Swisspreneur Show

Timestamps: 2:17 - Where can startups get help during the corona crisis? 3:11 - What legal aspects do Swiss startups not pay enough attention to? 6:52 - Will copy pasting terms and conditions save me legal fees? 08:01 - How do I best deal with liability and risk? 09:05 - What should online shops address before going live? 11:10 - Can geographic names be used to name products? 17:53 - How will the corona crisis affect valuations? 20:25 - Founder-friendly ways of writing shareholder agreements 25:49 - Co-founders joining late in the game 27:16 - Employee stock option plans 31:50 - Why can't layers give straight answers? 35:34 - Finding the right legal partner 39:45 - How much should a good lawyer cost About Beat Brechbuehl and Michèle Remund: Beat Brechbuehl is managing partner of Kellerhals Carrard and head of the M&A team. He holds a LL.M. degree of the Chicago Law School and worked with Sandoz / Novartis Nutrition. He works primarily in the area of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and joint ventures, venture capital and succession planning. He is a lecturer for entrepreneurship at the University of Berne and he has been acknowledged as one of the leading Swiss corporate lawyers by Legal500 and Chambers. Michèle Remund has many years of experience in corporate and tax law and regularly assists clients in M&A transactions. She is also a member of Kellerhals Carrard’s Startup Desk and advises start-ups in particular in connection with employee shareholdings, financing rounds and various other issues. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 1:44 - What mistakes do Swiss founders repeatedly make, when it comes to exits? 11:55 - Coping with stress and pressure 21:50 - Always striving for the next level 32:18 - Knowing what your company is worth 40:32 - Achieving billion dollar exits The Episode In 60 Seconds Dream Big – Sell Big Swiss people have a tendency to sell themselves and their business short. Instead of going for the billion dollar deal, they settle for the first offer which comes their way. Dare to be great and know your true potential. Don’t crack under pressure One of the reasons founders sell their companies too early (and too cheaply) is because of the immense pressure they are under; from employees, family, VCs and, sometimes, from themselves. Know that VCs may not always have your best interest in mind and/or know the business like you do. Be truthful with your employees, especially in hard times. If you have invested in building a company culture, this will now pay off. Selling done right The bad news: you cannot plan an exit strategically. The good news: if you’re good at what you do, the opportunity will arise naturally. Make plans but be ready to abandon them if a better course of action presents itself. Money isn’t everything. It may be smart to accept a smaller offer if this means that your company’s vision will persist and your employees will have a “good home” even after the acquisition. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 11:31 - Scaling from 0 to 150 million in revenue within 6 years 23:23 - Why not just enjoy a billionaire fortune? 35:08 - Closing an intercontinental gap 43:50 - Ariel's most surreally successful moment 52:34 - Being the "anti-venture capitalist" About Ariel Lüdi: Ariel Lüdi is a parachute stuntman turned millionaire. After dropping out of his physics degree at ETH Zurich, Ariel joined IBM as a developer. From there he joined Oracle, where he discovered his passion and talent for sales. After 8 very successful years as SVP of Sales at Broad Vision and Salesforce, he joined Hybris as CEO. He invested all his previous earnings into the company and even went into debt. In 2013, he sold Hybris to SAP for $ 1.5bn. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 2:05 - Managing a work-life balance 3:42 - Missing half of your own wedding 8:00 - Finding out what's really important 14:08 - Preparing for motherhood 18:19 - Finding a challenging part-time job 20:55 - Why not a corporate career? 29:57 - The role of Tanja's husband 32:43 - How to split parenting responsibilities 40:23 - Swiss women in leadership positions 46:05 - What does motherhood teach you about business? About Tanja Lau: Tanja Lau is an experienced entrepreneur and the founder of Product Academy, a coaching business for product managers. Previously she was Head of Product at Siroop, where she played a crucial role in scaling the company to over 200 employees. During this intense period of her life she found herself experiencing symptoms of burnout, even suffering a breakdown at her own wedding. With the goal of building a balanced yet challenging career for herself, she started Product Academy and is running it part time while raising her two young children. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 1:52 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make when it comes to moving to Silicon Valley? 16:02 - When should you not go to the Valley? 29:56 - Hiring the right sales person 32:28 - Tackling the PR and marketing game 43:23 - What shocks Swiss companies when they come to the US? The Episode In 60 Seconds Competing with Silicon Valley Startups – what to expect Switzerland is generally strong in research and not so strong in productization and marketing. Be aware of this and give your amazing product the showlight it deserves. Cap tables (the “who owns what” in a company) are a big topic. SV investors don’t like to see large, fragmented cap tables. Be smart and don’t give away more than 20% of your company per round. SV is fast-paced and direct. Be prepared to adapt your style of doing business. Is Silicon Valley the promised land for all startups? The short answer is: no. The long answer is: it depends. Know where the experts in your field cluster. This can be Houston, New York, Chicago … Don’t underestimate the value which comes from a Swiss brand: neutrality, trust and reliability, to name a few. Building up your presence in the US Your expansion should be customer centric. Move to a new market when you feel you understand and are ready to serve the customer there. Expanding abroad usually entails building a physical presence there. Often this requires at least one of the founders to relocate in order to build a quality team away from home. Ideally, your first hires have existing customer relationships that you can leverage. Build the business first, fundraise second. This will give you much more negotiating power. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 2:10 - Where does Philipp's entrepreneurial spirit come from? 15:31 - Getting an American green card during the 9/11 era 24:23 - When a mission-driven company fails 34:18 - The 1/1/1 program 48:40 - How can young people find their mission? About Philipp Stauffer: Philipp Stauffer is the co-founder of and Managing Partner at FYRFLY, an early stage technology venture firm. Amongst their former and current portfolio companies are Beekeeper, Philz Coffee and AngelList. Prior to becoming an Angel and early stage investor, Philipp co-founded his own ventures: Dropimpact, an innovation catalyst and early stage investment firm, and Onor, an impact digital marketing project. He moved to San Francisco in 2001, days after the 9/11 terror attacks. Philipp holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Microeconomics from the University of Applied Sciences in Zurich. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 2:13 - How does a corporate career give an entrepreneur the upper hand? 11:28 - The lender-borrower ratio 20:12 - Switching work flows 27:38 - Developing the user interface 28:29 - Plans for the future About Daniel Sandmeier: Daniel Sandmeier is the CEO of Instimatch, a platform for digitizing money markets. Instimatch was named “Growth Startup Of The Year” at the Swiss Fintech Awards 2020. Before joining Instimatch, Daniel had spent 12 years at Credit Suisse and over 2 decades in banking over all. He holds a Master of Arts in Economics from the University of Zurich. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 2:15 - Why does a large corporation decide to get involved with startups? 11:26 - What F10 brings to startups 23:15 - How can startups and corporates succeed together? 25:35 - How to convince opponents 33:40 - How else does Andreas help startups? About Andreas Iten: Andreas Iten is the co-founder of F10 FinTech Incubator & Accelerator and also the head at SIX FinTech Ventures. He has worked for over 15 years within leading institutions in the IT service, airline & transportation and the financial industry. Andreas holds a degree in Digital Innovation and Business Transformation from the University of St. Gallen. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 2:34 - What do Swiss startups get wrong, when it comes to internationalization? 14:11 - How to organize a team 19:32 - The role of fundraising in internationalization 30:55 - How to manage a successful partnership 40:15 - Risk assessment in Europe vs in the US The Episode In 60 Seconds Getting the timing right Rather than going and planting a flag abroad, consider letting your customers lead the way. Wherever you find a “big fish”, find an agreement to localize for them. Finding international customers Try to engage analysts such as Forrester and Gartner early on. This can be in an informal way, since formal engagements can cost you lots of money. Look for international technology partners such as Salesforce and the like. Attend conferences abroad to gain visibility. Organizational setup For technology products, marketing and sales are usually the areas which need localization, while engineering can stay centralized. A coherent reporting structure and rigorous documentation are vital to successfully move an international team forward. Successful international partnerships Partners are followers, not leaders. Even though you might have a partner in a certain market, you still need to lead the way for the first successful implementations. It’s a long term game. Try to become part of your partner’s daily routine to stay on the top of their mind. International fundraising International investors are desirable but not a requirement to expand abroad. Don’t underestimate the difficulties which come with operating in two different legal systems. Since you are missing the benefit of a shared culture, introductions to international investors through your network are even more important. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!

Timestamps: 7:26 - How Dorian found the right team 23:48 - Going from 0 to 50 million in revenue within 2 years 29:58 - Why leave a hugely successful company? 40:14 - When's the right time to launch a certain product in the market? 47:05 - Starting an A.I. business About Dorian Selz: Dorian is the founder of local.ch, Switzerland’s leading local search platform which he grew to >$50M revenues in 4 years. Today he is co-founder and CEO Squirro.com, a personal digital research assistant. The company also offers memonic.com, a web based digital notebook. Prior to launching local.ch, from 1999 to 2005 he was Partner and COO at Namics, an internet professional services firm. Dorian holds a PhD in information systems from the University of St.Gallen and a degree in econometrics from the University of Geneva. Don’t forget to give us a follow on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin accounts, so you can always stay up to date with our latest  initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows,  weekly give-aways or founders dinners!