Ithildin
Company · 04 Founded · 2026

Sovereign software is not a feature. It is the whole product.

Founded2026 · Bern
DomicileSwitzerland
Cap tableSwiss-only
OfficesBern · Zürich (planned)
EmployeesFounding team
LeadershipSwiss-citizen, PSP

Ithildin was founded in 2026 on a single conviction: Switzerland cannot outsource the software that runs its most consequential operations to firms governed by foreign law.

The name comes from Tolkien. Ithildin is the silvery substance on the Doors of Durin — invisible by day, revealed only by moonlight to those who speak the password. It is the deliberate counterpart to the palantír, the seeing stone whose user is exposed to whoever else holds one. Sovereign data should behave like ithildin. Hidden from adversaries. Visible to allies. Never to strangers.

Why not Palantir? Palantir centralises an organisation's data into its own platform and cloud. Ithildin runs the same class of capabilities entirely on the customer's own infrastructure, under Swiss jurisdiction — designed for total data sovereignty rather than central aggregation. Read the full comparison →

05 — Leadership

Operators, engineers, and lawyers who have shipped inside Swiss institutions.

Every seat below is held to the same hiring standard: Swiss citizenship, Swiss residency, and PSP screening at the level the work requires. Appointments are published once confirmed in writing.

Roles we are seating

Chief Executive Officer

This seat requires a background in Swiss federal procurement and dual-use software, with PSP screening at GEHEIM.

Chief Technology Officer

Classified-network systems engineering, with an armasuisse/VBS background.

Head of Engineering

This seat requires distributed-systems and data-platform engineering, with ontology-style platforms shipped in production.

Head of Customer Engineering

This seat leads the Forward Deployed Engineering practice and owns customer outcomes end to end.

General Counsel · Compliance

This seat requires FADP counsel, ISG classification handling, and FINMA-circular-aligned controls. Swiss bar admission.

Business Development

This seat requires federal-procurement and critical-infrastructure relationships. Trilingual.

06 — Advisors

A small board of operators who have run the institutions we serve.

Advisor names are confirmed in writing before publication. The roles below describe the expertise we are seating, not the individuals.

Defense
To be announced
Former Swiss Armed Forces flag officer. Modern conflict tempo and classification frameworks.
Intelligence
To be announced
Former NDB or partner-agency leadership. Cross-source fusion and analyst tradecraft.
Finance
To be announced
Senior FINMA-aligned executive. AML / KYC and cross-border private-banking sovereignty.
Critical Infrastructure
To be announced
Operator from rail, energy, or telecommunications. OT and IEC 62443.
07 — Offices

Bern. Zürich. On site at customers.

Headquartered on the Bundesplatz. Engineering hub opening in Zürich. Forward Deployed Engineers sit with the customer.

CH · BE
Bern · Headquarters
Federal · Defense · Intelligence

Bundesplatz 4, 3011 Bern.
Across the square from the Federal Palace; ten minutes from VBS, twelve from armasuisse.

CH · ZH
Zürich · Engineering
Enterprise · Finance · Healthcare

Zürich — office in planning.
Engineering, customer engineering for finance, and academic partnerships.

The same team that built the platform walks into the bunker.

We hire Swiss citizens with PSP clearance, or willingness to obtain it. Briefings on request.