Timestamps: 7:03 - Their passion for Blinkist 12:33 - Losing co-founders 25:30 - The value Blinkist provides 33:56 - Going B2C and B2B 43:30 - From early adopters to mainstream user base About Holger Seim: Holger Seim is the co-founder and former CEO at Blinkist, the mobile-first microlearning app. He holds a diploma from the Philipp University of Marburg and previously worked for companies like Volkswagen Group China and Deutsche Telekom before starting Blinkist in 2012. Blinkist...

Timestamps: 2:02 - From footballer to banker to student  10:35 - The emotional toll of a volatile startup journey 20:42 - Sorting out shares before you leave 41:00 - Getting good psychologists on Aepsy 54:00 - Going B2C first, then B2B About Nicolas Egger: Nicolas Egger is the co-founder of Poinz, a B2B2C platform for SMEs, and of Aepsy, a mental health platform for online or in-person sessions with psychologists. He holds a BASc in General Management from ZHAW. Prior to university,...

Timestamps: 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...

Timestamps: 14:08 - Running out of money 18:50 - Choosing loans over equity  19:55 - Ensuring sustainability across the supply chain 25:17 - Boycotting the 5 biggest plastic polluters 42:05 - Sharing margin with resellers About Sven Erni: Sven Erni is the co-founder and CEO at Impact Acoustic, a Swiss provider of high-performance, circular acoustic solutions made from upcycled material. He holds a BSc in International Hotel Management from EHL, Lausanne, and previously worked for...

Get tickets to Scaleup Slopes 2024 here. Timestamps: 4:26 - Getting kicked out of home  16:00 - Immigrants and entrepreneurs 20:56 - Getting a job offer from NASA 39:35 - Startups and space missions  43:39 - Leaving NASA About Thomas Zurbuchen: Thomas Zurbuchen is a professor at ETH Space and the former Head of Science at NASA. He was born in 1968 in the canton of Bern, son of a Free Church preacher who did not want him to attend university to study Astrophysics. Thomas went...

Timestamps: 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...

Get tickets to Scaleup Slopes 2024 here. Timestamps: 3:40 - Culture shock from moving to Switzerland 12:26 - Being a solo founder 20:43 - Expanding yourself vs franchising 28:05 - Acquiring silent partners 36:00 - Benefits of expanding slowly About Mallory Houston Nieman: Mallory Houston Nieman is the owner and operator of Velocity, Switzerland’s first indoor cycling studio. She holds a BA in English & Psychology from Cornell University and an MBA from Swiss Business School,...

Timestamps: 1:50 - Joining the Navy 9:53 - Being a solo founder with a mentor 25:30 - Creating sustainability incentives  35:41 - Expanding to Norway and the USA 42:04 - Participating in the Sparks IPO Academy About Mario Michan: Mario Michan is the co-founder and CEO of Daphne Technology, a climate deep tech company reducing air pollution produced by the global shipping industry. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of British Columbia and previously worked as a research...

Timestamps: 1:27 - Renewable energy in 2008  10:02 - The volatility of the energy market 16:00 - Renewables subsidies on their way out 25:18 - Growing pains as a company 31:53 - Raising funds in an unideal context About Michael Waldner: Michael Waldner is the co-founder and CEO at Pexapark, a provider of energy risk and portfolio management capabilities for renewable energy. He holds a MSc in Industrial Management and Manufacturing Engineering from ETH and previously worked at...

We interview Switzerland’s most talented founders, business leaders and innovators. Listen to the trailer of Switzerland’s #1 podcast for entrepreneurs.

Timestamps: 1:13 - Accidentally ending up in China 9:04 - Psychological safety at work 18:50 - Publicly disclosing your pricing 28:10 - Getting the first customers 36:00 - Doubting if you’ll make it About Loris Niederberger: Loris Niederberger is the co-founder of Moodtalk, a software for clarity and structure on how teams work together successfully. He holds an MA in International Management from CEMS and previously worked for companies like swissnex China and Voliro Airborne...

Timestamps: 7:40 - High energy, high loyalty and high intelligence 13:46 - When a co-founder leaves 19:57 - The point of an MVP 32:08 - Grants or equity? 39:05 - Plans for future expansion About Philippe Ganz & Paulina Grnarova: Paulina Grnarova is the co-founder and CEO of DeepJudge, an AI-powered Knowledge Search for legal professionals. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from ETH. Philippe Ganz is the CEO and co-founder of aiEndoscopic, a medtech startup combining artificial...

Timestamps: 6:44 - eMobility back in 2008 7:39 - CO2 impact of electric vehicles  8:56 - Sourcing the minerals sustainably & ethically 15:58 - Life after death, for batteries 25:00 - Partnering with Volvo About Adrian Melliger: Adrian Melliger is the co-owner and CEO of Designwerk Technologies, an electromobility one-stop-shop. He previously worked for companies like Swissport and Ground Handling Team Holding before joining Designwerk in 2018. Designwerk was founded back in...

Timestamps: 13:03 - The birth of TOPADUR 18:07 - Leaving the cushy life for entrepreneurship  23:26 - TOPADUR’s drug development  30:36 - Financing pharma 38:08 - Sparks IPO Academy About Reto Naef: Reto Naef is the founder and former CEO of TOPADUR PHARMA AG, a biopharmaceutical company developing disruptive therapies for aging diseases. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from ETH and an MBA from UZH and previously worked for pharma companies like Sandoz and Novartis before starting...

Timestamps:   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...

Timestamps: 8:37 - From building skis to building a company 14:55 - Losing half your co-founders 28:42 - Pricing materials 39:44 - Handling sales after the CCO leaves 45:56 - Doing an IPO on the SIX Swiss Exchange About Christian Fischer: Christian Fischer is the co-founder and CEO at Bcomp, a global leader in advanced renewable material solutions. He holds a PhD in Materials Science from EPFL and previously worked at the aluminum products manufacturer Constellium before founding...

Timestamps: 4:22 - Why do an IPO/direct listing? 9:15 - When should you pursue an IPO/direct listing? 15:39 - Where should you list your company?  20:37 - The Sparks IPO Academy 26:44 - Direct listing mistakes  About Fabian Gerber & Jan Luescher: Jan Luescher is the CEO at ASMALLWORLD, an exclusive travel & lifestyle community. He previously worked as a Principal at Bain & Company and holds a MA in Strategy and International Management from HSG. Fabian Gerber is a Senior...

Timestamps: 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...

Timestamps: 3:20 - Solo founding or co-founder team? 8:37 - “Why are we doing this?”  11:58 - Hiring in the early days 16:50 - Knowing when to pivot 26:47 - Early stage startups are falling apart About Markus Witte: Markus Witte is the chairman and co-founder of Babbel, the market leading app for language learning, as well as a partner at Wachstumsbegleitung, which offers coaching and consulting for scaling startups. He holds an MA in Cultural Studies from Humboldt-Universität zu...

Timestamps: 2:40 - 90 M&A deals and the 2008 crash 6:41 - NOAH coming to Switzerland 12:43 - NOAH speakers’ valuation increased 24x 19:34 - Profitability of cleantech 29:04 - Rapid fire questions About Marco Rodzynek: Marco Rodzynek is the founder and CEO at NOAH Conference, an annual event with an unique line up of digital champions and sustainability market leaders. Marco previously worked at Lehman Brothers, where he was involved in 90+ M&A deals, before starting NOAH...

Timestamps: 4:55 - Current global fundraising environment 8:23 - The bet on climatetech 17:48 - How funds raise funds 32:45 - Calculating ROI 42:10 - Getting in touch with DART Labs About 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. During this episode with us she discussed...

Timestamps: 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...

Timestamps: 1:08 - Moving to Australia 7:30 - Shift from corporate to founder 16:50 - Reversing roles in job search 30:30 - How to keep contracts on FOUND 36:43 - Starting out bootstrapped About Georg Hirschi: ⁠Georg Hirschi⁠ is the co-founder and strategy lead at ⁠FOUND⁠, a startup bringing the digital consumer revolution to hiring. He holds an MA in Applied Sciences, Commerce & Business Administration from UZH, and previously worked at companies like PeopleScout and Lee Hecht...

Timestamps: 5:01 - What does culture mean? 12:00 - Making exceptions to culture 15:00 - Measuring culture 20:48 - Dealing with a poor value fit 36:05 - Hiring family and friends About Anna Grassler, Cristian Grossmann & Sven Jakelj: ⁠Anna Grassler⁠ is co-CEO at ⁠FELFEL⁠, a company changing the way people eat at work. She holds a masters in Management & Social Entrepreneurship from ESCP Business School and previously worked for companies like L’Oréal and Gärtnerei before...

Timestamps: 12:30 - Taking your baby out of the lab 24:20 - Getting the timing right 29:55 - Acquiring inbound leads 36:27 - How the team changes over the years 41:56 - Selling Seervision About Nikos Kariotoglou: Nikos Kariotoglou is the co-founder and CEO at Seervision, an industry pioneer in AI-driven camera automation software to enable effective hybrid collaboration in corporate boardrooms or lecture halls. He holds a PhD in Control Engineering from ETH and a M.Eng in Electrical...