EP#538 - Panagiotis Martakis: Scaling Deep Tech in Switzerland Without Losing Focus
January 8, 2026
Co-produced by
Co-produced by
7:06 - What Irmos does
16:13 - The information gap that Irmos is solving for
22:51 - Why Irmos delayed raising a large financing round
31:53 - What’s next for Irmos
This episode was co-produced with KickFund, a VC fund investing in the most promising Swiss deeptech startups.
Episode Summary:
In this episode we sit down with Panagiotis Martakis, Founder and CEO of Irmos Technologies, a Swiss startup using data-driven monitoring to protect and extend the lifetime of critical infrastructure. Trained as a civil engineer, Panos transitioned from traditional structural engineering into sensing, data, and predictive maintenance through research at ETH Zurich, where the foundations of Irmos were built.
Panos shares how his work in the critical infrastructure sector operates in slow-moving, highly regulated markets where trust, references, and execution matter more than speed. Panos shares why Irmos deliberately delayed raising a large funding round, how the Swiss startup ecosystem supports founders at early stages, and why focus is a decisive advantage when resources are limited.
Panos goes deeper into the realities of building a hardware and data-driven company: reducing uncertainty in engineering decisions, moving from gut-feeling inspections to measurable risk at portfolio level, and narrowing focus after an initial phase of experimentation. He reflects on fundraising timing, working with public-sector clients, learning from Founder networks, and the long-term vision of turning infrastructure monitoring into a scalable, data-powered standard.
The cover portrait was edited bywww.smartportrait.io.
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