DARE Campus: Where Robots Get to Run Wild | Stefan Zimmer
Stefan Zimmer on building DARE Campus, a specialised workspace near Zurich designed for the practical demands of robotics and hardware startups.
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Key insights: executive summary
- Hardware and robotics startups need practical infrastructure such as bare concrete and high ceilings that conventional offices often prohibit.
- Removing facility management distractions lets deep tech founders focus their energy on engineering and product development.
- A workspace curated for one industry creates a concentrated community where useful knowledge can move organically between teams.
- Flexible offices reduce the risk of long commercial leases for fast-growing startups with uncertain space requirements.
- Seeing complex hardware operate nearby provides inspiration and learning that remote work cannot replicate.
“Startups often enough want to just work and get going. They don't want to talk to any janitors.”
“You feel like you're in a live movie right when you see a humanoid robot run by.”
What is DARE Campus and why does it matter now?
DARE Campus is a specialised coworking space designed for the practical reality of deep tech and robotics. As physical AI grows in Zurich, companies need spaces that can handle heavy equipment and rough prototyping while still offering the reliability of a serviced office.
How can workspace design accelerate hardware startups?
Group related companies together and remove operational distractions. When robotics teams share one roof and use purpose-built zones, a founder can ask a neighbour about a supply-chain problem or firmware issue over coffee.
Abstract away the friction
Handle workspace infrastructure so founders can concentrate on their core technology.
Curate the industry community
Host hackathons and investor events within the workspace so daily operations and useful networking reinforce each other.
Who is Stefan Zimmer?
Stefan Zimmer is the Head of DARE Campus by FlexOffice. His background in Zurich hospitality and flexible workspaces informs a people-first approach to building infrastructure for deep tech companies.
Episode show notes
Stefan Zimmer, a foundational member of FlexOffice, shares the story behind DARE Campus. His move from Zurich nightlife into corporate hospitality shaped his view that workspace is ultimately a people business.
What stood out was his answer to an unsolved workplace problem. Even among autonomous robots and physical AI, meeting-room screens and climate control can remain the most persistent everyday frustrations.
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- Nobody Has Left a Robot Working Overnight | Yulia Sandamirskaya, ZHAWYulia Sandamirskaya, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences
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- Switzerland's AI Movement Is About to Start | Swiss {ai} WeeksKatka Letzing and Anna Hakobyan, Swiss {ai} Weeks
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