Swiss startup miros secures €1.1M for bookable workpods
▼ Summary
– miros, a Lausanne startup spun out of EPFL, builds bookable, enclosed workpods for private calls or work in public spaces like airports and hospitals.
– The company has deployed 15 pods in Switzerland and made its first international deployment with a unit in Toulouse, France.
– It raised €1.1 million in pre-seed funding to expand its network, targeting over 100 pods in Switzerland by the end of 2026.
– The pods are designed with furniture brand Lakabi and manufactured in Switzerland, with a version supported by the Canton of Vaud using Swiss wood.
– The founder’s long-term ambition is to evolve beyond pods and make commercial real estate itself modular, flexible, and on-demand.
Finding a quiet, private space to focus or take a call in a bustling public area is a common modern challenge. A Swiss startup is tackling this issue head-on with a network of bookable workpods, securing €1.1 million in pre-seed funding to scale its solution. Founded in 2023 by Dr. Fabio Zuliani, a graduate of EPFL’s Reconfigurable Robotics Lab, miros creates enclosed, acoustically private pods that users can locate, reserve, and unlock entirely through a mobile app.
The company addresses a clear need in locations like train stations, airports, and hospitals, where people often lack appropriate space for private calls or focused work. While miros is a spinout from EPFL’s robotics research, its current product is intentionally simple: a high-quality, portable pod that requires no construction for installation. The design is a collaboration with Lausanne-based furniture brand Lakabi, with all manufacturing taking place in Switzerland. Support from the Canton of Vaud has also fostered the development of a version crafted from Swiss wood.
Since its launch, miros has deployed 15 workpods across Switzerland with partners including the SwissTech Convention Centre and Hôpital Riviera-Chablais. Its participation in Geneva Airport’s GVA Runway Lab program validated the product’s market fit in a real-world environment. The startup has also made its first international move, installing a pod at the Village by Crédit Agricole in Toulouse, France. Total usage across the network is nearing 350 hours.
The newly raised capital will directly fuel expansion, with a goal of installing over 100 pods across Switzerland by the end of 2026. However, founder Fabio Zuliani views the current workpod as merely a starting point. “We start with pods, but the ambition goes far beyond that,” Zuliani stated. “We are looking at how commercial real estate itself can become flexible, modular and on-demand. The pod is just the first building block.”
The company plans to announce several new partnerships in the coming months as it grows its footprint. The longer-term vision extends beyond individual pods, aiming to redefine physical workspace infrastructure by making it modular and on-demand.
(Source: The Next Web)