Three Ticino companies in the Top100 Swiss Startup Award 2026

Context

TL;DR

• Three Ticino companies enter the Top100 Swiss Startup Award 2026
• InkVivo and In Virtuo work on drugs in Lugano
• Jaipur Robotics develops AI for waste facilities
• Jaipur's team collaborates with more than 35 European facilities

Key facts

• Recognition → Top100 Swiss Startup Award 2026
• Companies → InkVivo Technologies, Jaipur Robotics, In Virtuo Laboratories
• Locations → Lugano and Manno
• Team → InkVivo 7 people; Jaipur about 40; In Virtuo around ten

LUGANO - InkVivo Technologies SA, Jaipur Robotics AG and In Virtuo Laboratories SA, all based in Ticino, have been included among the one hundred most promising Swiss startups according to the Top100 Swiss Startup Award 2026. The recognition is presented as the country’s most authoritative award dedicated to young innovative companies. The three companies operate in pharmaceuticals, waste and artificial intelligence.

The three companies in the ranking

InkVivo Technologies, based in Piazza Cioccaro in Lugano, develops polymer platforms for formulating drug delivery systems. Elia Guzzi, CEO and co-founder, describes a technology designed to control where and for how long active ingredients are released in the body.

«We develop new drugs using technologies that make it possible to control where and for how long active ingredients are released in the body,» explains Elia Guzzi.

At their core are proprietary polymers and Machine Learning, used to accelerate formulation development and aim for greater bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. The two internal programs concern iron-deficiency anemia, already in the clinical phase with ETH Zurich and FFHS, and Alzheimer’s, still in the preclinical phase. The company has seven employees and also collaborates with SUPSI-IDSIA. Guzzi founded InkVivo with Leonardo Tognola and Stefano Cerutti after completing his doctorate at ETH Zurich.

Jaipur Robotics AG has offices in Manno and develops computer vision and artificial intelligence solutions for waste-to-energy plants and industrial facilities. The system analyzes waste in real time, flags non-compliant objects, helps trace them back to the supplier and provides guidance on mixing, combustion, calorific value, emissions and crane control. Estimated savings reach up to 5 million francs per year for a plant. Ermes Zamboni and Nikhil Prakash met at ETH Zurich; after the first plant in Bellinzona, the company now collaborates with more than 35 facilities in Europe. The team numbers about 40 people.

In Virtuo Laboratories SA, also based in Lugano, develops artificial intelligence methods and molecular simulations for drug discovery. Its tools are used to predict how a potential drug binds to its target before synthesis in the laboratory, so that molecules that are not very effective or may have unwanted effects can be discarded in advance. The company was founded in 2024 out of Gianvito Grasso’s work as a researcher at IDSIA (USI-SUPSI) and develops therapeutic programs independently or with industrial partners. The team consists of around ten people.

Operational details

Concrete implications of the ranking

The source provides mainly industrial data: three Ticino sites, pharmaceutical programs at different stages, a system for waste-to-energy plants connected to facilities in Europe, and teams of different sizes. It does not, however, report salaries, open positions, investments, taxes or new regulations. For those who live or work in Switzerland, the ranking should therefore be read as a snapshot of activities and expertise, not as an automatic promise of employment or income.

Three useful indicators

| Company | Stated focus | Measurable signal in the source | | InkVivo | Controlled drug release | Anemia in the clinical phase; Alzheimer's in the preclinical phase | | Jaipur Robotics | Computer vision and AI for waste | More than 35 facilities in Europe; estimated savings of up to 5 million francs per year per facility | | In Virtuo | AI and molecular simulations | Own programs and programs with industrial partners |

The first indicator is the distance between research and application. InkVivo connects materials and Machine Learning to two programs at different stages of maturity. In Virtuo operates before synthesis, using simulations and artificial intelligence methods to select the molecules to be evaluated. The comparison shows that the word startup covers different operational stages: from preclinical or clinical research to the development of methods for reducing laboratory steps.

The second indicator is the industrial use already described for Jaipur Robotics. The company does not merely classify waste: the system flags non-compliant objects, traces them back to the supplier and supports decisions on mixing, combustion, emissions and cranes. For those observing the Swiss economy, the reference to the first Bellinzona facility and European collaborations links a Ticino site to an activity that extends beyond cantonal boundaries.

The third indicator is the network. InkVivo works with ETH Zurich, FFHS and SUPSI-IDSIA; In Virtuo also develops programs with industrial partners; Jaipur brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, robotics and waste management, with work spanning Europe and Asia. These are useful elements for understanding where activities are located, but they are not enough to infer hiring, salaries or investments.

Those looking for a professional starting point can compare aziende che assumono and annunci di lavoro, using the ranking to select the sectors to explore further. The source, however, does not report open positions: the step from the news to an application therefore requires a separate check.

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Key points

Operational steps for the reader

The ranking can be used as a verification framework, without attributing to it information that the source does not contain. The practical goal is to separate sector, location, project maturity, and team size before seeking further data.

A four-step procedure

1. Define the area. For pharmaceuticals, distinguish InkVivo's controlled release from In Virtuo's methods, which predict how a potential drug binds to its target before synthesis. For industry, consider Jaipur Robotics and applications in waste-to-energy plants.

2. Note locations and connections. InkVivo and In Virtuo are in Lugano; Jaipur Robotics is in Manno. The stated references include ETH Zurich, FFHS, SUPSI-IDSIA, the first plant in Bellinzona, and more than 35 plants in Europe. The map helps distinguish research, technological development, and industrial application.

3. Consider the team size. Available data indicate seven people at InkVivo, about 40 at Jaipur Robotics, and around ten at In Virtuo. Use them to compare the stated organizational size, not to automatically infer roles, hiring, or working conditions.

4. Verify the project phase. InkVivo's iron-deficiency anemia is in the clinical phase, Alzheimer's is in the preclinical phase, while In Virtuo works on selecting potential drugs and Jaipur on plants and waste. This distinction avoids treating a clinical phase, preclinical research, and an industrial solution as equivalent.

From reading to research

At this point, one can move from areas to opportunities: consult the annunci di lavoro and compare the aziende che assumono, looking for the sector consistent with the skills mentioned in the profile. For InkVivo, the source cites scientific, engineering, and business skills; for Jaipur, artificial intelligence, robotics, and waste management. These are guidance criteria, not application requirements.

If you have a salary amount to compare for a potential job in Switzerland, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: tio.ch