We’re looking forward to hosting an upcoming Deep Tech Fireside Chat in Zurich, bringing together founders, investors, and researchers for an open and informal evening of discussion.

The event is designed as a cozy fireside chat, focused on deep tech and early-stage innovation. Rather than prepared pitches or panels, the goal is to create space for honest conversations around building and funding ambitious technologies, from AI and space to nuclear, defense, and everything in between.

The Speakers

The conversation will bring together perspectives from venture capital, research, and the Swiss startup ecosystem.

Gus is a Partner at Boost VC, a Silicon Valley-based fund leading pre-seed rounds for deep tech companies. Boost VC focuses on being the first believer in bold founders and unconventional ideas. Gus holds a PhD from Harvard and completed his postdoctoral work at Stanford, developing deep technologies before moving into venture capital. Prior to Boost VC, he was Chief Scientist and Director of Product at a brain health technology startup.

Omar is a VC at Project A, a European fund with €1.2B in assets under management and offices in Munich, London, and Berlin. Project A backs pre-seed and seed founders and has supported companies such as Quantum Systems, WorldRemit, and Trade Republic. Omar previously helped build TUM.ai, Europe’s largest AI student initiative, and worked at the German Space Agency and Audi.

Thomas is a startup lawyer at Alfred and a well-known connector within the Zurich startup ecosystem. He regularly supports founders and investors across the Swiss venture landscape and acts as a sparring partner for early-stage teams navigating growth, fundraising, and complex legal decisions.

Arnout is an AI scientist and lecturer at the ETH AI Center and a member of ELLIS. He leads Sciencepreneurship.ch, known for its summer school and the ETH100k investment competition. Arnout previously co-founded an AI EdTech startup, was a founding partner at S2S Ventures, and holds a PhD in AI from EPFL Lausanne. His background includes work at Amazon, Spotify, and Stanford.

The Format

The evening will be intentionally unstructured.

Topics may include deep tech venture building, early-stage fundraising, AI, space, nuclear, defense, or whatever the room is curious about. Founders are encouraged to bring questions, ideas, and strong opinions. Nothing is too early, and nothing is too ambitious.

The goal is to create a space where early-stage founders can engage directly with investors and researchers, exchange perspectives, and explore what it really takes to build deep tech companies today.

We look forward to welcoming founders and members of the Zurich ecosystem for an open, thoughtful, and candid conversation.