Soverli, a cybersecurity spin-off from ETH Zurich, has raised $2.6 million in pre-seed funding to launch a sovereign operating system layer that works on any commercial smartphone without replacing Android or iOS.
The funding round was led by Founderful, with contributions from the ETH Zurich Foundation, Venture Kick, and prominent cybersecurity experts.
The company aims to give governments, enterprises, and individuals adequate management over smartphones, turning everyday devices into auditable, secure infrastructure.
Smartphones are one of the last digital sovereignty frontiers. Today, Android and iOS top the market, yet they are essentially black boxes.
A single faulty update or hidden vulnerability can disrupt millions of users. Soverli addresses this by allowing multiple operating systems to run simultaneously and independently on the same device.
Users can switch between Android and the sovereign OS instantly, keeping full functionality without compromise.
The company has demonstrated Signal running inside its sovereign OS. By isolating the app from Android, the system reduces the attack surface by 500×, keeping messages safe even if Android is compromised.
Essentially, Soverli works with existing devices and requires no hardware modifications, making high-level security widely accessible.
“Availability is mission-critical, yet organisations still rely on operating systems they cannot control or audit,” said Ivan Puddu, co-founder and CEO of Soverli.
“We built a fully auditable smartphone sovereign layer that stays operational even when Android is compromised. It’s a paradigm shift: instead of hoping the OS never breaks, Soverli guarantees continuity if it does, without forcing users to give up the modern smartphone experience they expect.”
Soverli’s technology has attracted attention from governments, public institutions, and enterprises. Early pilots focus on emergency services and critical infrastructure, where phone availability is essential.
If the main OS fails due to an attack or misconfiguration, Soverli keeps vital apps and workflows running, supporting police, firefighters, EMTs, journalists, and human rights workers.
Enterprises are exploring the system for secure bring-your-own-device programmes, allowing employees to run private and business environments on the same device safely.
“People deserve phones they can actually trust, and OEMs must deliver it,” said Antonia Albert, Investor at Founderful. “Soverli’s Swiss-made sovereign layer is the kind of breakthrough that can rewrite the rules of mobile security.”
The bigger context sees Europe and other regions racing to achieve digital sovereignty. Cloud and network infrastructure are already moving toward independence, but smartphones have lagged.
Soverli fills this gap, enabling institutions to enforce security policies on consumer-grade hardware without compromising usability.
The new funding will expand Soverli’s engineering team, extend device compatibility, improve mobile management integrations, and scale partnerships with OEMs.
The company’s long-term goal is to make true digital sovereignty available to all smartphones, ensuring both security and convenience for everyday users.
