The 9 most promising engineering startups of 2022, according to investors

Home to both the EPFL and ETH Zurich, Switzerland boasts some of the world’s most prestigious engineering institutions. It provides an ideal environment for entrepreneurs wanting to advance engineering innovations in various industries—from quantum computing to nano-technologies. Learn more about the engineering startups that impressed the TOP 100 Jury and the public the most in 2022, and find out how they improve our lives with innovative devices, processes, and materials.

The TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award showcases the most promising Swiss startups. The annual ranking has become a benchmark in Switzerland’s startup ecosystem and beyond.

Every year, a panel of 100 leading investors and startup experts chooses the 100 most innovative and promising Swiss startups. Each jury member nominates 10 Swiss startups that are less than five years old and show the greatest commercial potential. The first-placed company gets 10 points, the second nine points, and so on. The individual rankings are compiled to generate the final TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award ranking. In parallel, the TOP 100 Public Voting allows everyone with a LinkedIn account to cast one vote and choose the most promising startup per vertical.

Learn more about the companies that convinced investors, experts, and the public with their engineering solutions.



CREAL, #5
Today's Virtual and Augmented Reality goggles cause an unpleasant eye strain as they provide 3D images with conflicting depth cues: two eyes see the depth, but each eye sees a flat image at a fixed distance. The resulting discomfort holds back the entire Virtual and Augmented Reality market. CREAL's technology, using the so-called light field, creates genuine 3D images with correct "one-eye" depth cues allowing an eye to change focus naturally. We develop and market disruptive display technology to hardware producers as one of the key missing links to Virtual and Augmented Reality markets. www.creal.com

9T Labs, #6
9T Labs combines 3D printing with existing production processes – and thus creates new possibilities in the production of fiber-reinforced plastic parts. Founded in 2018, 9T Labs enables series production of high-strength and lightweight composite parts through its proprietary Additive Fusion technology. With this new process, structural carbon fiber parts can be as accessible as metal to series production. Now companies can design and produce previously impossible products that are stronger and lighter than metals. www.9tlabs.com

Nanoleq, #24
ETH spin-off Nanoleq first made headlines shortly after it was founded with "stretchable electronics for the next generation of cable," as one newspaper wrote. But CEO Vincent Martinez’s team did not get into the business and then decide to pivot. The material scientists focused on elastic electrodes and supplied customers that integrated the components into their own products; for example, smart sportswear, workshirts that protect electricians from accidents, and applications for electrostimulation of people with paralysis. Now, the Zurich-based company is addressing another business segment: in November, Nanoleq will begin marketing smart pajamas under the brand name Oxa. The garment records vital signs while the wearer sleeps and sends the data to a platform, which in turn sends the user tips for healthier sleep via an app. "The change from B2B to B2C business is an enormous challenge for us," says Martinez. www.nanoleq.com

Qnami, #39
Qnami has roots in the Physics Department of the University of Basel in Switzerland. It develops fundamental new technology using quantum mechanics enabling measurement with a precision that was never achieved before with its quantum sensing technique. Extensive academic research and deep knowledge build the ground for all that Qnami does. www.qnami.ch

Microcaps, #44
Microcapsules and microparticles are widely used to carry, deliver and protect pharmaceutical agents in drugs, fragrances in cosmetic products, as well as aromas or probiotics in food. However, today's industrial microencapsulation techniques do not allow any control over the capsule size, leading to uncontrolled release profiles. The startup's unique technology enables the industrial production of size-controlled microcapsules, while offering precise dosing, controlled release properties, and increased stability—at 1000x the speed of state-of-the-art processes. Microcaps provides industrial precision and control to the rapidly growing USD 12 billion market of microencapsulation. www.microcaps.ch

Corintis, #52
Corintis is a provider of silicon-based microfluidic cooling solutions to enable 10x higher heat extraction from silicon chips versus conventional methods, with a 50-times higher energy efficiency. From cloud computing to machine learning, there is a constant need for more powerful chips that produce highly concentrated heat. Extracting this heat is rapidly becoming a bottleneck for the next generations of computing, representing 30% of electricity consumption in data centers. Corintis’s solutions extract heat by flowing liquid through thousands of microscopically small channels, up to 10 times smaller than a human hair. This approach offers major performance and efficiency benefits to existing chips and is a key enabling technology for future high-performance chips. www.corintis.com

Miarex, #59
Miraex offers photonic and quantum solutions for next-gen sensing, networking, and computing. Detecting anomalies in advance is key to making better maintenance plans and avoiding major failures. Miraex solutions allow you to make data-driven maintenance decisions, reducing costs and optimizing productivity in conditions where electronics can't operate. www.miraex.com

Synthara, #78
Synthara is a Zurich-based artificial intelligence (AI) company that provides system-level solutions to businesses to enhance their products or services with smart features. Portable and wearable gadgets such as virtual reality headsets, small wireless monitoring cameras, sensor networks, have limited smart features because their onboard computers have limited computational power. An energy-efficient computational AI chip allows businesses to overcome this limitation and create smarter products. Synthara's IPs provide server-class performance with an extremely low energy requirement for neural networks. www.synthara.ch

matriq, #90
matriq's patented DynamicMold technology facilitates the marking of plastic components during the primary forming process with an individual and unique watermark code that is machine-readable, without adding time or facility space. The company can combine the individual codes with optical security structures. matriq's technology will replace the laser-marking and labeling processes for products in medtech and various industries at lower cost, higher speed, and reduced complexity, all while being counterfeit-proof. www.matriq.ch


PUBLIC VOTING: dimpora
dimpora has found and patented a novel way to manufacture waterproof and breathable membranes for outdoor clothing. The proposed material offers sustainable chemistry, seamless 3D assembly, and high functionality, three of the most pressing issues in the clothing market. www.dimpora.com