Gapfruit
Gapfruit AG is a Swiss deep-tech company that builds a microkernel operating system with capability-based security and a hardware-rooted device identity service, targeting OEMs manufacturing connected devices for regulated industrial, energy, and critical infrastructure markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersZug, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Gapfruit does
Gapfruit AG is a Swiss deep-tech company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Zug, with an additional office in Zurich. The company develops Gapfruit OS, a microkernel operating system with capability-based security designed for OEMs building connected devices for regulated industrial, energy, communication, and critical infrastructure environments. The operating system implements the Seven Properties of Highly Secure Devices — including a TPM-anchored hardware root of trust, a small trusted computing base, defense-in-depth compartmentalization, and certificate-based authentication — and includes a Device Driver Environment that isolates Linux drivers in userspace sandboxes so they execute without expanding the trusted computing base. Founding engineers previously built a military-grade operating system for Swiss security authorities between 2012 and 2017 before commercializing the technology for industrial use.
Gapfruit operates a platform-plus-services model with three product lines: Gapfruit OS (licensed to OEMs as board support packages on selected modules), the Birth Certificate Provisioning Service (a manufacturing-ready, IEEE 802.1AR-compliant service for embedding hardware-rooted device identities, deployed with first customer Miromico in December 2025), and Release Artifact Signing (for end-to-end integrity protection of BSPs and updates). Revenue is generated through OS licensing/royalties, recurring Trust Services subscriptions tied to device lifecycle management, and professional services supporting long-term OEM engagements. The company targets critical infrastructure operators and OEM manufacturers via a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise field sales, OEM embedding partnerships (Congatec, S.I.E, Miromico), and channel distribution through Bechtle AG.
As of late 2025, Gapfruit has 12 employees across four nationalities, no disclosed external funding rounds, and is founder-owned. Its named commercial ecosystem includes technology and PKI partner DigiCert, IT integrator and managed-services distributor Bechtle, IoT platform provider Device Insight (a KUKA company), module vendors Congatec and S.I.E, and LoRaWAN gateway maker Miromico. The company is a Contributor Member of the Trusted Computing Group and aligns its roadmap with EU regulatory requirements such as the Cyber Resilience Act and NIS2.
Gapfruit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gapfruit
- Legal name
- gapfruit AG
- Website
- https://gapfruit.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Gapfruit AG is a Swiss deep-tech company that builds a microkernel operating system with capability-based security and a hardware-rooted device identity service, targeting OEMs manufacturing connected devices for regulated industrial, energy, and critical infrastructure markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gapfruit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Secure Embedded Operating Systems
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Office Machines, Nec (3579)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms (BPAMAEAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Identity & Access for Workforce (IAM/SSO/MFA, Conditional Access) (BPAEAIAH)
Keywords
Where Gapfruit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zug
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Gapfruit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Gapfruit OS Licensing: Licensing of the microkernel operating system to OEMs for embedding in devices for critical infrastructure, industrial automation, and energy systems. Distributed as board support packages (BSP) on selected OEM modules.
- Trust Services: Trust Services including Birth Certificate Provisioning Service that enables OEMs to embed hardware-rooted device identities during manufacturing. Supports CRA compliance and provides certificate-based authentication for device lifecycle management.
- Professional Services and OEM Engagement: Long-term OEM relationship management and Trust Services positioning. Guides OEMs through adoption and provides ongoing support for rollout and operation.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Gapfruit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gapfruit develops and licenses Gapfruit OS, a microkernel operating system with capability-based security that enables OEMs to build trustworthy devices with hardware-rooted identity for regulated industrial, energy, and communication environments. The company complements the OS with the Birth Certificate Provisioning Service that embeds TPM-anchored device identities during manufacturing, and a Release Artifact Signing service for update integrity.
Product overview
Gapfruit offers a platform-plus-services architecture centered on Gapfruit OS, a microkernel operating system with capability-based security for critical infrastructures. The core OS is complemented by the Birth Certificate Provisioning Service for hardware-rooted device identity during manufacturing, and the Release Artifact Signing service for update integrity protection. Supporting technical papers (Architecture whitepaper, Birth Certificate Tech Paper, Make Devices Trustworthy roadmap) document the platform's security properties, TPM-based device identity approach, and OEM guidance for regulatory compliance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gapfruit OS A microkernel operating system with capability-based security that provides a robust foundation for digitalizing critical infrastructures. Implements the Seven Properties of Highly Secure Devices, strong isolation via userspace sandboxes, Device Driver Environment for Linux driver support, and lifecycle management with declarative system definitions and signed SBOM updates. Distributed as BSP on selected OEM modules for OEMs building industrial edge gateways, LoRaWAN gateways, and embedded devices.
- Birth Certificate Provisioning Service A manufacturing-ready service enabling OEMs to embed a tamper-resistant, hardware-rooted identity (IEEE 802.1AR-compliant) into every device during production. Built on TPM-backed cryptography to provide cryptographic proof of device origin and state throughout the device lifecycle. Supports CRA compliance and integrates with DigiCert PKI for global certificate issuance at industrial scale.
- Release Artifact Signing
Companies that use Gapfruit
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Gapfruit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability1 record
Feature6 records
Gapfruit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Miromico AGflagshipMiromico is a Swiss engineering company specializing in embedded systems and wireless technologies. First OEM to deploy Gapfruit's Birth Certificate Provisioning Service in full-scale production. Developing new LoRaWAN gateway based on Gapfruit OS to meet CRA requirements.
- DigiCertcoreStrategic collaboration advancing trusted device mass manufacturing at scale. DigiCert provides globally deployed PKI infrastructure and expertise in high-assurance certificate services. Combined with Gapfruit's Birth Certificate Provisioning Service, enables cryptographically verifiable device identities at industrial scale. Supports CRA readiness and device integrity compliance.
- Trusted Computing Group (TCG)coreGapfruit is a Contributor Member of TCG, actively supporting development of global standards for device security, trusted hardware, and secure manufacturing processes. Key focus on evolution of secure device identity including hardware-rooted Birth Certificate provisioning aligned with TCG specifications.
- Bechtle AGflagshipBechtle is one of Europe's largest IT providers offering system integration, logistics, and managed services. Uses Gapfruit OS for industrial edge and LoRaWAN gateways supporting global rollout, supply chains, and long-term operation in critical infrastructures. Co-developed the Bechtle Secure Edge Gateway.
- Congatec GmbHcoreCongatec is a leading German provider of industrial computer-on-modules (COMs) and embedded computing solutions. Gapfruit OS is available as a board support package (BSP) on selected congatec SoM modules for secure industrial edge applications.
- Device Insight GmbHcoreDevice Insight, a KUKA company, is one of Germany's leading experts in industrial IoT and analytics solutions. Builds industrial IoT solutions on Gapfruit OS. Gapfruit's Device Lifecycle Management is based on their professional CenterSight Scale platform.
- LoRa AllianceminorThe LoRa Alliance is a global association of companies driving the LoRaWAN standard for low-power, wide-area networks. Gapfruit OS supports LoRaWAN gateways and aligns with the LoRa Alliance's mission for scalable, secure, and energy-efficient IoT connectivity.
- Microsoft AzurecoreMicrosoft Azure is a global cloud platform providing scalable infrastructure, identity services, and secure IoT integration. Gapfruit OS leverages Azure to model the entire physical gateway including OS, applications, and configuration as a digital twin, managed declaratively across its lifecycle.
- System Industrie Electronic GmbH (S.I.E)coreS.I.E is an Austrian company specializing in high-reliability embedded platforms for medical, industrial, and security-critical applications. Gapfruit OS is enabled on selected S.I.E industrial edge gateway to deliver security and resilience for critical infrastructure use.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Gapfruit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wind River Systems: Vendor of VxWorks and Wind River Linux for safety- and security-critical embedded devices across aerospace, industrial, and automotive. Large incumbent competing for the same OEM design wins as Gapfruit OS.
- Canonical: Steward of Ubuntu Core for IoT and edge devices, offering a snap-based, transactional Linux platform with secure boot and over-the-air updates. Comparable secure-edge OS targeting OEMs building connected devices.
- Foundries.io: Provider of a secure embedded Linux platform with over-the-air updates, hardware-rooted identity, and factory provisioning for IoT and edge OEMs. Closely comparable security-focused edge OS offering for OEMs.
- Green Hills Software: Vendor of the INTEGRITY real-time operating system for safety- and security-critical embedded systems in automotive, aerospace, industrial, and medical markets. Most direct functional overlap with Gapfruit OS for high-assurance embedded workloads.
- Lynx Software Technologies: Provider of LynxOS and the MOSA.ic framework for safety- and security-critical embedded systems in avionics, industrial, and defense. Comparable secure embedded OS positioning for regulated industrial OEMs.
- BlackBerry QNX: Provider of the QNX Neutrino RTOS and secure embedded software platform widely used in automotive, industrial, and safety-certified applications. Directly comparable secure embedded OS targeting regulated OEMs.
- Genode Labs: Developer of the Genode OS Framework, a microkernel-based operating system for security-critical applications. Gapfruit's engineering team explicitly cites Genode expertise, making this the closest technology foundation peer.
Emerging players
- Karamba Security: Vendor of embedded runtime security and device integrity software for connected vehicles and IoT. Adjacent in protecting long-lived connected devices but focused on software-level hardening rather than microkernel-based OS replacement.
- Trustonic: Provider of Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and device identity solutions for automotive, IoT, and financial services. Partial overlap with Gapfruit's hardware-rooted identity and secure platform focus, with a narrower TEE-centric approach.
Broad incumbents
- Microsoft Azure Sphere: Microsoft's secure IoT platform combining a custom OS, certified hardware (Pluton/TPM-style security), and cloud services for connected device manufacturers. A much larger incumbent offering overlapping capabilities as part of a broader Azure portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Gapfruit social profiles
Digital presenceGapfruit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gapfruit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Gapfruit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gapfruit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gapfruit
What does Gapfruit do?
Gapfruit develops and licenses Gapfruit OS, a microkernel operating system with capability-based security that enables OEMs to build trustworthy devices with hardware-rooted identity for regulated industrial, energy, and communication environments. The company complements the OS with the Birth Certificate Provisioning Service that embeds TPM-anchored device identities during manufacturing, and a Release Artifact Signing service for update integrity.
Is Gapfruit a public or private company?
Gapfruit is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Gapfruit founded?
Gapfruit was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Gapfruit based?
Gapfruit is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Gapfruit make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Gapfruit OS Licensing is the primary driver. The others are trust Services and professional Services and OEM Engagement.
Who are Gapfruit's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wind River Systems, Canonical, Foundries.io, Green Hills Software, Lynx Software Technologies, BlackBerry QNX and Genode Labs. Emerging players are Karamba Security and Trustonic. Microsoft Azure Sphere is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Gapfruit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gapfruit.
What industry is Gapfruit in?
Gapfruit's product category is Secure Embedded Operating Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAEAE, Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms, with a secondary code of BPAEAIAH, Identity & Access for Workforce (IAM/SSO/MFA, Conditional Access). Its NAICS code is 33451 and its SIC code is 3823.