Hélène Iven

Co-founder & CEO - Digit Soil

Hélène Iven is a passionate agro-ecologist and Co-Founder and CEO of Digit Soil AG, an ETH Zürich spin-off developing on-site soil diagnostics that help farmers optimize nitrogen fertilization while reducing costs and environmental impact. Since co-founding the company in 2019, she has led its growth from a student research project to a commercial-stage company working with paying pilot customers across Switzerland, Belgium and France, while securing non-dilutive funding from Innosuisse, the European Union, the European Space Agency and the Klimastiftung Schweiz, and filing the company’s core patent protecting its measurement technology.

Prior to founding Digit Soil, Hélène worked as a Junior Consultant for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, supporting the Sri Lankan government on traceability and geographical indication for Ceylon cinnamon, and gained hands-on farming experience through an internship on a Swiss cereal, vegetable and livestock farm.

Hélène holds a BSc in Agronomic Sciences and an MSc in Ecology and Evolution, both from ETH Zürich, as well as a CAS in Entrepreneurial Leadership for Technology Ventures. She is co-author of a peer-reviewed publication on soil biotic interactions and microbial carbon use efficiency.

Alongside her role at Digit Soil, Hélène previously served as President of EnviroSwiss and is a member of the Association of French-speaking Swiss Agronomists (AIASR).