The engineer reawakens
The engineer reawakens
As a donor to the ETH Foundation and advisor to ETH spin-offs, Victor Bassili follows the latest technological developments with avid interest. Supporting the next generation of researchers brings his own eight years at the university full circle.
What brought you to ETH in 1982?
VICTOR BASSILI – I spent my childhood and youth in Egypt, Geneva and Vienna – my father worked for UNIDO, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. He often mentioned ETH as a good option for my studies. I was interested in an interdisciplinary programme, so I eventually enrolled in chemical engineering at ETH Zurich.
And you stayed for eight years.
I enjoyed my studies so much that I decided to add on a doctorate. I’ve always been interested in the combination of technology and business, so alongside my doctorate, I also completed a postgraduate degree in technical business administration.
What stands out most in your memory from that time?
Chemical engineering was a small programme with only about twenty students, so we got to know each other quickly. Many of us were active in the student association – I myself was president. Most of our lectures were held in the CAB building on Universitätsstrasse 6, a place with a rich history that has seen several Nobel Prize winners over the years. You would often spot Vladimir Prelog, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1975, in the Chemie-Bar. I must admit, it pains me a little that CAB is now home to computer science.
“My years at ETH were formative – ETH is part of who I am, and I feel part of ETH.”
After ETH, you built a career in industry and consulting, with roles at Shell, McKinsey, Ciba and BASF, and later working for yourself. How did your ETH studies benefit you in your professional career?
Since I didn’t pursue a technical career, I made little use of the subject matter itself. But I did benefit from the working methods I learned – the ability to proceed systematically and to dive deeply into a topic.
You donate regularly to support talented young researchers at ETH. What motivates you?
There are several reasons. First, I want to give something back. My years at ETH were formative – ETH is part of who I am, and I feel part of ETH. Second, I see it as an investment in the future. Switzerland’s industry is evolving, and ETH is a key factor in ensuring that success stories continue to be written. Supporting promising startups also means supporting potential employers. I want my children to have the opportunity to work in engineering professions here in Switzerland, if that’s what they choose to do. There’s also another dimension: the engineer within me has reawakened now that I give him more attention. As far as technology goes, we’re living in an exciting era, full of disruption and rapid evolution. I satisfy my curiosity for these topics at events like those organised by the ETH Foundation.
© ETH Foundation / Valeriano Di Domenico
You advise ETH startups, in either official or informal roles, and occasionally invest in them. How did that come about?
In 2017, ETH had a pavilion at the World Economic Forum and I joined a trip there. Over lunch I met two young founders who had launched a startup just two weeks earlier. They had an interesting product for AI-driven procurement optimisation, but no industrial contacts – that’s where I could step in. I still support that company, GenLots, from time to time. PharmaBiome is a startup I met at an ETH Foundation event and was impressed. They were closing a bridge financing round, and I was able to rally enough people in my network to cover the final gap. And I had a similar experience with Fabas, a startup from the Student Project House. I often say: if you want to invest in more mature startups, you can do that through the stock exchange. But if you’re interested in getting involved early and locally, ETH startups are a great choice.
