Timestamps:

1:54 - Doing a master’s degree in China 

17:25 - Is VC money right for every startup?

23:30 - How to get Alessandra’s attention as a startup 

33:32 - What makes Alessandra invest

42:10 - Investment red flags

This episode was produced in collaboration with startup days, taking place this year on May 14th 2025. Click⁠here⁠ to purchase your ticket.

About Alessandra Agnello:

Alessandra Agnello⁠ is the principal at⁠ACE Ventures⁠, a VC fund backing early stage Swiss tech founders across the globe. She holds a MSc in Energy and Nuclear Engineering from Politecnico di Torino and worked as an oil trader in Zug and Geneva before joining ACE in 2021.

Looking back, Alessandra thinks many of the lessons she learned in oil trading have been useful to her as a VC investor, namely:

• Having a keen understanding of risk-reward profiles;
• Being comfortable with losing money;
• Moving with conviction. As an oil trader or a VC, you’ve got to be confident in your bets.

During her chat with Silvan she stressed that VC money is not compatible with every company’s journey, but only with those companies who have a real shot at and are structured for achieving exponential growth, and can therefore deliver “fund returns”. Alessandra has also noticed that founders in Switzerland tend to focus too much on investors, and not enough on customers; she suggests doing the opposite, instead: delivering value, making customers happy and showing traction. If all of that is achieved, says Alessandra, investors will take it upon themselves to reach out to the founders, instead of it happening the other way around.

The cover portrait was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.smartportrait.io⁠

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