Herbert Bay
Herbert Bay co-authored the SURF algorithm, a fast computer-vision method for detecting and describing interest points, and the Koenderink Prize honored the work in 2016. He and Till Quack co-founded kooaba as an ETH spin-off, and Qualcomm bought the company in 2014. After the sale, he spent four years sailing with his wife and two sons. He then worked as a principal software engineer at Magic Leap's Zurich office. As of October 2026, he is co-founder and CEO of Mia21 and CEO of Earkick.
Timeline
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2006–2016
The SURF algorithm
He co-authors the SURF algorithm, a fast computer-vision method for detecting and describing interest points, with Tinne Tuytelaars and Luc Van Gool in 2006. The Koenderink Prize honors the work in 2016.
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2006–2014
Founding kooaba in Zurich
He and Till Quack co-found kooaba as an ETH spin-off at the end of 2006. Its goal is an image-based search engine built in Zurich.
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2014
Qualcomm buys kooaba
Qualcomm acquires kooaba in 2014, and the company becomes part of the AR platform Vuforia.
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2014–2018
A four-year sailing trip
After the kooaba sale in 2014, he spends four years sailing with his wife and two sons.
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By 2018
Principal engineer at Magic Leap
By 2018, he works as a principal software engineer for digital health and user perception at Magic Leap's Zurich office.
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2019–2023
AI photo books at Captural
He runs Captural as CEO from 2019 to 2023, building an AI photo-book system that processes more than 100K books a year at Ifolor.
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Since 2021
Co-founding Earkick
He co-founds Earkick with Karin Andrea Stephan in 2021, a startup with offices in San Francisco and Zurich.
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As of October 2026
CEO of Mia21 and Earkick
He is co-founder and CEO of Mia21, an AI memory platform, and CEO of Earkick.
Sources and credits
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- Herbert Bay - Wikipedia
- Herbert Bay - AI Product & Engineering Leader
- ETH-Spin-off Kooaba geht an Qualcomm
- "Visual Google" takes shape in Zurich - SWI swissinfo.ch
- Founders Talk: From kooaba to new horizons. An inspiring discussion between Herbert Bay and Till Quack about their entrepreneurial journeys – Venturelab
- The explorer | ETH Zurich
- Herbert Bay - Magic Leap | Selling A Company & Sailing Around The World
- Earkick makes mental health measurable