Shows
Swisspreneur ShowEP #542 - Laurent Decrue & Sophie Lamparter: Do Swiss Startups Need the US to Win Big?Timestamps:10:37 - Liquidity in the Swiss market without IPOs 23:12 - What areas are attracting funding in Switzerland36:55 - Europe vs US45:22 - The guests predictions for 2026This episode was co-produced with Swiss Startup Days, the leading Swiss deep-tech catalyst event for startups, investors, enablers, and corporates.Checkout Newcomers - the ultimate pitching format for pre-seed and seed startups in Switzerland. Applications open in December 2025. Episode description:In this first Swisspreneur Briefing, we go live with Sophie Lamparter (Founder & Managing Partner at VitaminºC) and Lauren...
2026-01-2656 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #537 - Imad Abdallah: The One-Customer Rule for Hardware FoundersTimestamps:10:01 - What RTDT does21:03 - Creating a team and spinning-off from ETH26:19 - Getting financing for Hardware 32:08 - The One-Customer ruleEpisode summary:In this episode, we sit down with Imad Abdallah, Co-Founder & CEO of RTDT, a spin-off from ETH Zurich developing one of the world’s first systems to measure real aerodynamic behavior directly on wind turbine blades. After studying engineering in Canada and Denmark, Imad moved to Switzerland for a postdoc at ETH where the core technology behind RT...
2025-12-1743 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #534 - Levent Künzi: How properti took over swiss real estateTimestamps:3:05 - From burning out from the 9-5 to becoming an entrepreneur8:33 - Scaling properti to an industry leader in 5 years14:00 - How Levent’s role shifted throughout properti’s growth22:11 - What’s next for propertiThis episode was sponsored by infinity.swiss, Switzerland’s most advanced AI accounting tool. Save 25% by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.Episode Summary:In our second Swisspreneur Documentary series we sit down with Levent Künzi, Co-Founder and CEO of proper...
2025-12-0324 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #531 - Thomas Dübendorfer & Paulina Grnarova: A Founder’s & Investor’s Perspective On How AI Will Change Legal TechTimestamps:3:30 - Identifying a market gap in legal tech 10:06 - What is “smart money” after all?16:22 - How do you go from researcher to CEO?25:55 - The biggest risk for every scaleup36:20 - Is Switzerland a hotbed for AI?This episode was co-produced by SICTIC, the leading angel investor network in Switzerland.This episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout....
2025-11-1243 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #530 - Stef van Grieken: Europe’s AI-Biotech Revolution Starts HereTimestamps:6:38 The birth of Cradle 21:36 Convincing Skeptics and Finding Product-Market Fit28:29 Raising Capital and Choosing the Right VCs35:21 Europe’s missed opportunities (and how to fix them)Episode Summary:Stef Van Grieken, CEO and Co-founder of Cradle, the AI biotech startup helping scientists design better proteins in record time and pioneering the intersection of AI and biology, re-imagining how humans create life-changing molecules. Stef holds a MSc in Industrial Eng...
2025-11-0556 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #495 - Investing in Startups as Father and SonTimestamps:5:20 - Helping European companies set up shop in China11:43 - SICTIC’s investment program for kids17:57 - Building AI models to predict fundraising success26:00 - How being a young investor changes your perspectiveThis episode was co-produced by SICTIC, the leading angel investor network in Switzerland.This episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.(Disclaimer: Relai services are exclusively re...
2025-10-0937 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #524 - Nenad Nikolic & Herbert Bay: How to Build a Product Dream TeamTimestamps:3:31 - What’s the best tech team setup?16:05 - Using OKRs for your tech team32:53 - The more you automate, the higher the tech debt?37:21 - Marketing the product before you even build itThis episode was originally a live webinar co-hosted with Holycode, a software development partner that's helped more than 140 startups scale by providing customized products and teams for every stage.This episode was sponsored by infinity.swiss, Switzerland’s most advanced AI accounting tool. Save...
2025-10-0847 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #521 - Andreas Caminada: Waiting 7 years to turn a profit (and getting 3 Michelin Stars in the process)Timestamps00:00 – Tour of Andreas’ self-built "culinary village" (bakery, guesthouse, fermentation lab).08:05 – The startup struggle: Bootstrapping with 4 people and sleeping in the restaurant.13:22 – Losing his co-founder/girlfriend: Why he almost quit (but didn’t).19:06 – Monetization secrets: Licensing deals, Hublot/Audi partnerships, and why "brands need stories."22:35 – Future projects: Saunas, talent foundations, and why "the hardest part isn’t starting—it’s staying relevant."This episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWI...
2025-09-2423 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #512 - Michael Wüst: Building a Fintech Scaleup for International Payments & CollectionsTimestamps:2:50 - Building a cloud-native API-first product5:28 - How will AI change banking?12:14 - The big regulatory beast25:24 - Amnis’ growth challengesThis episode was sponsored by infinity.swiss, Switzerland’s most advanced AI accounting tool. Save 25% by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.Click here to order your copy of “Swiss Startups” today.About Michael Wüst:Michael Wüst is the founder and CEO of amnis, a company reinventing international...
2025-08-1341 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #509 - Stefan Kirchhofer: How to Find the Best Lawyer For Your StartupTimestamps:6:32 - How can lawyers help entrepreneurs?13:55 - The cost of legal services: hourly rates vs. success fees23:40 - Essential contracts for startups: what founders must know40:10 - Understanding term sheets and key negotiations50:56 - Personal liability and risk managementThis episode was co-produced by EO Zürich. Check out their upcoming event, Entrepreneurs Summit 2025.Subscribe to the Swisspreneur Newsletter to keep up to date with all the newest developments of the Swiss startup scene.About Stefan Kirchhofer:
2025-07-231h 02
Swisspreneur ShowEP #506 - David Haber: Why Fortune 500 Companies Are Partnering Up with Lakera AITimestamps:3:30 - Teaching a made-up course on London Business School13:29 - Should we be wary of AI?16:00 - It’s never been easier to hack software27:38 - Gandalf came out of a hackathon38:38 - Differences between the US and SwitzerlandThis episode was sponsored by infinity.swiss, Switzerland’s most advanced AI accounting tool. Save 25% by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.Click here to order your copy of “Swiss Startups” today.About David Haber:Davi...
2025-07-0947 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #505 - Wiktor Bourée & Charlotte Ducrot: The Pivot that Makes or Breaks Your StartupTimestamps:05:58 - From tennis courts to security11:43 - Getting the team onboard with a major pivot 19:40 - Staying focused vs staying flexible27:57 - What are the biggest pivoting mistakes startups keep making?This episode was co-produced with Innovaud, the innovation and investment promotion agency for the canton of Vaud.This episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.(Disclaimer: Relai services a...
2025-07-0243 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #504 - Führen wie ein Löwe, mit Carsten MaschmeyerTimestamps:02:24 – Führen wie ein Löwe06:31 – Warum Sales Chefsache ist07:31 – Das globale Startup-Ökosystem: USA vs. Europa10:16 – Erfolgreiche Sales-Strategien strukturieren21:29 – Rückschläge meistern und Resilienz aufbauenThis episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.(Disclaimer: Relai services are exclusively recommended for Swiss and Italian residents.)Über Carsten Maschmeyer:Carste...
2025-06-2525 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #502 - Julian Liniger: How Relai Became One of the Fastest Growing Startups in EuropeTimestamps:13:03 - How much equity did Relai give away?31:00 - How to delegate as a CEO39:13 - Why product roadmaps change 47:10 - Why Julian is cautious to expand his teamThis episode was co-produced with SEF.Growth, the Swiss Economic Forum's Growth initiative to support Swiss startups and SMEs with growth plans free of charge.This episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at c...
2025-06-181h 04
Swisspreneur ShowEP #500 - How Swisspreneur Became Switzerland’s #1 Business PodcastTimestamps:11:04 - How the Swisspreneur team grew14:16 - Why most people at Swisspreneur are volunteers25:00 - How the syndicate got hundreds of signups after a few weeks30:42 - Why does Swisspreneur produce free masterclasses?39:43 - How Swisspreneur wrote a bookThis episode was sponsored by Google Cloud. Join their Founder's Story event on June 24th to hear directly from blockchain startup founders about their journeys of innovation, disruption, and resilience, and discover how they are redefining industries with decentralized technology.
2025-06-1144 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #499 - Fatemeh Nikayin & Thomas Müller: How to Sell SaaS to BanksTimestamps:5:07 - Thomas’s leap from cybersecurity to founding Rivero 15:07 - Building partnerships with Visa and Mastercard 21:10 - Bootstrapping until Series A 23:00 - Founder salary realities 27:43 - Why it’s hard to sell to banks Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today. Click here to profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.(Disclaimer: Relai services are exclusively recommended for Swiss and Italian residents.)This episode was sponsored by Google Cloud. Join their Founder...
2025-06-0439 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #498 - Philipp Hadjimina: Reaching Language Fluency with an AI TutorTimestamps:8:35 - Why enter a crowded market?15:24 - Language learning in AI28:02 - When Univerbal got into YC37:30 - How to get into YC41:00 - Getting 50K+ people to test your prototypeDISCLAIMER: This episode was recorded several months ago, and since then Philipp has left his role at Univerbal. We nonetheless thought the episode was still worth sharing, as it is a great startup story about building an AI language tutor and making it to YC. We hope you enjoy the content!
2025-05-2858 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #497 - Nicolas Autret: How to Make Long-Term Startup InvestmentsTimestamps:7:29 - How does the Swiss ecosystem compare to others?18:09 - Which Swiss scaleups is Nicolas excited about?23:46 - Does Swiss shyness hold us back?30:23 - Investing in companies with long development cycles35:08 - Creating outbound investment opportunities This episode was co-produced with the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation.Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today. Click here to profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.(Disclaimer: Relai services are exclusively r...
2025-05-2540 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #496 - Evelyne Pflugi: How to Quantify and Invest in InnovationTimestamps:6:10 - Quantifying innovation for investment purposes10:53 - How Evelyne met Tobias Reichmuth20:43 - Can innovation outperform ETFs?34:18 - How to build trust with potential investors38:34 - Why Evelyne’s team is mostly womenThis episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.(Disclaimer: Relai services are exclusively recommended for Swiss and Italian residents.)About Evelyne Pflugi:Ev...
2025-05-2147 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #494 - Ieva Soblickaite: A Cybersecurity Bootcamp in 45 MinutesTimestamps:4:00 - What’s a data breach?10:21 - What’s a phishing campaign?13:50 - How expensive is it to fix a data breach? 20:35 - How are startups being targeted?22:07 - Why strong passwords are not enoughThis episode was co-produced by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans.This episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checko...
2025-05-1446 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #493 - Was Haben Profisport und der Businessalltag Gemeinsam?Timestamps:4:30 - Wie konnte Alex Frei immer die höchste Leistung abrufen9:20 - Liegt der Fokus auf Input oder Output?19:30 - Was bedeutet Fairplay im Business?33:50 - Mentale Gesundheit im Sport39:22 - Kurze AbschlussfragenGet started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.(Disclaimer: Relai services are exclusively recommended for Swiss and Italian residents.)Über Stefan Lichtsteiner, Alex Frei, Diego Benaglio, Sergio Ermotti:Serg...
2025-05-0746 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #492 - Laurent Decrue & Arijana Walcott: Fundraising Through the Investor’s Lens — What Founders Get WrongTimestamps:6:21 - How much equity to give up in a Series A13:32 - How investors assess valuation at Series A/B17:55 - What makes a good vs. bad investor26:29 - Why some investors lead founders on36:50 - Don’t spray and pray: smarter ways to reach investors This episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.(Disclaimer: Relai services are exclusively recommended for Swiss and...
2025-04-3048 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #476 - Thomas Schori: How to Recycle Plastic & Save the OceansTimestamps:5:15 - When tide ocean became a full-time project14:50 - What happens to tide ocean when we run out of plastic?28:26 - Plastic vs glass or paper recycling32:36 - How tide ocean pays and incentives employees from developing countries46:51 - Do startup competitions actually help startups? This episode was co-produced with SEF.Growth, the Swiss Economic Forum's Growth initiative to support Swiss startups and SMEs with growth plans free of charge.Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
2025-02-1957 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #451 - Nicole Kleger: Why Lab Grown Meat Won’t Kill YouTimestamps:
8:20 - The current state of the lab meat industry
14:10 - Does lab meat have the same nutritional value & taste?
15:40 - Sallea’s go-to-market strategy
17:45 - When all your partners are also startups
20:30 - What happens to the farmers?
This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans.
About Nicole Kleger:
Nicole Kleger is the co-founder and CTO at sallea, a biotech startup enabling the cultivation of high-value, textured...
2024-11-0730 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #442 - Alessandro Ofner: How This Microcapsule Tech Can Change Pharma, Cosmetics & CuisineTimestamps:
6:45 - What is microencapsulation used for?
13:58 - Choosing a use case vs covering operating expenses
21:53 - Why trust matters most in B2B
27:04 - Why hire an external CEO
28:50 - Founders take themselves too seriously
This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans.
About Alessandro Ofner:
Alessandro Ofner is the co-founder and co-CEO of Microcaps, a startup developing breakthrough technology to naturally encapsulate ingredients and fragrances into...
2024-10-0239 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #437 - Karolis Arbaciauskas: Why Cybersecurity Should Be a Startup’s 1st PriorityTimestamps:
2:10 - Volunteering and traveling
5:46 - Cybersecurity is for everyone
8:58 - Startups and cybersecurity
10:42 - Why do data breaches happen?
21:02 - Is Europe a good place to build a scaleup?
This episode was co-produced/sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans.
About Karolis Arbaciauskas:
Karolis Arbaciauskas is the Head of Product & Business Development at NordPass, a password management solution and part of Nord Security, the world’s leading cybersecurity company...
2024-09-1535 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #435 - Silvan Leibacher: Making a Cost-Competitive Vegan Egg AlternativeTimestamps:
3:55 - Making a vegan egg replacement in 2024
5:44 - The team behind the food engineering company
8:52 - The B2B clean label food market
10:42 - Solving big supply chain problems
13:20 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Silvan Leibacher:
Silvan Leibacher is the co-founder and CEO of Eggfield, a startup replacing eggs in the food industry through plant-based and clean label ingredients. He holds a BSc in Business Management from ZHAW, and previously co-founded the bakery Leibacher Biber-Manufaktur AG in 2010 with his s...
2024-09-0817 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #433 - Christian Hirt: Virtual Reality Training in SwitzerlandTimestamps:
2:33 - Why virtual reality is in a perfect sweet spot
6:10 - The challenge of product-market fit
8:45 - Having a boring competitive landscape
10:29 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Christian Hirt:
Christian Hirt is the co-founder and CEO of AtlasVR, a startup harnessing the power of virtual reality for vocational training. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from ETH and previously worked for Rheinmetal Air Defence and the Swiss Armed Forces before starting Atlas VR in 2022.
AtlasVR provides a solution to...
2024-09-0114 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #424 - Marcel Salathé: Universities Are the Key to Switzerland’s SuccessTimestamps:
6:59 - Being humbled by Y Combinator
12:20 - EPFL’s extension school
15:47 - What needs fixing in Switzerland
29:25 - Budget cuts for Swiss universities
39:40 - EPFL AI center
This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans.
About Marcel Salathé:
Marcel Salathé is a professor at EPFL, startup founder and investor, as well as a digital epidemiologist. He holds a PhD in Biology and Environmental Sciences from ETH, and has...
2024-07-3148 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #423 - Thomas Crawford & Daniel Delouya: Building AI-Powered InsuranceTimestamps:
2:00 - The insurance market so far
5:58 - The rise of AI tools
8:15 - Signing the first 4 commercial agreements
8:47 - Finding AI engineering talent
14:11 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Thomas Crawford & Daniel Delouya:
Thomas Crawford is the co-founder and CEO of Bind, a startup providing AI-powered insurance targeting. He holds a BA in Geography and Economics from Durham University and previously worked for Zurich Insurance before joining Bind as a late co-founder in 2024.
Daniel Delouya is the co-founder...
2024-07-2819 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #421 - Sean Wassermann & Constantin Marakhov: How to Farm Fish SustainablyTimestamps:
3:01 - Liquid vs solid fermentation
8:08 - A decade in the cannabis industry
17:04 - Who Kidemis’ clients are
19:48 - The challenge of technological development
21:03 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Sean Wassermann & Constantin Marakhov:
Sean Wassermann is the CTO at Kidemis, a Swiss feedtech company that applies mycelium-based fermentation to upcycle low-value side streams into high value protein for various industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts and was previously CTO at co...
2024-07-2128 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #420 - Yves Béhar: Venture Designing, Entrepreneurship & the Human SpiritTimestamps:
2:35 - How Switzerland fell short in the 90s
15:00 - Suffering and the creative process
23:21 - The challenge of designing an office chair
31:28 - Design or die
33:30 - What is a venture designer?
This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans.
About Yves Béhar:
Yves Béhar is a venture designer, the founder of the fuseproject, co-founder of TELO, August, and Canopy, and Chief Creative Officer at Jawbon...
2024-07-1757 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #415 - Matthias Heuberger: Why Breathing is the True Sports Performance MetricTimestamps:
1:17 - Why Matthias started BreezeLabs
4:01 - The Breezelabs team & being an ETH spin-off
6:21 - Dealing with indirect competition
7:25 - Handling the unknown as a founder
8:31 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Matthias Heuberger:
Matthias Heuberger is the founder and CEO of BreezeLabs, a startup developing a new way to track sports performance. He holds an MA in International Affairs from HSG and previously worked for Zurich Insurance Company and CSS Versicherung before starting BreezeLabs in 2022.
By using the...
2024-06-3012 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #407 - Jonas Karklys: How Nord Security Became a Leader in Digital Security & PrivacyTimestamps:
6:32 - Race car driving & building a business
11:55 - How NordPass stood out in the market
23:10 - Catering to customers vs staying focused
31:32 - From Lithuania to the world
43:54 - Is Lithuania a startup-friendly country?
Resources mentioned:
Blackbox Thinking, Matthew Syed
Click here to enjoy three months of NordPass Business for free with the code “swisspreneur”.
About Jonas Karklys:
Jonas Karklys is the co-founder of Nord Security, and the CEO of i...
2024-06-0248 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #405 - Christoph Bertschy & Gaël Riesen: How to Make Water Free & ProfitableTimestamps:
5:20 - Making a business out of free water
8:12 - Competition in the advertising world
10:00 - The decrease in the quality of online advertising
13:09 - Distributing 25K bottles
17:21 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Christoph Bertschy & Gaël Riesen:
Gaël Riesen is a co-founder and the Head of Production/Distribution at Gratiswasser, and his co-founder Christoph Bertschy is the owner of the company. Gratiswasser is a startup placing ads in free water bottles to be distributed in stores, at festivals, ca...
2024-05-2623 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #404 - Matthias Bryner: Why You Should Start InvestingTimestamps:
1:30 - Working for neon
10:22 - Why you should start investing
15:41 - Start investing with findependent
21:44 - Fee structure
36:26 - 5 principles for personal finance
Click here to enjoy three months of NordPass Business for free by using the code “swisspreneur”.
About Matthias Bryner:
Matthias Bryner is the founder of findependent, an app to make investing transparent, easy and beneficial for everyone, regardless of prior knowledge. He holds an MA in Banking and Finance from HSG and interned at Cr...
2024-05-2245 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #401 - Eric Laudet: Holistic Healthcare On The RiseTimestamps:
1:45 - Leaving Batmaid for Holistiq
8:52 - Holistiq’s incredible traction
10:05 - The healthcare market
12:10 - Hiring the right people as a startup
13:58 - Raising funds through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
Click here to apply to join our 2024 Lausanne Scaleup Cruise.
About Eric Laudet:
Eric Laudet is the founder and CEO of Holistiq, a startup offering an organic and personalized approach to healthcare which aims to solve health issues at their root, instead of just treating symptoms. Eric hol...
2024-05-1318 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #397 - Oliver & Denis Widler: The Twin Brothers Building a PetTech StartupTimestamps:
1:25 - Starting a business with your twin
5:19 - The PetTech market
9:46 - From prototype to finished product
15:33 - Building a startup as a student
19:00 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
Click here to apply to join our Founders Dinner in Bern on May 30th.
About Oliver Widler & Denis Widler:
Denis Widler is the co-founder and Head of Business Relations at Flappie, a startup building an AI-powered cat door with integrated prey detection. He holds a Master’s de...
2024-04-2924 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #392 - Daniel Gutierrez & Francois Smuts: The Gap in Women’s Reproductive HealthTimestamps:
1:17 - Brought together by wine
3:21 - Declining fertility rates in Europe
8:12 - How the team came together
10:38 - Guys working on women’s health?
17:58 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Daniel Gutierrez & Francois Smuts:
Francois Smuts is the co-founder and managing director of BioNexus, a healthcare company focused on creating cutting edge wearable diagnostics. He holds a Global Masters of Public Health from Imperial College London and was a Medical Affairs Manager for companies like Merck Pty, Abbott and Mirum Pharma...
2024-04-1425 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #388 - Nicole Colmenares Pulido: How to Make Prosthetics Accessible WorldwideTimestamps:
2:41 - The neglected field of disability care
5:09 - Making money as an impact startup
9:30 - Circleg’s magic team
15:33 - Managing startup growth
18:20 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Nicole Pulido:
Nicole Colmenares Pulido is the co-founder and Head of Business Development & Finance at Circleg, a Swiss startup providing affordable and high-quality prosthetics to low and middle income countries across the world. Nicole holds a master’s degree in Business and Development Studies from Copenhagen Business School and previously worked for...
2024-04-0123 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #387 - Jonas Urwyler & Nico Hauschke: How to Make Fishing SustainableTimestamps:
4:52 - Hooked by the fishing industry
6:56 - Why the market timing was right
14:15 - Product help from Innosuisse
16:15 - 99% of fishing products are produced in Asia
19:34 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Jonas Urwyler & Nico Hauschke:
Jonas Urwyler is the co-founder and CEO at Capt’n Greenfin, a fishing goods company striving to make fishing sustainable. He holds an MBA from the University of Freiburg and previously worked for companies like VZ VermögensZentrum and TIER Mobility before starting Capt’n Green...
2024-03-3127 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #386 - Ansuya Ahluwalia: From India, to Silicon Valley, to SwisspreneurTimestamps:
3:08 - Studying in India and the US
20:54 - Starting Anamii
34:00 - The exit coming as a surprise
43:58 - How Ansuya joined Swisspreneur
55:50 - What thirty3 does
About Ansuya Ahluwalia:
Ansuya Ahluwalia is a co-founder of the wellness and inner transformation app Anamii and the CTO and Business Partner of thirty3, which helps companies with innovative product development by building AI-first applications. She holds a MSc in Computer Science from UCLA and previously worked for companies like Amazon Lab126 and Vicara Infotech...
2024-03-271h 12
Swisspreneur ShowEP #378 - Philippe Greinacher & Alexander Häberlin: Why Your Next Hike Needs Coffee From A TubeTimestamps:
8:13 - Why Nestlé isn’t doing what they’re doing
11:50 - Why the timing was right for new coffee
18:00 - Straying from the classical Swiss path
23:18 - Developing the nonormal MVP with partners
27:00 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Philippe Greinacher & Alexander Häberlin:
Philippe Greinacher is the co-founder and CEO of nonormal, a startup producing sustainable, high-quality coffee for outdoor consumption — that comes in a tube! He holds a BA in Business Administration from the Business School of Lausanne, and has mor...
2024-02-2536 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #377 - Roger Dudler & Dennis Just: Growing Through AcquisitionRedeem your EUR 75 bonus at Splint Invest with code Dali24: https://splintinvest.onelink.me/ZGYb/swppod
Timestamps:
3:50 - Deciding to acquire TwicPics
16:30 - The smallpdf fuckup
20:37 - Integrating two cultures
26:20 - When to start thinking about acquisitions
32:50 - Resorting to investment banks
About Roger Dudler & Dennis Just:
On August 29th the Swisspreneur community got together for the third edition of its annual Zurich Scaleup Cruise, sponsored by Swisscom Ventures, SIX, UBS, MLL and Emerald Ventures. With about 130 f...
2024-02-2145 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #374 - Murielle Schreck: The ETH Spin-Off Making Futuristic Heating PadsTimestamps:
4:25 - Three technical co-founders
6:37 - Completing Venture Kick
8:34 - qCella’s heated mats
10:25 - The challenge of finding the right people
12:28 - Having two rather different products
About Murielle Schreck:
Murielle Schreck is the co-founder and CEO at qCella, an ETH spin-off impregnating natural fibers with copper and using them to develop heating pads with superior properties compared to commercially available heating wires. She holds a PhD in Materials Science from ETH and started qCella as soon as she obtained her degr...
2024-02-0419 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #371 - Pascal Koenig & Sophie Lamparter: A Fundraising Masterclass in 40 MinutesTimestamps:
3:53 - How to know if you’re ‘investable’
6:49 - Getting in touch with investors
8:08 - How much equity to give away
13:48 - Equity round or convertible loan?
37:16 - Celebrating a closed round
About Pascal Koenig & Sophie Lamparter:
Sophie Lamparter is the co-founder of DART Labs, an international fund investing in early stage Swiss climate and health tech startups to accelerate them on the US market. She holds a degree in Communication and Media Studies from ZHAW.
Pascal Koenig is the co...
2024-01-1748 min
Swisspreneur ShowSwisspreneur Show Trailer 2024We interview Switzerland’s most talented founders, business leaders and innovators. Listen to the trailer of Switzerland’s #1 podcast for entrepreneurs.
2024-01-0100 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #363 - Vivek Dogra, Arijana Walcott, Lukas André & Dominique Gruhl: VCs on StageTimestamps:
6:29 - Looking for investors for your fund
13:08 - Managing investor relationships
19:56 - Deeptech in Europe
22:55 - Investing in very early stage companies
30:23 - Increasing legislation
About Vivek Dogra, Arijana Walcott, Lukas André & Dominique Gruhl:
Vivek Dogra is a venture partner at the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, the leading investment fund dedicated to growth-stage companies and projects within the European Bioeconomy. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics from PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh (India) and an MBA from INSEAD. He pre...
2023-12-1340 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #360 - Sarah Harbarth: Building Biobased, Biodegradable MaterialsTimestamps:
1:10 - Microplastics and food waste
5:25 - The kuori team
6:30 - Raising 2.3M
8:30 - The biobased & biodegradable USP
12:23 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur syndicate
About Sarah Harbarth:
Sarah Harbarth is the co-founder and CEO of kuori, a B2B enterprise providing eco-friendly alternative-plastic granules for fashion, outdoor equipment, tools, and toys. She holds a BA in Industrial Design from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, and was working there as a research assistant when she started kuori in 2021.
T...
2023-12-0317 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #356 - Arijana Walcott: Q&A with a DART Labs FounderTimestamps:
4:03 - Is my company VC-backable?
7:04 - How to find investors
22:48 - What makes a good pitch deck
28:26 - Picking a bad VC
36:45 - Raising funds is getting harder
About Arijana Walcott:
Arijana Walcott is a co-founder and managing partner at DART Labs, together with former Swisspreneur guest Sophie Lamparter. DART invests in early stage startups from Switzerland and Europe and helps them test and scale their ideas in San Francisco. Arijana holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in General Management from...
2023-11-1943 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #352 - Sophie Lamparter, Daniel Gutenberg & Christina Vallgren: Fundraising from the Startup and Investor PerspectiveTimestamps:
6:30 - Combining STEM and business
8:50 - The fundraising environment
16:19 - Fundraising and keeping the boat afloat
19:27 - What makes a great pitch deck
35:13 - Should investors sit on a company’s board?
About Sophia Lamparter, Daniel Gutenberg & Christina Vallgren:
Sophie Lamparter is the co-founder of DART Labs, an international fund investing in early stage European climate and health tech startups to accelerate them on the US market. She holds a degree in Communication and Media Studies from ZHAW. Daniel Gutenberg is a...
2023-11-0543 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #349 - Rodrigo Fraga-Silva: An Innovative Approach to Erectile DysfunctionTimestamps:
1:03 - The problem of erectile dysfunction
5:38 - What Comphya can do for patients
9:26 - Doing pilot clinical trials
12:18 - Competition for true innovators
13:40 - Fundraising through the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Rodrigo Fraga-Silva:
Rodrigo Fraga-Silva is the co-founder and CEO at Comphya, a Swiss medical device company and EPFL spin-off with the mission to help patients overcome erectile dysfunction through an innovative neurostimulating implant. He holds a PhD in Pharmacology from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais and was previously a Postdoctoral Research...
2023-10-2217 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #345 - Adrian Krebs: AI & the Boom of Unstructured DataTimestamps:
2:36 - Rapid growth in unstructured data
6:53 - Reaching CHF 100K ARR in 8 months
8:48 - The competitor landscape
12:53 - Facing the diversity of data structures
13:57 - Kadoa’s deal on the Swisspreneur Syndicate
About Adrian Krebs:
Adrian Krebs is the co-founder and CEO at Kadoa, a SaaS company providing AI-powered data extraction. He holds a MAS in Information Technology from Berner Fachhochschule BFH and previously built the shopping guide Looria.
Together with his co-founders, Johannes Engler and Tavis Lochhead, he cr...
2023-10-0118 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #342 - Simon Krähenbühl & Silvia Nadenbousch: Swiss-Made Eyewear for a Sustainable FutureTimestamps:
3:20 - Competitor quality vs quantity
6:06 - The ILEVE founding team
11:07 - Standing for Swiss quality
16:58 - The growing pains of startups
20:04 - The ILEVE deal on the Swisspreneur syndicate
About Simon Krähenbühl and Silvia Nadenbousch:
Simon Krähenbühl and Silvia Nadenbousch are the co-founders of ILEVE OPTICS, an eyewear brand which consists of two separate lines: LARS Brillen, a prescription and sunglasses B2B brand sold to opticians across Switzerland, and ILEVE DISTRICT, a cycling eyewear brand sold dire...
2023-09-1726 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #323 - Alexander Ciritsis: Medtech AI for Early Cancer DetectionTimestamps:
6:48 - The market gap in radiology
15:47 - The accurateness of AI models
17:31 - Software patenting
26:35 - b-rayZ’ subscription model
33:02 - Going international from day 1
About Alexander Ciritsis:
Alexander Ciritsis is the co-founder and CTO at b-rayZ, an AI medical software for breast cancer early detection. He holds a PhD in Medical Science from RWTH Aachen University and was a researcher at University Hospital Aachen and Universitätsspital Zürich before starting b-rayZ in 2019.
During his time as a research scie...
2023-05-3145 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #269 - Silvan Krähenbühl: Silvan Takes A Back SeatTimestamps:
10:10 - The Gymhopper story
22:00 - Stepping down from the CEO role
25:47 - How Silvan met Christian Hirsig
30:28 - Juggling two jobs plus Swisspreneur
36:52 - Where the Swiss ecosystem is headed
About Silvan Krähenbühl:
Silvan Krähenbühl is the host and managing director at Swisspreneur and current CEO at Rentouch, a Swiss enterprise software company developing products geared towards e-collaboration, and best known for the PIplanning app. He holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of St Gall...
2022-10-1943 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #263 - Ash Maurya: The Lean Startup MethodologyTimestamps:
4:20 - Reading business books in engineering school
11:50 - The lean startup methodology
19:30 - The lean canvas
39:52 - The entrepreneurial renaissance
51:54 - The lean workshop
About Ash Maurya:
Ash Maurya is the founder and CEO at Leanstack, a leading provider of Lean Startup and Lean Business Modeling tools, content, and coaching resources. He is also the author of the book Running Lean. Prior to Leanstack, he worked at companies like telecom technologies and Sonus Networks and founded the startup Wired Reach in 2002...
2022-09-211h 05
Catch The Zenith#075: So wirst Du ein guter Verkäufer! Silvan Krähenbühl, Podcast-Host von Swisspreneur & Unternehmer#075: In dieser Episode spreche ich mit dem Schweizer Unternehmer und Podcast-Host von Swisspreneur, Silvan Krähenbühl. Schon als Jugendlicher entdeckte er seine Passion für das Unternehmertum und gründetet im Gymnasium sein erstes Unternehmen. Ihn fasziniert es, etwas aus dem Nichts zu erschaffen, eine Idee im Rahmen eines Unternehmens zu verfolgen und dies zusammen mit einem Team in Pläne zu verwandeln, die funktionieren. Zudem hilft er auch anderen Menschen dabei, ihr Unternehmen zu starten und zum Wachsen zu bringen. Dies tut er unter anderem mit Swisspreneur, dem Nummer 1 Business Podcast in der Schweiz. Dort interv...
2022-06-201h 22
Uppersky Podcast#10: Promoting and advancing entrepreneurship in Switzerland | Talk with Silvan Krähenbühl - Entrepreneur, Swisspreneur Podcast Host, Enterprise Account Director at RentouchSilvan Krähenbühl is an entrepreneur and podcast host based in Zürich, Switzerland. He loves to put ideas into action with great teams and hit goals he didn’t think were possible. Currently, he is the host of the podcast Swisspreneur (Switzerland's # 1 podcast for entrepreneurs) and Enterprise Account Director at Rentouch.
During this episode, we are talking about his experience building GymHopper and exiting this startup, how his gym routine has helped in the entrepreneurship path, how Silvan arrives to work as an ecosystem builder in Swisspreneur, key lessons learned from all the interviewees of the p...
2022-04-0847 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #231 - Sophie Lamparter: Picking The Brain Of A VCTimestamps:
1:50 - Bridging the gap between different ecosystems
11:40 - How the pandemic changed the VC world
24:35 - Building an eye-catching pitch deck
31:06 - Dealing with investors who don’t follow through
40:40 - Hitting inflection points
About Sophie Lamparter:
As founder and managing partner at DART labs, Sophie is a Silicon Valley VC with Swiss roots. She and her team focus on finding the best European technology startups and turning them into global players. Prior to becoming a venture capitalist, she worked in me...
2022-04-0656 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #224 - Hermann Arnold: How Btov Became UmantisClick here to answer the 2022 Swisspreneur Survey.
Timestamps:
1:45 - Co-founding START Global
09:17 - Turning btov into umantis
19:13 - Starting a company during the dot com bubble
23:14 - Switzerland is the most open of the DACH countries
41:02 - When a fuck-up turns out okay
About Hermann Arnold:
Herman Arnold is the co-founder and ex-CEO of the talent management software company umantis. He was also a co-founder of btov and START global.
START global, the (nowadays) international...
2022-02-231h 05
Swisspreneur ShowEP #223 - Carlo Badini: From Videographer To EntrepreneurClick here to answer the 2022 Swisspreneur Survey: https://swisspreneur.typeform.com/to/LDhwEC5x
Timestamps:
4:45 - Film directors and entrepreneurs
9:03 - Studying and bootstrapping a company
20:45 - Pabio, or renting your furniture
32:10 - Giving up recurring revenue opportunities
51:17 - Y Combinator
About Carlo Badini:
Carlo Badini is a co-founder and CEO at Pabio, the startup which allows you to decorate your apartment with high-quality furniture through a monthly subscription. He studied Business Administration and Psychology at the...
2022-02-161h 03
Swisspreneur ShowEP #200 - Alain Chuard: The Founder's PlaybookTimestamps:
1:51 - The ideal founder team
7:09 - When to quit your day job
19:51 - Life after MVP
41:40 - Hiring for skills and culture
49:40 - The exit to Google
About Alain Chuard
Alain Chuard is a Swiss serial entrepreneur best known as the founder and Chief product officer of Wildfire Interactive, the social media marketing technology company acquired by Google in July 2012. At Google, Alain was responsible for overseeing Wildfire’s strategy, integration into Google’s Display Ads Division, and external representation of the...
2021-11-101h 11
Swisspreneur ShowEP #138 - Karim Nemr: Wie Die Digitalisierung Dein Leben Verändern WirdTimestamps
5:18 Challenges at Dacuda
9:25 Lead up to the Magic Leap acquisition
13:29 How PXL vision emerged
29:02 What is digitization
33:46 Tools to help with digitization
About Karim Nemr
Karim Nemr is the co-founder and CBO (Chief Business Officer) at PXL Vision, an ETH spinoff focused on digital identity verification. Karim started his career as a business developer at Dacuda, the company founded by Swisspreneur guest Michael Born. He joined the company at a very early stage and was heavily involved in their later exit...
2021-03-0743 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #136 - Judith Bellaiche: Priming Switzerland For Risk And SuccessTimestamps:
1:54 - Startups disrupt the economic establishment
3:23 - Launching a parliamentary group for startups
9:05 - Misconceptions regarding startups
13:32 - The startup visa
21:07 - What's coming next?
About Judith Bellaiche and the Parliamentary Group for Startups and Entrepreneurship
Judith Bellaiche is a Swiss national politician (Swiss Green Liberal Party, GLP) and co-initiator of the Parliamentary Group for Startups and Entrepreneurship. She was first introduced to the Swiss startup landscape during her tenure in the Zurich cantonal parliament. In 2016, she, together with other politicians...
2021-02-2824 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #128 - Roxana Porada: Enabling Trust In A Digital WorldTimestamps:
1:41 - Wanting to build something meaningful
5:16 - $6m Investment round
11:22 - The Upscaler experience
17:37 - Entering the growth stage
20:37 - More about Roxana
About Roxana Porada and PXL Vision
Roxana Porada is the co-founder and CPO of PXL Vision, a software provider for digital identity solutions. Roxana obtained a degree in Cybernetics and Statistics and subsequently worked as a software developer. In 2012, she joined Dacuda, the company founded by Swisspreneur guest Michael Born. When Dacuda was acquired by Magic Leap in 2017...
2021-01-3125 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #127 - Simon Scheurer: Leaving Corporate For The Big Startup AdventureTimestamps:
1:53 - Majoring in Mathematics, Physics and Sociology
16:36 - Persisting through difficulties
25:55 - From co-workers to co-founders
36:57 - Managing competition
46:15 - Deciding whether you should sell
About Simon Scheurer and Qumram
Simon Scheurer is the co-founder and former CTO of Qumram, a provider of session replay technology for digital compliance. Simon holds a Masters in Physics, Mathematics and Sociology from the University of Berne. He started his career as CTO at the digital agency Unic - the same company as Swisspreneur guest...
2021-01-271h 01
Swisspreneur ShowEP #95 - Fabrice Aeberhard: Building Brands That LastTimestamps:
0:55 - Branding mistakes Swiss startups make repeatedly
5:56 - Building a brand as a group
10:02 - Steps to creating a strong brand
15:03 - Target client vs your personal startup story
20:14 - Rapid fire questions
The Episode in 60 Seconds:
Getting inspired for your brand
- Building a recognizable brand is like building a character - it can come with its own edges and quirks.
- Your brand is probably not the first thing you need to...
2020-08-1924 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #94 - Peter Käser: Disrupting Swiss E-commerceTimestamps:
2:57 - Splitting roles between 5 co-founders
10:05 - Testing the market
19:24 - Having net promoter score as your main KPI
25:40 - Disrupting the market and facing opponents
35:31 - Starting to hire people full-time
About Peter Käser:
Peter Käser is the Founder and COO of VIU Ventures AG, a Swiss eyewear brand. He started VIU in 2013, together with his co-founder Kilian Wagner, both of them bespectacled. VIU was originally conceived as an online-only store, integrating the entire eyewear supply chain and therefore of...
2020-08-1243 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #93 - Renato Stalder: Q&A - Finance in Switzerland 101Timestamps:
1:48 - What can I do on my own and where do I need professional finance advice?
2:55 - What are the best tools to manage your finances?
5:00 - What's the best business credit card out there?
7:20 - Can I use my Swiss bank account to accept international payments?
8:56 - Managing international payments
10:51 - How does the Swiss tax system work?
17:51 - Is Switzerland really tax heaven?
20:52 - Optimizing tax return
22:22 - Do freelancers pay less taxes?
25:24 - Personal finance...
2020-08-0531 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #92 - Yaël Meier: Selling To Gen ZTimestamps:
2:11 - What mistakes do Swiss companies make when it comes to Gen Z?
6:19 - Aligning company goals with Gen Z's activist streak
19:13 - Leading people older than you
22:44 - Which social media platforms are currently relevant?
31:00 - How to sell to Gen Z
The Episode In 60 Seconds:
What is Generation Z?
Young people born between 1995 - 2010, NOT Millennials.
How to win Generation Z as customers
- Do not simply...
2020-07-2938 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #91 - Yaël Meier: Actress, Journalist, EntrepreneurTimestamps:
1:13 - Becoming an actress at 14
11:40 - Not going to university
14:45 - Launching your own project
15:40 - Sneaking into fashion shows
27:57 - Starting a company with your romantic partner
About Yël Meier:
Yaël Meier is an actress, journalist and the co-founder of Zeam, an agency helping companies leverage Generation Z. At the age of 14, Yaël held her first movie role in the Swiss Drama “Upload”. She later on also featured in movies such as «Die fruchtbaren Jahre sind vorbei» and «Blue...
2020-07-2240 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #90 - Startup Of The Week: RelaiTimestamps:
1:07 - Bitcoin and entrepreneurship
8:57 - Biggest milestones so far
15:53 - Having a hard time with fundraising
About Julian and Relai:
Julian Liniger is the co-founder and CEO of Relai, a startup aiming to empower everyone to invest in Bitcoin. Julian was an early crypto currency aficionado and the go-to person for his friends for anything crypto-related. This made him realize that there was no easy way for the “average Joe” to purchase Bitcoin - and that’s how Relai was born. He and his co-founder, Adem B...
2020-07-1926 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #89 - Verena Kaiser: Q&A On Fundraising EssentialsTimestamps:
2:05 - What's the difference between fundraising for growth vs seed financing?
10:01 - How to find the right investors
17:31 - Negotiating with investors
21:28 - What kills a fundraising process?
27:54 - How much money should you raise?
About Verena Kaiser:
Verena Kaiser served as the Head of Direct Investment at UBS before becoming Chief of Staff, Corporate & Institutional Clients International in May 2020. As Head of Direct Investment, she was responsible for due diligence and matching of growth stage startups with UBS private investors...
2020-07-1538 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #88 - Startup Of The Week: Christian FehrTimestamps:
1:03 - Starting a marine tech startup
6:01 - Is the Swiss marine tech market big enough for Clickahoy?
7:55 - Competing with Americans
About Christian and clickahoy:
Christian Fehr is the CEO and co-founder of clickahoy, a Swiss marine-tech startup. The founding team behind clickahoy is the same as for ship-ahoy.ch, the boat sharing platform launched in 2016. The founders saw a personal need to make owning a boat “smart” the way owning a car or a house can be. The company is currently looking to raise CHF...
2020-07-1215 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #87 - Dennis Just: Bootstrapping Your Company To ScaleTimestamps:
0:45 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to bootstrapping?
14:20 - Boostrapping and growing fast
17:43 - Constant AB testing
25:48 - Building a solid user base
32:45 - Organic traffic & relying on Google
The Episode in 60 seconds:
Considerations when deciding whether to bootstrap:
Bootstrapping is a long term project which needs time and dedication.
Once you decide to get on the VC train, you can’t go back.
External funding rounds also mean valuation ro...
2020-07-0848 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #86 - Startup Of The Week: LogmindTimestamps:
7:16 - Competition
8:51 - Should you get a patent?
11:24 - What should you fundraise for?
About Ketevani and Logmind:
Ketevani Zaridze is the CEO and Founder of Logmind, an AI-accelerated log data analytics platform. Originally from Georgia, she got her Masters in Computer Science from EPFL in Switzerland. After gaining work experience at Xerox, Open Systems and Cern, she started Logmind in 2018. Recently the company signed their first enterprise customer. They are now looking to raise CHF 1.3m in their seed round in order to grow...
2020-07-0517 min
Survival Mode with Matthias Zwingli#12 Never waste a good crisis - Silvan Krähenbühl Entrepreneur & Host of SwisspreneurWhat do you do if you just started your business right before the crisis?
In this episode of Survival Mode Silvan Krähenbühl, Host of Swisspreneur and a serial entrepreneur himself explains how covid19 affected the travel and gym industry, why podcasts are a serious medium to watch and how this crisis can be a great opportunity to start something new.
Swisspreneur is a leading podcast platform for Swiss entrepreneurs, from swiss entrepreneurs.
2020-07-0129 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #85 - Dennis Just: Starting 4 Companies Before Turning 30Timestamps:
1:23 - Studying economics and engineering
10:16 - Starting a company at 16
19:09 - Why move from the startup world to corporate?
52:52 - Jumping around from company to company
1:10:13 - Burnout and company responsibility
About Dennis Just:
Dennis Just is the CEO of smallPDF, a SaaS company which offers all-in-one easy-to-use online PDF tools such as merging, editing and signing. Dennis is a serial entrepreneur, having started his first company, dSlash.de, while still in high school. During his university years, he started compreo...
2020-07-012h 00
Swisspreneur ShowEP #84 - Startup Of The Week: TuricodeTimestamps:
0:48 - Why start your own company?
10:35 - What are they fundraising for?
11:55 - Tackling sales
About Martin and Turicode:
Martin Keller is the co-founder and CEO of turicode, a machine learning based document extraction solution. The company bootstrapped to CHF 1m in revenue. Their technology, MINT.extract, works to extract information from any type of document, supporting their customers along the entirety of their business processes. They are looking to raise CHF 2m to diversify the skillset in their team and also to scale internationally.
2020-06-2818 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #83 - Reto Lämmler: Q&A On Pricing Tips And TricksTimestamps:
2:05 - Why do startups need a pricing strategy?
7:55 - Recurring revenue vs One-time fees
18:40 - How the buyer persona influences pricing
32:28 - Maximizing revenue
37:41 - Are discounts a good idea?
About Reto Lämmler:
Reto Lämmler is the CEO and co-founder of Testing Time, a recruiting platform for usability test users. Some of Reto’s previous ventures include: Xellery, a cloud-based collaboration service for Microsoft Excel, which was sold to expressocorp.com and RememberTheName, an app for learning names in your a...
2020-06-2450 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #82 - Startup Of The Week: CaressomaTimestamps:
2:15 - What problem does Caressoma fix?
5:44 - Who uses Caressoma?
8:37 - What milestones has Caressoma recently achieved?
About Sophia and Caressoma:
Sophia Borowka is the CEO and co-founder of Caressoma, a startup providing ultrasound diagnostics for monitoring soft tissue injuries. Sophia is a physicist by training and has spent several years as CERN Fellow in Geneva. Together with her two co-founders, Jana Maes, an experienced Osteopathy practitioner and Jinesh Kallunkathariyil, a physicist and R&D expert, they have already raised 270k CHF from investors. Now...
2020-06-2120 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #81 - David Alain Bloch: The Champions Of Legal AITimestamps:
4:34 - Where David met his co-founders
10:28 - How to sell to lawyers
15:41 - Does Legartis have competition?
16:35 - Finding the right talent
19:29- Why create a second office in Lisbon?
About David Alain Bloch:
David Alain Bloch is the CEO and co-founder of Legartis, a legal tech company which uses AI to help businesses with their legal needs. David is an Attorney at Law admitted at the Zurich bar. He was a member of the “Global Shapers”, a World Economic Forum (WEF...
2020-06-1722 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #80 - Startup Of The Week: UNISERSTimestamps:
2:32 - What problem does UNISERS solve?
8:01 - What milestones has UNISERS reached so far?
9:25 - Does UNISERS have competitors?
About Fabian and UNISERS:
Fabian Walter is the co-founder and CTO of UNISERS, an ETH spinoff specialized in automated analysis equipment for high-purity liquids used in semiconductor production. UNISERS emerged out of the ETH pioneer fellowship in 2017. The company holds a patent for their technology and is currently looking to raise $ 1.2 m to expand their marketing activities at several high profile events and to bring their...
2020-06-1418 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #79 - Manuel Hartmann: Q&A On B2B SalesTimestamps:
2:06 - Why are sales so important?
5:20 - When should you start having your own sales team?
6:25 - What are the different stages of the B2B process?
7:42 - How do you find the right target client?
8:29 - Should you focus on one industry only?
11:52 - How to qualify leads
14:03 - Testing sales channels
18:19 - Speed up the selling process
24:19 - How to keep in touch with customers
27:21 - How to follow up
28:27 - Do awards and...
2020-06-1047 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #78 - Startup Of The Week: What To LabelTimestamps:
4:00 - What milestones has What To Label achieved?
4:47 - Internationalization
8:11 - Toughest challenges to overcome
About Igor and What To Label:
Igor Susmelj is the co-founder of WhatToLabel, a Data Preparation Platform for Machine Learning. Together with his co-founder, Matthias Heller, they bring together the best of the tech and business world. WhatToLabel is both a HSG and an ETH spinoff. Currently, they are looking for funding to take them to the next milestone - 100k in recurring revenue from their international client base.
2020-06-0716 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #77 - Lars Mangelsdorf: Getting Swiss Sales RightTimestamps:
1:43 - What common mistakes do Swiss companies make in the B2B sales area?
10:14 - How to get the contact details of future customers
18:49 - Is there such a thing as too many follow-ups with clients?
26:21 - Selling something before it even exists
37:06 - The best sales team set-up
The Episode in 60 seconds
The ABC of B2B sales
First Contact
- Consider a mix of standardized outreach via cold emails...
2020-06-0350 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #76 - Startup Of The Week: Realbot EngineeringTimestamps:
1:41 - Why start your own company?
6:35 - Winning over clients
15:48 - A young entrepreneur's summer jobs
About Alex and Realbot Engineering:
Alex Tyropolis is a co-founder and CEO at Realbot Engineering, a startup offering robot technology for remote viewing of real estate. He co-founded the company after years of experience in the real estate industry as an analyst for Engel & Völkers. After only 2 years of bootstrapping, the company already has a working product on the market and has conducted 4145 remote viewings for clients such a...
2020-05-3120 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #75 - Melanie Gabriel: From Startup Employee To Startup FounderTimestamps:
2:37 - Why Melanie decided to start her own company
9:08 - Big founding teams
17:41 - Closing a big financing round just before covid-19
26:34 - How to hire the right people
30:46 - Ensuring good communication in a growing team
About Melanie Gabriel:
Melanie Gabriel is the co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Yokoy, a SaaS company which leverages Artificial Intelligence to fully automate all expense- and company credit card processes. Before starting Yokoy, Melanie joined Dizmo as Marketing Manager and worked her way...
2020-05-2744 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #74 - Startup Of The Week: onCytTimestamps:
3:16 - What problem does onCyt solve?
11:50 - Possible competitors for onCyt
20:44 - Fundraising horizon
About Michael and onCyt:
OnCyt, a startup offering microbial monitoring, emerged from Michael Besmer’s PhD at ETH Zurich. He assembled a team of co-founders from a diversity of backgrounds including engineering and business development. After 3 years, the team is already looking back on 20+ successful projects and over 800k CHF in revenue.
Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Link...
2020-05-2426 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #73 - Katja Berlinger: Successful Boards of DirectorsTimestamps:
1:47 - What do Swiss startups often get wrong with boards of directors?
6:00 - What different skills need to be present in a board of directors?
12:06 - How to best compensate your board
18:52 - How can a board help your startup achieve success?
23:05 - How should a startup collaborate with a board?
The Episode In 60 Seconds
Setting up your Board of Directors - the right way.
The right composition
Get diversity of perspectives and skills, be sure you cover...
2020-05-2035 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #72 - Startup of the Week: HelioTimestamps:
1:36 - What motivated Kevin to start his own company?
7:50 - What milestones has Kevin's startup recently achieved?
11:29 - Tough challenges to overcome
About Kevin and Helio:
Kevin Häfeli is the co-founder of Helio, a platform to connect demand and supply of computing power. He started Helio in 2018 together with Christoph Buchli. Previously, he worked as a DevOps engineer at Zatoo and Snowflake Productions and co-founded the e-commerce venture Brandeer Sports.
Don’t forget to give us a follow on our...
2020-05-1719 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #71 - Katja Berlinger: How Passion Leads To SuccessTimestamps:
2:00 - Going from journalism, to law, to business
13:22 - Being the youngest board member around
20:00 - Determining founding values
27:32 - Finding the balance between commitment and change
36:16 - Having a stay at home husband
About Katja Berlinger:
Katja Berlinger is the CEO of Swiss Medi Kids and a professional board member. Katja started out as a journalist at the publication “Cash”. She quickly realized that she’d rather have an impact herself than write about people who do. Consequently, she turned to her...
2020-05-1350 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #70 - Beat Brechbühl & Michèle Remund: Legal Q&A SessionTimestamps:
2:17 - Where can startups get help during the corona crisis?
3:11 - What legal aspects do Swiss startups not pay enough attention to?
6:52 - Will copy pasting terms and conditions save me legal fees?
08:01 - How do I best deal with liability and risk?
09:05 - What should online shops address before going live?
11:10 - Can geographic names be used to name products?
17:53 - How will the corona crisis affect valuations?
20:25 - Founder-friendly ways of writing shareholder agreements
25:49 - Co-founders joining late...
2020-05-0646 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #69 - Ariel Lüdi: Managing The ExitTimestamps:
1:44 - What mistakes do Swiss founders repeatedly make, when it comes to exits?
11:55 - Coping with stress and pressure
21:50 - Always striving for the next level
32:18 - Knowing what your company is worth
40:32 - Achieving billion dollar exits
The Episode In 60 Seconds
Dream Big – Sell Big
Swiss people have a tendency to sell themselves and their business short. Instead of going for the billion dollar deal, they settle for the first offer which comes their way. Dare to be great an...
2020-04-2949 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #68 - Ariel Lüdi: How To Sell a Company For 1.5bn $Timestamps:
11:31 - Scaling from 0 to 150 million in revenue within 6 years
23:23 - Why not just enjoy a billionaire fortune?
35:08 - Closing an intercontinental gap
43:50 - Ariel's most surreally successful moment
52:34 - Being the "anti-venture capitalist"
About Ariel Lüdi:
Ariel Lüdi is a parachute stuntman turned millionaire. After dropping out of his physics degree at ETH Zurich, Ariel joined IBM as a developer. From there he joined Oracle, where he discovered his passion and talent for sales. After 8 very successful years as SV...
2020-04-221h 16
Swisspreneur ShowEP #67 - Tanja Lau: Q&A On Raising Kids And Growing A StartupTimestamps:
2:05 - Managing a work-life balance
3:42 - Missing half of your own wedding
8:00 - Finding out what's really important
14:08 - Preparing for motherhood
18:19 - Finding a challenging part-time job
20:55 - Why not a corporate career?
29:57 - The role of Tanja's husband
32:43 - How to split parenting responsibilities
40:23 - Swiss women in leadership positions
46:05 - What does motherhood teach you about business?
About Tanja Lau:
Tanja Lau is an experienced entrepreneur and the...
2020-04-1550 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #18 - Christian Hirsig: How To Find The Right Startup IdeaTimestamps
1:30 - What mistakes do you see Swiss startup founders repeatedly make?
7:30 - How to obtain accurate feedback for your idea.
14:50 - Where to spend your time: documentation vs implementation. How to implement. The minimum viable product.
25:40 - Data gathering to evaluate the possible success of your idea.
28:12 - When to kill your idea or move on from it
About Christian Hirsig:
Christian is one of the co-founders of Swisspreneur.org and a passionate serial entrepreneur. He founded his first venture — Atizo, a crow...
2019-01-1637 min
Swisspreneur ShowEP #17 - Christian Hirsig: Founding a Coding Academy For RefugeesTimestamps:
3:00 - Changes for Swisspreneur.
6:28 - Associations vs For-profit companies.
12:40 - Finding good employees.
23:25 - Growing up in an entrepreneurial family.
26:47 - When to leave a startup.
About Christian Hirsig:
Christian is one of the co-founders of Swisspreneur.org and a passionate serial entrepreneur. He founded his first venture — Atizo, a crowdsourcing platform for ideas — in 2007. He eventually sold the company and went on to start the consulting business and startup incubator Pacific Catch Ltd. together with his wife, Bettina Hirsig. Under the umbrella of Pacific Catch, he has initi...
2019-01-0143 min2016-08-2900 min