Meet Péter Fankhauser, CEO & Co-Founder at ANYbotics

ANYbotics has grown in 5 years from a team of 10 ETH researchers to a company with over 100 staff. You also recently raised $50m of new funding in a landmark funding round, achieving another important milestone on your growth journey.

Did you expect such success when you started?

When we started ANYbotics, we knew we were onto something special and had some early clues about the potential of this field. But the pace at which the robotics industry has grown is beyond what we could have envisaged. Back then, robotics was not known outside manufacturing and warehousing. It was just a handful of forward-thinking companies who were trialing autonomous robots for the inspection of their facilities. Today, robotic automation is key part of the strategy for every major player in the industrial world and an enabling technology to bring AI to the real world.

Seeing the increase in demand and the readiness of these big companies to invest in robotics partnerships, like with ANYbotics, has been incredible. To see that our timing was right, to have attracted such talented people to our team, and to have gained the support of leading investors — it’s humbling and makes us really proud of what we’ve achieved so far.

What made you decide to become an entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur has always felt natural to me. I’ve been fascinated by the idea of creating something from scratch and working with people who share the same passion since my high school days. Back then, I was already playing with ideas and starting small projects like creating my first iPhone apps.

During my doctorate at ETH Zurich, I found myself in an amazing team. Together, we were building technologies that started to catch the industry’s attention. It felt like the perfect moment to step into the world of entrepreneurship. Having an idea and seeing it grow into a company that’s continually expanding — there’s a real sense of energy and pride that comes from that. It’s this journey, with all its ups and downs, that made me decide to follow my entrepreneurial passion and found a company.

The old saying goes: “What got you here won’t get you there”. What do you think were the key factors that brought the company to this stage and what is required to continue growing in a similar fashion?

At ETH Zurich, our mindset was heavily influenced by our roots in research, where the technology itself was often the focal point. However, we quickly understood that to become a successful enterprise, we needed to shift our focus from a purely technology-driven perspective to a product-oriented mindset where solving customer problems is paramount.

To achieve this, we exposed ourselves and our early prototypes to real operational environments, directly learning about the challenges our potential customers faced. For example, in 2018, we spent several weeks at a converter station of a large offshore wind park in the North Sea, setting up automated inspection rounds with our early prototype robot. This hands-on experience helped us gain a deeper understanding of the tasks our robots could address.

With a grasp of the problems we aimed to solve, we shifted our attention to developing a targeted solution. This also meant the build-up of the commercial and operational aspects of our company to facilitate the delivery of a market-ready solution. A critical part of this process was bringing in senior talent to our team, who’s skills and experiences were invaluable in driving ANYbotics to the next level.

As we transition to the next phase of our growth journey in which customers go from first pilot units to operational deployment, our primary focus is on scaling our deliveries. Building a reliable robotic product that consists of complex hardware and software is challenging, so we are heavily investing in design for manufacturing, quality management, and after-sales services. These elements are essential to sustain our growth and continue delivering high-quality, innovative solutions to our customers at scale.

ANYbotics competes with behemoths from the US like Boston Dynamics and also players from China. At the same time, there are many other world-leading high-tech companies in small Switzerland as well (e.g., Flyability, Scandit).

What gives Switzerland the edge when it comes to deeptech and innovation in general?

Even as a smaller company, you can always develop a strategy to play to your strengths. In our case at ANYbotics, we’ve concentrated on focusing on industrial customers and providing an end-to-end solution tailored specifically to their needs. This approach sets us apart from the broad platform strategies utilized by our competitors.

Switzerland provides us with an exceptional environment for building our company. Renowned universities like ETH Zurich and EPFL provide access to some of the world’s best talent, and the country’s appeal as a desirable place to live has enabled us to attract top-tier professionals from across the globe. This has also attracted tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Meta, who operate some of their largest R&D hubs outside the US in Zurich.

Furthermore, our country has a rich tradition and expertise in the machine industry, which makes it a fertile ground for deep-tech innovation. Combined with our talented workforce and advantageous geographical location at the heart of Europe, Switzerland is uniquely positioned as a leader in deep-tech and broader innovation.

What could be further desired for Switzerland to be even more successful?

One area that could enhance Switzerland’s success even more is a greater emphasis on entrepreneurial thinking within our educational institutions. While our technical universities are exceptional in producing highly skilled researchers and engineers, there’s an opportunity to further integrate entrepreneurial education into their core curriculums as opposed to activities outside their core studies.

Another aspect is improving access to venture capital for startups. Although Switzerland has made significant strides, the venture capital scene is still developing. Increasing the availability of venture funding could provide a significant boost to startups, helping them transition from ideation to full-fledged companies.

ANYbotics is at the intersection of AI and robotics, both of which are very hyped at the moment in terms of potential impact on society. What are your thoughts on whether AI will ultimately be to the benefit of society?

Just like any powerful technology, AI holds immense potential to be used both negatively and positively for society. The task we face is to consciously steer its development and application in a way that maximizes benefits and mitigates risks.

At ANYbotics, we believe that the AI technologies we’re using have an overwhelmingly positive potential compared to their risks. Our AI-powered robots are designed to undertake tasks that are dangerous, dirty, or dull for humans. By offloading these tasks to our robots, we can not only increase productivity and efficiency but also enhance worker safety.

We also understand our responsibility to prevent the misuse of our systems and we are committed to ensuring that our products and technologies are used for good. Therefore, we strictly prohibit the use of our robots in any military or armed context, verify and register the identity of all of our customers, and implement technical and operational measures to prevent unintended use.

Do you have any learnings that you could share: what would you do differently if you were to start all over again?

We’ve come a long way, with our journey being a blend of strategic decisions, a bit of good luck, and an extraordinary amount of hard work from our dedicated team. The lessons we’ve learned and the personal growth we’ve undergone throughout these years have been truly transformative. Were we to start anew, this wealth of experience would enable us to make more calculated decisions, have a better understanding of the company’s varying needs at different stages, and perhaps, spare us some sleepless nights!

To be more specific, glad to share three key learning points:

1. Embracing Commercial Rigor: Initially, our approach to implementing our go-to-market strategy was somewhat scattered, spanning different customer types, use cases, and geographies. Now, we operate with a clear focus, standardized sales processes, and data-driven marketing channels. We’ve learned that disciplined execution is as important as an innovative product.
2. Appreciating Product Management: Early on, we would have benefited from a more thorough understanding of product management to guide our engineering efforts. We were often guided by intuition, and while that served us well to some extent, our strategy now benefits from the structured approach brought by our growing product management team.
3. Realistic Business Planning: In the early days, our ambitious goals weren’t always backed by a skeptical perspective on industry maturity, operational risks, and resource needs. Today, we have the experience to be more precise in our plans. Looking back, we would have greatly profited from seeking feedback from other entrepreneurs and experts to challenge our assumptions.

Where is ANYbotics going from here? What does an ideal future scenario look for you?

At ANYbotics, we envision a future where we stand as a global leader in autonomous mobile robotics, transforming industries by automating tasks that are dangerous to humans and by providing a core technology for sustainable operations.

In terms of development, we plan to build upon our robots’ current abilities, incorporating additional capabilities such as manipulation. As we evolve, we also plan to branch out to different platforms, working towards creating an entire workforce of autonomous robots to meet a wider range of industrial needs and broadening our impact.

Geographically, we aim to expand our presence internationally, taking our Swiss-made robotics to the global stage. However, despite our international aspirations, we intend to remain rooted in Switzerland.

How can the Swiss Startup Association bring value to the startup founders?

A big thank you to the Swiss Startup Association for their remarkable efforts in bringing together Swiss entrepreneurs! The real value for me lies in learning from the stories and experiences shared by seasoned entrepreneurs at SSA-organized events. These platforms allow founders to learn invaluable lessons without having to face all the challenges firsthand. These gatherings also foster a strong sense of community, paving the way for networking and potential collaborations. Beyond that, the SSA serves as a united voice, advocating for the needs and interests of startups in political and policy discussions. Their efforts contribute significantly to creating a favorable environment for Swiss startups to thrive.

Connect with Péter on LinkedIn and find out more about ANYbotics

Péter and ANYbotics are a Premium Members of the Swiss Startup Association, and portfolio company from Swisscom Ventures.