Nicola Rohrseitz
AI Leader, Entrepreneur & Deep-Tech Executive Defitech Foundation | GESDA
15+ years in AI, spanning venture creation, product innovation and enterprise transformation, grounded in neuroscience and robotics.
Social
Biography
At MSD (Merck & Co.), I directed global AI acceleration, with work spanning more than 50 markets and enterprise platforms serving over 10'000 users. At Cisco, I led the Strategic AI Program and co-founded the AI Center of Excellence. Earlier, I founded ViSSee, translating research on biological vision into technology.
I have also served as a Technology and Science Expert for the European Commission and as a National Innovation Expert for the Swiss government (CTI/Innosuisse), evaluating research and innovation proposals, start-ups and excellence networks.
Today, I am Executive Director of the Defitech Foundation and co-founder of GESDA's Brain-Computer Interfaces Initiative. These roles extend my work into neurotechnology, philanthropy and science diplomacy, including how emerging technologies can strengthen human agency.
My teaching includes visiting lectures at Rochester-Bern, IMD Business School and EPFL (2017–2026). I have also spoken at Cisco Live EU, ITU/United Nations and the Swiss Cyber-Defense AI Conference, and organized the AI & Networks workshop at EPFL’s Applied Machine Learning Days.
I hold a PhD in Physics and Neuroscience from ETH Zurich and an MSc from EPFL, specializing in Robotics and Systems. I am also the author of "Downloading a Company: How AI Turns Institutional Judgment into Economic Infrastructure". Across these settings, my focus is connecting technical possibility with practical decisions: what to build, how to bring it into use and how to create lasting value.
Industry Expertise
Areas of Expertise
Accomplishments
De Vigier Entrepreneurship Prize
2011-06-20
The annual prize of the W.A. De Vigier Foundation recognises the top 5 entrepreneurs of Switzerland, the world's most innovative country (*WEF).
IMD Business School Start-up Prize (2009)
ViSSee won an IMD Business School Start-up Prize in 2009, recognizing its entrepreneurial potential and technology commercialization.
Venture 2010 — Top 10 Business Ideas
ViSSee was selected among the ten best business ideas in Venture 2010, the Swiss entrepreneurship competition initiated by McKinsey & Company and ETH Zurich.
BSI Prize — Best Business Idea
ViSSee won the 2009 BSI Prize for the best business idea in Canton Ticino, the predecessor to StartCup Ticino.
ESA parabolic flights: Robotics in Weightlessness
2004-07-12
I led a team to test the robot we designed onboard a parabolic flight, the same astronauts use for training.
National Basketball Champion
1998-04-21
In 1998 I won the 1st league national basketball championship with Viganello.
Solo Transiberian Railroad
2000-09-26
I shaved my head and went to Moscow to board a train to Beijing. A slow, life-changing experience
Education
ETH Zurich, Switzerland
PhD
Physics, Neuroscience
2008
Thesis: "Visual groundspeed control principles in Drosophila melanogaster"
at the Institute of Neuroinformatics
東京大学 — University of Tokyo
MSc
Underwater Robotics
2005
Master thesis: "Autonomous landmark selection for underwater vehicles using sidescan sonar data"
Under the supervision of Professor Ura (URA, IIS).
Swiss Institute of Technology EPFL, Switzerland
MSc
Microengineering, specialised in Robotics and Systems
2005
Ticino State scholarship.
Master thesis:
"Autonomous landmark selection for underwater vehicles using sidescan sonar data"
Semester projects:
"Evolutionary robotics for PalmOS",
"zeroGraptor - a multigravity robot"; tested in weightlessness during the European Space Agency's 7th Student Parabolic Flight Campaign.
Lugano 1 High School (Ticino, Switzerland)
HS diploma
literature (latin & modern languages)
1999
Mascoutah High School (Illinois, USA)
1996
American Intercultural Student Exchange
Affiliations
- EPFL A3
- University of Tokyo Alumni
- ETH Alumni
Links
Languages
- English (fluent)
- German (fluent)
- Italian (fluent)
- French (fluent)
- Japanese (basic)
Testimonials
Advisor
http://www.ttivanguard.com/TTI/Vanguard
"Nicola = Thanks for coming along and doing such a great job."
Media Appearances
Enterprise AI adoption and readiness (interview)
Computerwelt print
2019-08-18
Interview on practical enterprise AI adoption, covering build-versus-buy strategies, organizational readiness, data access, specialist teams and executive sponsorship. The discussion also addresses explainability, common AI misconceptions, workforce skills, responsible deployment and Cisco’s applications of AI in networking and security.
ViSSee in Silicon Valley (documentary)
RSI — Radiotelevisione svizzera tv
2011-03-02
Subject of a feature documentary.
AI enterprise strategy and networking — Cisco Live EU 2019
theCUBE / SiliconANGLE online
2019-01-30
Video interview recorded at Cisco Live EU 2019 in Barcelona, discussing Cisco’s AI strategy and the challenges of applying AI to networking. Topics include the distinctive properties of network data, encrypted traffic, infrastructure and translating AI capabilities into useful products.
Event Appearances
AI & Networks (workshop host)
Applied Machine Learning Days (AMLD), EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland
2020-02-12
Digital Societies of Tomorrow (keynote)
Swiss Cyber-Defense AI Conference Lausanne, Switzerland
2019-06-13
AI & Networking (talk)
Applied Machine Learning Days (AMLD), EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland
2019-01-27
ML for 5G (briefing)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Geneva, Switzerland
2018-01-30
Computation from Nature
TTI/Vanguard NextGens Charlotte, NC
2010-12-06
Cyborgs Among Us — Early Neurotechnologies
The Robot Revolution San Francisco, CA
2011-10-10
Una start-up svizzera può farcela a livello mondiale?
Venture Apéro Lugano, Switzerland
2011-10-17
An electronic fly eye
De Vigier Prize Ceremony Solothurn, Switzerland
2011-05-23
Speed sensors in your pocket
McKinsey Venture Zurich, Switzerland
2010-01-25
Visual Groundspeed Control in Free-Flying Fruit Flies
Engineering Principles in Biological Systems Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY
2006-12-04
AI & Networking (talk, 2019)
Cisco Live EU 2019 Barcelona, Spain
Sample Talks
From AI capability to business value
For executives, product leaders and transformation teams. Drawing on more than 15 years in AI across ventures and global enterprises, including leadership roles at Cisco and MSD, this talk connects AI capabilities with product decisions, organizational change and measurable results.
Participants will learn how to choose valuable use cases, assess what it takes to move from pilot to production, and plan for adoption, ownership and measurement. The emphasis is on practical decisions that turn technical potential into lasting business value.
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Author Appearance
- Corporate Training
Courses
Neurotechnologies — UN Masterclass (contributing speaker)
Contributing speaker in the Masterclass jointly curated by the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITCILO), GESDA and the University of Turin. The course explores applications of neurotechnology in learning, training and capacity development, including technical opportunities, accessibility and ethical implications (2026).
Brain-Computer Interfaces — Rochester-Bern (guest lecture)
Guest lecturer on brain-computer interfaces in the Rochester-Bern programme at the University of Bern. Delivered in Bern, Switzerland, in 2025.
Methods & Cases for Advanced Innovation — IMD (guest lecture)
Guest lecturer on advanced innovation methods and cases at IMD Business School, Lausanne, Switzerland (2018).
