Timestamps:

6:51 - Is it possible to protect your mental health as a Founder?

20:00 - How to know when you’ve transitioned from a startup to a scale-up?

23:42 - What creates the most pressure for Founders?

35:49 - How do we build up resilience?

This episode was co-produced with Innovaud, the innovation and investment promotion agency for the canton of Vaud.

Episode Summary:

Sahar Hosseinian, Co-Founder and former CTO of Novigenix, spent over a decade building AI-powered oncology diagnostics before joining Zurich-based Prevision Medicine as Chief Quality Officer. She holds a PhD in Statistics from EPFL. Charlotte Ducrot is Head of Scaleups & Growth at Innovaud, the innovation and investment promotion agency for the canton of Vaud. She holds an MA in International Affairs from the Geneva Graduate Institute and worked for companies like Swisscontact and the WEF before joining Innovaud in 2022.

During their chat with Merle, Sahar and Charlotte dive into why mental health remains one of the biggest unspoken challenges for founders, even in high-performing Swiss startups. Sahar shares the emotional highs and lows of raising CHF 25 million in MedTech, while Charlotte explains how burnout risk spikes after funding success. They discuss how pressure from investors, teams, and personal expectations can compound - and how self-awareness, boundaries, and community can counter it.

They also get into the specifics of resilience and building systems that prevent chronic stress, breaking down how founders can recognize early warning signs, create support networks, and align their work with their personal values. Charlotte introduces the “Realize-Regulate-Recover” framework and Sahar reflects on redefining success beyond constant hustle. Together, they remind founders that protecting mental health isn’t a weaknes, but a strategic advantage for scaling sustainably.

The cover portrait was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Smartportrait. ⁠⁠⁠⁠

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