AI Funding: CHF 1.8B+ ▲ +34% YoY | ETH Spinoffs: 46 (2025) ▲ +8 YoY | AI Talent Pool: 17,000+ ▲ +12% | Google Zürich: 5,000+ ▲ Largest non-US | Innovation Index: #1 Global ▲ 14th Year | AI Startups: 600+ ▲ +18% YoY | VC Deals: CHF 2.3B ▲ +28% YoY | Zurich Insurance AI: 160+ Use Cases ▲ AIAF Framework | AI Funding: CHF 1.8B+ ▲ +34% YoY | ETH Spinoffs: 46 (2025) ▲ +8 YoY | AI Talent Pool: 17,000+ ▲ +12% | Google Zürich: 5,000+ ▲ Largest non-US | Innovation Index: #1 Global ▲ 14th Year | AI Startups: 600+ ▲ +18% YoY | VC Deals: CHF 2.3B ▲ +28% YoY | Zurich Insurance AI: 160+ Use Cases ▲ AIAF Framework |

Key AI Leaders & Researchers

Meet the professors, founders, and executives shaping Zürich's AI landscape — profiles of the key people driving innovation in Zurich.

Behind every breakthrough and every successful venture are the individuals whose vision, expertise, and determination drive Zürich's AI ecosystem forward. This section profiles the researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate leaders who define the city's position at the forefront of artificial intelligence.

From ETH Zürich professors whose foundational research has shaped entire subfields of machine learning to startup founders building companies that challenge global incumbents, the depth of talent concentrated in Zurich is remarkable for a city of its size.

Our profiles go beyond biographical summaries to examine the ideas, research agendas, and strategic decisions that make each individual significant within the broader ecosystem. We track career moves, board appointments, and advisory roles that signal where influence and expertise are concentrated.

Alexander Ilic: The ETH AI Center Director Warning Switzerland Needs 100x More Compute — And Why His Warning May Be the Most Important Statement in Swiss Technology Policy

"In the next ten years we will probably need 20 to 100 times more computing power than we have today." With that single sentence, ETH AI Center Managing...

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Andreas Krause: IEEE Fellow, ETH AI Center Chair, and the Quiet Architect of Zürich's AI Ecosystem

He was named an IEEE Fellow in January 2025 for contributions to active sensing, Bayesian optimization, and learning-based control. He co-directs the...

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Daniele Magazzeni: From King's College London to J.P. Morgan to UBS's First Chief AI Officer — The Academic-Turned-Banker Who Will Decide How the World's Largest Wealth Manager Deploys AI

He spent 12 years as an Associate Professor of Artificial Intelligence at King's College London, publishing over 100 research papers on AI planning and...

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Marco Hutter: The ETH Robotics Professor Whose Students Built Amazon's Delivery Robot — And Who Is Quietly Building Europe's Most Productive Robotics Lab

His students founded RIVR, the stair-climbing delivery robot startup that Amazon acquired for approximately $100 million. His lab produced ANYbotics, the...

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Mario Greco: The Insurance CEO Who Called AI a "Moonshot Factory" and Then Built One — Inside the Mind Reshaping the $8.9 Billion Zurich Insurance Group Through 500+ AI Applications

On October 29, 2025, Zurich Insurance CEO Mario Greco personally launched the Zurich AI Lab with ETH Zürich and the University of St. Gallen, calling it...

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Andrea Hoss — CTO Zurich Insurance

Comprehensive profile of Andrea Hoss, Group Chief Technology Officer at Zurich Insurance Group. Technology leadership, AI strategy, digital transformation, and insurtech innovation.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Andreas Krause — ETH Machine Learning Professor

Profile of Andreas Krause, ETH Zürich professor of computer science, leading researcher in machine learning, Bayesian optimization, and AI for science, and director of the ETH AI Center.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Aurélien Lucchi — ETH Optimization and Deep Learning Theory

Profile of Aurélien Lucchi, researcher specializing in optimization for deep learning, second-order methods, and theoretical understanding of neural network training at ETH Zürich and the University of Basel.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Bernhard Schölkopf — MPI Tübingen and Causal Machine Learning

Profile of Bernhard Schölkopf, director at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Tübingen, pioneer of kernel methods and causal inference in machine learning, with deep Swiss research connections.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Carolina Müller-Möhl — Müller-Möhl Group & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Carolina Müller-Möhl, chairwoman of the Müller-Möhl Group, Zürich-based investor, philanthropist, and advocate for education, gender equality, and innovation.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Ce Zhang — ETH Data Systems and Together AI

Profile of Ce Zhang, former ETH Zürich professor and co-founder of Together AI, a leading researcher bridging data management, machine learning systems, and large-scale AI infrastructure.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Christian Katz — CEO SIX Group

Comprehensive profile of Christian Katz, former CEO of SIX Swiss Exchange. Financial market infrastructure, digital asset exchanges, blockchain in capital markets, and Zürich fintech.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Christian Mumenthaler — CEO Swiss Re

Comprehensive profile of Christian Mumenthaler, Group CEO of Swiss Re. Reinsurance leadership, catastrophe modeling, AI in risk transfer, and Zürich's global reinsurance hub.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Christoph Auer-Welsbach — IBM Research Zürich

Comprehensive profile of Christoph Auer-Welsbach at IBM Research Zürich. AI research leadership, enterprise AI innovation, quantum computing, and the legacy of IBM's Swiss research laboratory.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Christoph Gebald — Climeworks Co-Founder & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Christoph Gebald, co-founder and co-CEO of Climeworks, leading the Zürich-based direct air capture company's mission to remove CO2 at gigatonne scale.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Cris Grossmann — Beekeeper CEO & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Cris Grossmann, CEO and co-founder of Beekeeper, the Zürich-based frontline workforce platform connecting deskless employees across hospitality and manufacturing.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Daniel Gutenberg — b-to-v Partners VC Investor & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Daniel Gutenberg, founding partner of b-to-v Partners, one of Zürich's most active venture capital firms investing in European tech and deep-tech startups.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Devis Lusbrink — Yokoy Co-Founder & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Devis Lusbrink, co-founder of Yokoy, the Zürich-based AI-powered spend management platform automating expense reports, invoices, and corporate cards.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Hans-Peter Portner — Zürich VC Ecosystem & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Hans-Peter Portner, veteran Zürich venture capitalist, co-founder of multiple VC firms, and architect of Switzerland's startup investment infrastructure.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Jan Koutník — NNAISENSE CTO

Profile of Jan Koutník, CTO of NNAISENSE, former IDSIA researcher, and expert in neuroevolution, recurrent neural networks, and industrial AI applications built on Swiss neural network research.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Jan Wurzbacher — Climeworks Co-Founder & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Jan Wurzbacher, co-founder and co-CEO of Climeworks, the Zürich-based direct air capture pioneer removing CO2 from the atmosphere at industrial scale.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Joël Mesot — President ETH Zürich

Comprehensive profile of Joël Mesot, President of ETH Zürich. Academic leadership, AI research strategy, innovation ecosystem, and the role of ETH in Swiss technology advancement.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Jürgen Schmidhuber — LSTM Inventor and IDSIA

Profile of Jürgen Schmidhuber, co-inventor of LSTM networks, scientific director of IDSIA in Lugano, co-founder of NNAISENSE, and one of the most influential figures in the history of deep learning.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Luc Van Gool — ETH Computer Vision Pioneer

Profile of Luc Van Gool, pioneering computer vision researcher at ETH Zürich whose work on object recognition, autonomous driving, and generative models shaped the global AI field.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Lukas Züst — CEO Yokoy

Comprehensive profile of Lukas Züst, CEO and co-founder of Yokoy. AI-powered enterprise spend management, Swiss fintech innovation, and Zürich's growing startup ecosystem.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Marc Pollefeys — ETH Computer Vision and Microsoft

Profile of Marc Pollefeys, ETH Zürich professor of computer science and former head of Microsoft Mixed Reality & AI Lab Zürich, a leading researcher in 3D reconstruction and spatial computing.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Marc Walder — Ringier CEO & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Marc Walder, CEO of Ringier, driving the Swiss media conglomerate's transformation into an AI-powered technology and media company from Zürich.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Marcel Erni — Partners Group Co-Founder

Comprehensive profile of Marcel Erni, co-founder of Partners Group. Private markets investment, alternative assets, Swiss asset management leadership, and Zürich's global investment ecosystem.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Mario Greco — CEO Zurich Insurance Group

Comprehensive profile of Mario Greco, Group CEO of Zurich Insurance Group. Leadership strategy, digital transformation, AI adoption, and impact on the Swiss insurance sector.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Martin Vechev — ETH Reliable and Interpretable AI

Profile of Martin Vechev, ETH Zürich professor specializing in reliable AI, automated reasoning, and the intersection of programming languages and machine learning. Founder of DeepCode and LatticeFlow.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Max Welling — Microsoft Research and Deep Generative Models

Profile of Max Welling, VP at Microsoft Research, University of Amsterdam professor, and influential researcher in deep generative models, variational autoencoders, and graph neural networks with Swiss connections.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Michael Bronstein — Graph Neural Networks and Geometric Deep Learning

Profile of Michael Bronstein, Oxford professor and former ETH Zürich researcher who pioneered geometric deep learning and graph neural networks, with deep connections to the Swiss AI ecosystem.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Nicole Buri — Witty Works CEO & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Nicole Buri, CEO of Witty Works, the Zürich-based AI startup using natural language processing to eliminate bias in corporate communications and hiring.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Olga Fink — EPFL Industrial AI and Intelligent Maintenance

Profile of Olga Fink, EPFL professor specializing in intelligent maintenance systems, transfer learning for industrial AI, and the application of machine learning to infrastructure monitoring and predictive maintenance.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Pascal Kaufmann — Founder Starmind & Mindfire

Comprehensive profile of Pascal Kaufmann, neuroscience-inspired AI entrepreneur. Founder of Starmind and Mindfire Foundation, brain-inspired computing, and Zürich's AI startup ecosystem.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Patrick Frost — CEO Swiss Life

Comprehensive profile of Patrick Frost, Group CEO of Swiss Life. Leadership in life insurance and pensions, asset management strategy, digital transformation, and Zürich's insurance hub.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Peter Ohnemus — dacadoo CEO & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Peter Ohnemus, CEO of dacadoo, the Zürich-based digital health engagement platform using AI to transform health insurance and wellness worldwide.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Philipp Hildebrand — Vice Chairman BlackRock

Comprehensive profile of Philipp Hildebrand, Vice Chairman of BlackRock and former Chairman of the Swiss National Bank. Global asset management, monetary policy, and Swiss financial leadership.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Rainer Spinner — AI Angel Investor & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Rainer Spinner, prominent Zürich-based angel investor specializing in AI and deep-tech startups, bridging corporate expertise with early-stage venture building.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Raja Chatila — AI Ethics and IEEE Global Initiative

Profile of Raja Chatila, leading AI ethics researcher, former chair of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, and influential voice in responsible AI governance with Swiss connections.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Ralph Hamers — Former CEO UBS

Comprehensive profile of Ralph Hamers, former Group CEO of UBS. Digital banking transformation, ING Direct legacy, fintech strategy, and contributions to Zürich's financial sector.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Robert Grass — ETH DNA Data Storage Pioneer

Profile of Robert Grass, ETH Zürich professor pioneering DNA-based data storage and synthetic biology, combining chemistry with information science to create the world's most durable archival medium.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Roger Wattenhofer — ETH Distributed Computing

Profile of Roger Wattenhofer, ETH Zürich professor of distributed computing whose research spans blockchain, decentralized systems, and machine learning, connecting distributed systems theory to AI.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Rolf Dobelli — Zurich Thinker & Writer & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Rolf Dobelli, Swiss author of The Art of Thinking Clearly, founder of WORLD.MINDS, and Zurich-based intellectual connecting ideas, technology, and business.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Samuel Mueller (Ola Hall) — CEO Scandit

Comprehensive profile of Samuel Mueller, CEO and co-founder of Scandit. Computer vision, smart data capture, enterprise barcode scanning, and Zürich's deep technology startup ecosystem.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Samuel Müller — Scandit Co-Founder & Zürich AI Intelligence

Profile of Samuel Müller, co-founder of Scandit, the Zürich-based computer vision and barcode scanning unicorn transforming enterprise mobility and smart data capture.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Sergio Ermotti — CEO UBS

Comprehensive profile of Sergio Ermotti, Group CEO of UBS. Leadership of the Credit Suisse integration, wealth management strategy, AI in banking, and Zürich's financial leadership.

Updated Apr 5, 2026

Thomas Hofmann — ETH AI Center Director

Comprehensive profile of Thomas Hofmann, Director of the ETH AI Center. Machine learning research, AI policy, Google Zürich legacy, and building Europe's leading AI research hub.

Updated Apr 5, 2026