above its weight. There’s also a unique feeling of home for me here — Zürich is my birthplace, and I’ve been living here again for the past six years.

Welcome to an exploration of how startup and investor ecosystems around the globe are shaping the future of composites.

This first series, “Tour de Composites,” will zoom into one country or region, decoding the technologies, teams and funding actors driving innovation — from recycling breakthroughs to advanced manufacturing.

Read the introductory article to understand the vision behind this series.

Bcomp and the Alpine tech spirit

“While our original dream was to launch a ski company, we soon recognized that the true innovation wasn’t just in the skis but in the core material we had developed. Instead of starting a ski brand, we decided to focus on refining and commercializing this core technology.”

In July 2024, NASCAR debuted its first version of its battery electric vehicle (BEV) prototype featuring Bcomp’s flax-based materials. Source | NASCAR Media

These words from Christian Fischer, CEO and co-founder of Bcomp, highlight how smart, strategic pivots can be a crucial element in a startup’s path to success.

Bcomp, based in Fribourg, exemplifies Switzerland’s distinctive approach to deep tech in composites. Known for its high-performance natural fiber composites, Bcomp has scaled from lab idea to industry supplier — making inroads into mobility, sports and aerospace sectors. Its flax-based solutions are not only lightweight and strong, but also bring sustainability to the core of product design.

What makes Bcomp especially remarkable isn’t just the tech — it’s how Swiss infrastructure supports companies like it from idea to impact. Fischer himself is a great example of this system in action. An alumnus of both EPFL and the University of St. Gallen, and now an entrepreneur and an Innosuisse coach, he embodies the diversity of Switzerland’s innovation pipeline, from academic excellence to entrepreneurship.

Polytechnics as innovation engines

At the heart of this technology innovation system are ETH Zürich and EPFL in Lausanne — two of the most respected technical universities in Europe, if not globally. These institutions have been instrumental in advancing composites technologies, from simulation to material design, automated production and now AI. Every time I’m at ETH Zürich, I’m reminded of its incredible legacy. Knowing that Albert Einstein once studied and taught here makes the experience feel quietly meaningful and inspiring.

“Switzerland’s universities provide an excellent breeding ground for outstanding technologies and startups,” says Michael Blank, head investment team at Verve Ventures. “Verve Ventures has been actively investing in Switzerland’s frontier technologies over the last 15 years. During those years we deployed more than $200 million in Swiss startups, among those 40 spin-offs from ETH and EPFL.”

But perhaps even more importantly, these universities have institutionalized the spin-off process. Dedicated transfer offices, structured incubator pathways and deep corporate collaborations mean that high-potential ideas don’t get trapped in academia — they become startups.

And it doesn’t stop at the federal level. Switzerland’s Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences) play a critical role in bridging theory with industrial application. Their strong links to SMEs and regional clusters create an applied research environment well suited to scaling manufacturing technologies, including in the composites domain. Grateful thoughts go to Christian Brauner, professor at FHNW and a valued board member of Composites United Switzerland, for his continued commitment to the composites community.

Complementing this technical foundation is the University of St. Gallen, a global leader in business education. With its focus on entrepreneurship, strategy and innovation management, it provides Swiss founders with the business acumen to scale technically sound ventures into commercially successful companies. This synergy — between world-class engineering and world-class business education — is a defining strength of the Swiss innovation landscape.

“The secret sauce of the Swiss startup ecosystem lies in the strong foundation provided by its universities — not only through cutting-edge research, but also through the talent, global networks and collaborative mindset they cultivate,” says Amaël Cohades, co-founder and CEO at CompPair. “This combination of academic excellence and international connectivity creates a fertile ground for innovation.”

Source | Yannick Willemin

A dense network of support

Switzerland’s small size fosters something powerful: proximity. Here, researchers, founders and funders are never more than one or two connections apart. This has cultivated an unusually tight-knit ecosystem, where trust is built early — often before a startup is even formed.

This closeness is further enabled by a vibrant and active angel community — an angel investor being an individual who provides early stage funding to startups, usually in exchange for ownership equity or convertible debt. From high net worth individuals backing the next generation of founders, to syndicate platforms like Swisspreneur (where I’m fortunate to be a member of the syndicate investment team) and SICTIC — capital meets curiosity in a founder-friendly way.

“The Swiss startup ecosystem thrives on a combination of world-class education, especially from institutions like ETH and EPFL, a strong focus on quality and precision and an increasingly visible group of successful founders who serve as role models,” notes Silvan Krähenbühl, managing director at Swisspreneur. “This, paired with a maturing network of investors, creates the perfect secret sauce of the Swiss startup ecosystem.”

From there, a robust layer of early stage capital steps into the startup process, including Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) with its innovation fund, forward-leaning venture capitalists like Founderful, Verve Ventures, Redalpine, and impact-oriented family offices and foundations. Together, they provide not just money, but mentorship and strategic guidance.

What makes Switzerland different?

Switzerland doesn’t compete by being the biggest. I regularly observe that it competes by being the most aligned. Technical excellence, financial discipline and cross-sector collaboration converge here with extraordinary cohesion. As reliable as Swiss clockwork, some might say.

Consistently ranked among the most innovative countries in the world, Switzerland has built an environment where research, entrepreneurship and investment reinforce one another. From startups like 9T Labs and Saeki, to automation providers and tooling experts, to academic–industry research consortia, the Swiss ecosystem shows that meaningful impact in composites begins with focus, and that it is strengthened by the right fundamentals to scale globally.

At the same time, there’s a growing recognition within this ecosystem that, while Switzerland is highly effective at supporting early stage innovation, it still faces a shortfall in growth-stage capital, particularly from Series B onward. This challenge, common across Europe, is being proactively addressed through initiatives like Deep Tech Nation Switzerland. This strategic public–private program aims to mobilize CHF 50 billion (~$60 billion) in venture capital over the next decade to fuel Swiss deep tech startups and scale-ups. Its focus is enhancing access to capital, increasing regulatory flexibility and strengthening international investor ties to ensure that promising ventures can scale from local champions to global leaders. I’m looking forward to seeing the results!

Swiss startups found on CW

Switzerland exemplifies how a country can drive innovation in advanced materials through a blend of scientific excellence, institutional clarity and tightly connected ecosystems. This isn’t a story of isolated breakthroughs, but of consistent, high-quality execution — from lab to production line, from CAD model to final part. It offers a compelling case study in how small but coordinated ecosystems can define their own way of doing things... their own façon de faire.

As we continue the Tour de Composites series, Switzerland stands out not just for what it builds, but how it builds it: carefully, collaboratively and with a clear purpose.

About the Author

Yannick Willemin

Yannick Willemin has an engineering degree in materials and mechanics from École Polytechnique de l’Université d’Orléan in France. Over the course of 13 years, he has held multiple positions at SGL Carbon, gaining deep expertise in the composites industry. At the same time, he earned two EMBAs with a focus on finance and entrepreneurship. Afterward, he joined ETH Zurich spinoff 9T Labs as head of business development. Since January 2025, Willemin has been working independently, positioning himself at the intersection of startups, industrial players and investors to drive innovation across the composites landscape with the founding of Catalysium. yannick@catalysium.ch