Marcin Pietrzyk is the founder and chief executive of Unit8, a data and AI consulting firm in Lausanne, Switzerland, that he started in 2017 with Michal Rachtan. A machine learning researcher who moved into telecom data leadership, he ran big data and business intelligence at Swisscom before founding the firm.
Orange Labs and Swisscom
He completed a PhD in data mining and machine learning at Orange Labs in Sophia Antipolis, France, and is an INSEAD alumnus. At Swisscom, the Swiss telecom operator, he was head of big data and business intelligence and led its data and AI work, and he has taught as a visiting lecturer in the executive MBA program at the University of St. Gallen. Bilanz listed him among its 2022 Swiss Digital Shapers (Unit8).
From a Geneva Plant Project to a US Office
Unit8 began with a process optimization project at a chemical components plant in Geneva, Switzerland, according to PME. In December 2022 he brought in Sagard NewGen as a minority investor, saying the firm would “push to hire the best talent” and grow internationally (Unit8).
In February 2026 Unit8 opened its first US office, outside Denver, Colorado. Pietrzyk told PME the firm is aiming at US companies ready to move past pilot projects and put AI into their daily operations.