ETH Zurich spin-off Chiral raises €10 million led by Crane Venture Partners to overcome the manufacturing bottleneck of nanomaterial-based chips.
For decades, the “More Moore” trajectory of the semiconductor industry has relied on shrinking silicon transistors. But as we reach atomic scales, silicon is hitting its physical and economic limits. The consensus among industry giants like TSMC is clear: the future belongs to nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes and 2D materials (graphene).
The challenge hasn’t been the materials themselves—which have performed exceptionally in labs for years—but their integration. Until now, placing these microscopic structures on wafers was slow, imprecise, and prone to contamination.
Chiral, an ETH Zurich and Empa spin-off, has solved this with the world’s first robotic nanomaterial integration system. By securing €10 million in Seed funding, they are moving from material-level breakthroughs to industrial reality.
The Technology: AI-Driven Robotic Assembly
Chiral’s core innovation is a high-precision robotic system that handles nanomaterials with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Unlike traditional chemistry-based methods that lack control, Chiral’s system uses AI and advanced automation to:
- Isolate & Characterize: Identify high-quality nanomaterials automatically.
- Robotic Placement: Precisely integrate them onto silicon wafers at scale.
- Eliminate Contamination: Maintain material integrity for high-performance quantum and semiconductor devices.
The €35M DeepTech Wave in Europe
Chiral’s raise is part of a broader surge in European semiconductor funding. Between 2025 and early 2026, over €35 million has been deployed into companies tackling the post-silicon frontier, including Optalysys (€26.4M) and SpiNNcloud (~€10M).
This Seed round was led by Crane Venture Partners, with participation from Quantonation, HCVC, Founderful, and public support from Innosuisse.
Strategic Moves for DeepTech Founders
As CEO Seoho Jung moves Chiral from development to deployment—with the first commercial systems being installed at customer sites this year—other DeepTech founders can learn from their precision.
If you are building at the intersection of hardware and AI, the Fundreef toolkit is designed to help you cross the “valley of death” between research and commercialization:
- Valuation for Hardware: DeepTech valuations are distinct from traditional SaaS. Use our AI Company Valuation tool to benchmark your progress in the 2026 hardware landscape.
- Refining the Narrative: Communicating “robotic integration” to generalist VCs requires extreme clarity. Our Pitch Deck Analyzer ensures your technical moat is the star of the show.
- The Funding Roadmap: Transitioning from an ETH spin-off to a global equipment provider requires a structured AI Business Plan that accounts for long R&D cycles and wafer-scale manufacturing.
- Protecting IP & Equity: As you scale toward a Series A, our AI Term Sheet Analysis helps founders maintain control while bringing on top-tier firms like Crane Venture Partners.
- The Right Syndicate: Looking for specialized funds like Quantonation or HCVC? Filter for DeepTech-focused VCs in our Investor Database.
Ready to move your breakthrough from the lab to the wafer? Scale your vision at Fundreef.com.
