Why Switzerland may host the next Silicon Valley – Pascal Mathis

Pascal Mathis, co-founder of Get Your Guide and Wingman Ventures, shares his journey as an entrepreneur and angel investor.

Starting as an entrepreneur, Pascal Mathis co-founded Get Your Guide, ETH Zurich's first tech unicorn, and later transitioned to angel investing and co-founding Wingman Ventures. Pascal believes that Switzerland has the potential to become the next Silicon Valley due to its talent pool and stable business environment. Pascal emphasizes the importance of logical thinking and problem-solving skills acquired during his time at ETH Zurich. He shares insights into the pre-seed stage of investing, and offers advice for both investors and entrepreneurs.

This is his story.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction and background

(01:17) Time at ETH and Vordiplom

(02:13) Internship and semester in Barcelona

(03:10) Entrepreneurial journey begins

(04:07) Starting Get Your Guide

(06:04) Pivoting Get Your Guide

(08:29) Leaving get your guide and working at Google

(09:57) Starting Wingman Ventures

(10:52) Investing in Swiss startups

(12:44) Transitioning to a fund structure

(15:06) Investing in pre-seed stage

(17:30) The Art of angel investing

(20:17) Preparing for investor meetings

(22:41) Switzerland as the next silicon valley

(24:49) Impact of ETH on Pascal's journey

(27:37) Curiosity and inspiration

(28:06) Reading and podcasts

(29:04) Favorite places in Zurich

(29:42) Closing remarks