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Deep Tech now accounts for 60% of Swiss VC, the highest national share in the world, according to the latest data from Deep Tech Nation.
It says a lot about where the market is heading, and how companies here are choosing to grow.
Hiring isn’t slowing down. But it is changing shape, electing to favour precision in place of scale. Founders are being selective, and roles are becoming more execution focused.
Here’s what we’re seeing in the market at DeepRec.ai.
First Hires Are Getting More Operational
We’re seeing early-stage teams prioritise internal people leads, ops support, and GTM (go-to-market) coordination. Sometimes part-time, sometimes fractional, these roles are designed to help product and engineering teams stay focused and deliver.
This isn’t a deep tech exclusive either; our colleagues and financial services specialists over at Broadgate are watching a similar pattern unfold in Risk management, where the rush to strengthen internal execution is outpacing headcount growth.
ML Engineers Are Still in Demand, but the Focus Has Changed
Hiring briefs are leaning toward candidates who can take a model from build to deployment. Productisation and infrastructure experience now carry more weight than academic pedigree.
This includes experience with infrastructure, APIs, data pipelines, deployment, and scaling (all the good stuff that gets tech into users' hands).
· While PhDs still command some of the highest salaries in deep tech, especially in research-heavy orgs, hiring decisions are increasingly leaning toward engineers who can ship.
Embedded Engineering Demand is Climbing
In Zurich and Lausanne especially, we’re seeing sustained demand for engineers working close to hardware. Robotics, autonomy, and compute-efficient systems are the main drivers, but the talent pool remains small.
International Pull is Growing
More engineers based in Switzerland are fielding inbound offers from Germany, the UK, and the US. Flexibility and compensation remain key decision points, and for some teams, the perpetual retention challenge is racking up serious recruitment costs.
As cross-border offers increase, so do questions around tax, contracts, and relocation. SECO-licensed, cross-border recruitment specialists (like DeepRec.ai) are becoming more valuable in a market where speed, reach, and compliance all matter.
Regulation is Starting to Influence Hiring Decisions
It’s not a top-line driver yet, but in some sectors, particularly finance and healthtech, we’re starting to see regulatory thinking enter hiring briefs.
Where AI systems involve sensitive data or customer-facing applications, we’re seeing more demand for candidates who can navigate compliance or governance considerations alongside their technical work.
What’s Next?
We have the pleasure of talking to deep tech teams across Switzerland every day. If you’re hiring now or thinking about how your talent strategy stacks up, we’re always up for a conversation. DM me: Nathan.willis@deeprec.ai.
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