DNAir

Founded in 2024 by CEO Stephanie Feeney and Chief Scientific Officer Fabian Roger as a spin-off from ETH Zurich, DNAir builds proprietary sensors that capture environmental DNA (eDNA) drifting in the air — from up to 100 metres above the ground — and translate those genetic fragments into real-time data on the plants, fungi, animals, insects and microbes present in an area. The technology gives mining operators, conservationists and public health bodies a way to monitor biodiversity and biosecurity risk continuously, rather than relying on periodic field surveys.

DNAir joined the Founders Factory and Rio Tinto Mining Tech Accelerator to help mining sites measure and report on biodiversity impact more rigorously, and has been supported by the Migros Pioneer Fund and Fondation Valéry as it validates its sensor network at national scale in Switzerland.