EP #513 - Besfort Biljali: What Really Works in Swiss Sales (and in Greener, Faster, and Cheaper Lighting)

Aug 20, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Besfort Biljali, co-founder of Lumvin, shares his journey from professional handball player to entrepreneur in the clean tech sector. He highlights how Swiss values of quality and trust shape effective sales strategies. Besfort reveals the secrets behind Lumvin’s innovative energy-efficient lighting solutions, emphasizing the advantages of retrofitting over traditional replacements. He also discusses the role of vocational training in fostering innovation and shares insights on balancing business growth with personal life.

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ANECDOTE

Sports Shaped His Business Mindset

Besfort credits handball for teaching discipline, pressure management and showing up even when unmotivated.
He says sports cultivated decision-making, communication and leadership that later helped in business.

ANECDOTE

Early Startup Grew Fast — Then Crashed

Besfort recounts founding Dein Robert, a cleaning-booking app, which grew to CHF 40,000/month quickly after he focused on sales.
Operations and HR issues in the low-wage segment caused the startup to collapse despite early traction.

ANECDOTE

A Campus Problem Sparked Lumvin

At LIPS he encountered old luminaries and asked an engineer ex-teammate for help, which led to a plug-and-play retrofit idea.
The retrofit proved cheaper, more sustainable, and suitable as a live project for apprentices.

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Timestamps

3:52 - Past failures that paved the way for success

9:12 - Shifting from finance, to vocation training, to retrofitting luminaries

13:57 How Lumvin found a swiss-based cheaper, faster, and sustainable way to upgrade luminaries

32:28 Tips for driving sales in Switzerland

37:14 - Winning the Swiss Economic Award

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 order your copy of “Swiss Startups” today.

About Besfort Biljali:

Besfort Biljali is the Co-Founder of Lumvin, a Swiss clean tech company specialising in energy-efficient lighting solutions, and Deputy CEO at Libs Industrielle Berufslehren Schweiz, a leading vocational training organisation in the mechanical engineering sector. He holds an MSc in Finance from the University of Zurich and previously worked in finance and sales — all while competing as a professional handball player.

In his conversation with Silvan, Besfort shared how his background in sports and sales helped him transition into entrepreneurship, and how a chance conversation with a former colleague led to the founding of Lumvin. He also broke down what actually works in Swiss sales — from cold calling to long-term trust-building — and why his “Made in Switzerland” approach reinforces quality and credibility.

Besfort also spoke about the importance of vocational training in Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem, how he balances multiple high-stakes roles using time-blocking and prioritisation, and what it meant for Lumvin to win the 2025 Swiss Economic Award.

The cover portrait was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.smartportrait.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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