Under Industries puts infrastructure underground

The deep-tech startup is developing robotic drilling systems in Dübendorf that make it possible to expand power, water, and data networks faster, more cost-effectively, and with minimal disruption to the surface.

Everyone knows the scene: torn-up streets, construction fences, detours — all just to get a new power cable into the ground. Under Industries wants to make that scene disappear. The team led by CEO Eugenio Valli is building autonomous Micro Tunnel Boring Robots (MTBRs) that lay utility lines underground, with almost nothing noticeable happening at the surface.

The company's roots lie in the desert: Under Industries emerged from Swissloop Tunneling, the ETH student association that originally formed out of a Hyperloop pod team and held its own against teams from around the world with self-built tunnel boring machines in Elon Musk's Not-a-Boring Competition.

The first market is already clearly defined: Swiss grid operators who need to replace overhead lines with underground cables — a business worth around 150 million Swiss francs annually for power grids in Switzerland and Europe alone. Water, gas, and telecommunications networks are expected to follow.

At Innovation Park Zurich, Under Industries benefits from the strong local network as well as concrete testing opportunities developed in collaboration with EuroTube, allowing the team to trial its technology under real-world conditions. In this way, Under Industries combines robotics, infrastructure, and sustainability, literally building the invisible networks our everyday lives depend on.