Spin-offs
Great that you are interested in commercializing what you have been working on during your time at ETH! On these pages you find information about how we can help you kickstart your innovation, and what to think about when spinning out from ETH.
The transfer of knowledge and technology is one of the cornerstones of ETH, and the founding of spin-offs is a large contributor to the impact our research has on society – not only here in Switzerland, but also globally. We want to be the best possible launchpad for your new business, and that is why we in ETH transfer’s Spin-off Group are here to help you navigate the initial stages of your entrepreneurship journey.
The Role of the Spin-off Group
The Spin-off Group is the instance of ETH transfer that supports students and employees that want to commercialise ETH technologies and/or know-how by founding a company. We are a team with diverse backgrounds in academic research, industry, company foundation and venture capital, and work closely with both the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab (ieLab) and the Technology and Licensing Group.
We are the first point of contact for anyone wishing to start a company from ETH research, and we are here to make the initial stages of your journey as easy and smooth as possible. We function as both information hub and ballplank for navigating the Swiss innovation ecosystem - in particular the sub-system at ETH. In addition to supporting you as a (prospective) founder, we are managing the Pioneer Fellowship grant, and are responsible for giving out the ETH Spin-off Label.
Resources for Prospective Founders
The Swiss spin-off ecosystem is very vibrant and there are an abundance of resources available for prospective founders. On this page you find a non-exhaustive list of examples, internal and external, available for students and employees of ETH.
FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Incorporation, IP rights, professor involvement, license agreements, conflicts of interest, university equity... We know that you are thinking about a whole lot of things when considering starting your very own company. Here you find the questions most commonly raised when prospective founders talk to us in the Spin-off Group about spinning out - and of course the answers.
List of ETH Spin-offs
Are you an investor, journalist, industry representative, or just a curious individual that would like a complete count on all companies that have spun out of ETH? Then this is the page for you!
Publicly announced exits
Over 50 spin-offs have been announced as acquired or listed on the stock exchange since we started giving out the label in the year 2000. On this page you find an overview of all these to-date.
News and Highlights
New study shows how ETH Zurich spin-offs strengthen the Swiss economy.
Link to press release
30 new ETH spin-offs and a first Unicorn!
Link to press release
New spin-off guidelines in force since December 1, 2019.
Download Download (PDF, 209 KB)
ETH transfer receives the GUV Award for special achievements in their spin-off support.
More information
Further activites for the support of spin-offs
ETH Zurich was involved in setting up the Technopark Zurich, while the courses of Business Tools, first organised in 1996, have since then been attended by 15,000 people. Since 1998, ETH Zurich has been organising the business plan competition >>venture>> in collaboration with McKinsey&Company, Switzerland, which provides information and networking opportunities for potential entrepreneurs. We work closely together with the federal initiatives innosuisse and Venturelab (the latter being organised by the “Institut für Jungunternehmer”, the “Institute for young entrepreneurs”).