Enact Intelligence
A Zurich physical-AI startup founded in 2026 that co-designs hardware and models to give industrial robots a sense of touch.
Europe's most interesting startup stories. Every week.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Podcast Episode
🎙️ Deep Dive
Enact Intelligence, Cognitive Credit, Phononic Vibes — $30M for robotics, $40M for credit AI and €25M for metamaterials — Daily News October 23, 2026
Listen to the episodeAbout Enact Intelligence
Founded in Zurich in March 2026 by Manuel Yves Galliker, who previously led software for 1X’s NEO humanoid and then worked at Physical Intelligence, Enact Intelligence measures force directly inside robot motors rather than relying on separate touch sensors. The company co-designs model architecture, data pipelines, actuators and sensors, with models grounded in Newtonian physics and aimed at fine manipulation, from robot arms to humanoids. On October 22, 2026, it emerged from stealth with a $30 million pre-seed round backed by redalpine, Notion Capital and firstminute capital, with angels including Arthur Mensch, Yann LeCun and Andrew Lonsberry. The team numbers 12; the company is in talks with large European manufacturing, infrastructure, retail and food companies but has named no customers and published no benchmarks.
The Story
Manuel Yves Galliker, an ETH Zurich graduate with experience at Caltech, 1X and Physical Intelligence, founded Enact in Zurich in March 2026.
How Enact Intelligence works
Business Model
B2B supply of robotic systems and integrated hardware-software technology for industrial applications.
Products & Services
Key Products
- Sistemi robotici sensibili alla forza
- Stack integrato di attuatori, sensori e modelli di controllo
Core Use Cases
- Robotic manipulation in variable environments
- Force- and contact-aware industrial automation
- Learning physical tasks
Market & Clients
Key Customers
Large European manufacturing, infrastructure, retail and food companies in talks; no customer named.
Geographic Presence
How Enact Intelligence competes
Competitive Advantages
- Co-design of actuators, data and models
- Force perception without separate tactile sensors
- A team with experience at 1X, Physical Intelligence, DeepMind, Amazon Robotics and Helsing
How Enact Intelligence grows
Growth Strategy
Grow the team fivefold by the end of 2027, accelerate hardware development and begin first deployments with European companies.
Distribution Model
Direct sales and integration projects with industrial customers.
Moat (Defensibility)
Hardware-software integration and proprietary physical-interaction data, still to be demonstrated at commercial scale.
Regulatory Context
Machine-safety rules, liability for autonomous systems and potential dual-use controls may affect deployments.
Key Risks
- No public benchmarks
- Hardware industrialisation timelines and costs
- Long sales cycles and safety requirements
- Undisclosed customers and revenue
Strategic Insights
- In physical AI, hardware and interaction data can become a single competitive advantage.
- Using motors as sensors could reduce the fragility and cost of additional hardware.
Funding & Investors
Total Funding
Funding Rounds
- 2026 - Pre-seed: $30M
Key Investors
Founding Team
Founders
Key Metrics
Lessons from Enact Intelligence
- In deep tech, a very large initial round also raises the burden of quickly proving benchmarks, reliability and customer demand.
Similar Startups
ANYbotics
ANYbotics develops quadruped autonomous robots for industrial inspection in complex environments, selling not just hardware but an operating layer for digitizing maintenance and data collection.
Read AnalysisGravis Robotics
Zurich company, a 2022 ETH spin-off, that retrofits existing excavators and loaders with sensors and AI software to work autonomously. $200M Series A led by SoftBank in 08/2026.
Read AnalysisMosaic SoC
Zurich startup founded in 2024 developing low-power perception chips. On 30 April 2026 it announced a $3.8 million pre-seed.
Read AnalysisSources
- Zurich startup Enact raises $30M to give robots a sense of touch — The Next Web
- Enact — Notion Capital portfolio — Notion Capital
- Yann LeCun and Arthur Mensch back Zurich robotics startup in $30m pre-seed — Sifted
- Enact Intelligence — sito ufficiale — Enact Intelligence