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Entrepreneurship Unplugged: Joel Roos' Founder Story

19 May 2025

8092 Zurich, Switzerland

Rämistrasse 101

ETH Main Building - Room E7

How to Build, Grow, Exit, and Begin Again

Joel Roos has experienced it all: a former professional athlete to robotics student, founder of VAY, and now investor and Entrepreneur in Residence at ETH Zürich. This isn't your typical textbook case study. It's real, raw insight into what building a start-up really looks like - shared by someone who's successfully navigated the highs and lows, exited a company, and returned to guide the next generation.

Join us for this Entrepreneurship Unplugged Series cohosted by ETH Zürich and UBS, as Joel shares his valuable insights and lessons learned. Whether you're a student, researcher, aspiring founder, or just curious - this is your chance to step inside a founder's playbook.

Please RSVP by Monday, 12 May to secure your spot.

Photo credit: Daniel Winkler

Program

Monday, 19 May 2025
ETH Main Building - Room E7
Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland

17:45 - Doors open
18:00 - Welcome by Frank Floessel, Head of ETH Entrepreneurship
18:05 - Joel Roos' founder story moderated by Chris Luebkeman
18:55 - Closing remarks by Sava Stanisic, UBS
19:00 - Networking apéro
20:00 - End of event

About Joel Roos

From ETH Student to Start-up Success

Joel Roos is a Swiss entrepreneur, investor, and ETH alumnus who co-founded VAY a motion analysis start-up spun out of ETH in 2020. The company was acquired by US-based Nautilus Inc. just a year later, marking a successful and swift exit. Post-acquisition, Joel served as Director of Digital Product at BowFlex, pushing the boundaries of personalized fitness technologies.

Now an Entrepreneur in Residence at ETH Zurich, Joel is supporting the next generation of founders while working on his next venture. He is also an active angel investor and partner to several early-stage startups, including QBIT, Backbone, FAIR, and S2S.

A former professional volleyball player and member of the Swiss National Team, Joel brings the mindset of an athlete to the world of innovation — resilient, strategic, and driven. He holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering and an MSc in Robotics from ETH, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in Technology in 2022.

Hosting Partners

UBS and ETH Zurich are proud to present jointly a significant platform for Swiss innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2022, ETH Zürich and UBS have launched a partnership to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in Switzerland.