ETH again reports record number of spin-offs

ETH Zurich was able to maintain its record high number of spin-offs in 2017. A total of 25 new companies were founded, making last year the eleventh consecutive year that more than 20 spin-offs were founded in the course of a year at ETH Zurich. Eight of these new spin-offs arose from the Pioneer Fellowship programme, which actively supports students as they establish businesses.

“Early support pays off,” said Detlef Günther, Vice President Research and Corporate Relations at ETH Zurich. The numerous spin-offs have developed into a lively scene in which established spin-offs are helping young researchers from the Pioneer Fellowship programme.

The support is especially well received by young female researchers. “Seven of the new ETH Zurich spin-offs were co-founded by women, which is particularly pleasing. We are doing everything in our power to ensure that more and more women scientists become entrepreneurs,” said Günther.

Digital transformation is very much apparent in these new companies, with a significant number of companies having emerged from the area of digital technology and data science, writes ETH Zurich in a statement. An app developed by Pathmate Technologies, for instance, allows patients to measure the effectiveness of their individual therapy based on data, while DataHow uses machine-learning technology to optimize industrial processes in pharmaceutical companies.

In the last year over 120 million Swiss francs were invested into ETH Zurich spin-offs. More than half of this (75 million francs) went to GetYourGuide, an internet company that offers 3,100 guided tours and travel activities in 7,300 destinations.