Europe's manufacturing sector is at a crossroads, and one Swiss startup is stepping up to challenge Asia's dominance. Forgis, a Zurich-based company, has just secured €3.8 million ($4.5 million) in pre-Seed funding to revolutionize industrial automation. But here's where it gets exciting: they're not just automating machines; they're injecting intelligence into the very heart of factory operations.
Led by redalpine, with backing from Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi and other DeepTech and manufacturing investors, Forgis aims to tackle the age-old challenges of minimizing downtime, maximizing throughput, and reducing waste. “Factories are still losing millions due to outdated systems built decades ago,” explains Federico Martelli, Forgis’ CEO. “We’re bringing cutting-edge physical AI to the factory floor, where it can make a tangible difference.”
This funding comes at a pivotal moment for European industrial automation. Across the continent, startups are attracting significant investment to bridge the gap with Asia’s manufacturing prowess. In Switzerland, Mimic raised €13.8 million to advance robotic manipulation, while Germany’s Energy Robotics secured €11.5 million for autonomous inspection software. Italy’s Adaptronics and Spain’s HappyRobot also made waves with €3.15 million and €37.7 million, respectively. With over €65 million invested in 2025 alone, Forgis’ funding is part of a broader European push to strengthen industrial intelligence.
But what sets Forgis apart? “It’s an inside-out revolution,” says Camilla Mazzoleni, CPO of Forgis. “We’re not replacing existing systems; we’re enhancing them. Our software plugs into legacy infrastructure and upgrades inefficient processes with advanced intelligence.”
Founded in 2025 by Martelli, Mazzoleni, and Riccardo Maggioni—alumni of ETH Zurich, St. Gallen, Google, Bain, and IBM—Forgis develops edge software that makes industrial machines autonomous, collaborative, and intelligent. Their platform connects machines, PLCs, and robots across brands into a unified layer, adapting and evolving production logic in real time. Early pilots with European manufacturers have shown promising results: configuration times reduced by up to 60%, downtime cut by 30%, and throughput increased by 20%.
“We closed the funding round in just 36 hours because the conviction was mutual,” says Gianmarco Hodel, Investment Manager at redalpine. “This is what Europe needs more of: speed, belief, and boldness.”
And this is the part most people miss: Forgis isn’t just about automation; it’s about intelligence. Over the past decade, China’s industrial robot stock has skyrocketed from 200,000 to 2 million, surpassing Germany, the US, and the UK combined. Forgis aims to help the West close this gap—not through protectionism, but through smarter, more efficient systems. “We’re bringing production back to the West by adding an intelligent software layer to existing factory ecosystems,” explains Maggioni. “Reshoring becomes the smarter choice, not the costlier one.”
Already collaborating with IBM and working on projects in automotive and advanced manufacturing, Forgis’ platform integrates seamlessly with systems from Siemens, ABB, and others. By making complex industrial environments more flexible and efficient, they’re positioning Europe to compete on a global scale.
But here’s the controversial question: Can software alone truly level the playing field with Asia’s manufacturing giants? While Forgis’ approach is innovative, the scale of the challenge is immense. Asia’s lead isn’t just about technology—it’s about cost, scale, and decades of infrastructure investment. Can Europe catch up? And if so, at what cost?
What do you think? Is Forgis’ intelligent automation the key to Europe’s manufacturing future, or is there more to the story? Let us know in the comments below!
