

Swisspreneur Show
Swisspreneur
The Swisspreneur Show is a podcast series of in-depth, candid conversations with some of Switzerland’s most successful founders, business leaders and innovators. By getting to the heart of these leaders’ stories - their successes, their failures, their must-have advice and greatest regrets - we hope to both inspire and guide the next generation of Swiss entrepreneurs. Each episode deconstructs and showcases one person’s personal and professional background and provides advice and recommendations for existing and aspiring entrepreneurs in Switzerland.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 18, 2024 • 49min
EP #462 - Marko Bjelonic: The Swiss Robotics Company Jeff Bezos Invested In
Timestamps:
3:52 - Is Switzerland a better version of Germany?
20:55 - Choosing an industry out of many use cases
24:06 - A business model for robotics
26:28 - Doing software and hardware simultaneously
31:51 - Getting Jeff Bezos as an investor
About Marko Bjelonic:
Marko Bjelonic is the co-founder and CEO of Swiss-Mile, a deep tech ETH spin-off connecting AI with the physical world through autonomous machines. He holds a PhD in Robotics from ETH and worked as a researcher at NCCR Robotics, NCCR Digital Fabrication and the Robotic Systems Lab (ETH), before starting Swiss-Mile in 2023.
Marko was born in Yugoslavia and left the country as a child, together with his family, to escape the Yugoslav wars, which started in 1990. Growing up as an immigrant in Germany, he helped his dad recover from job loss by encouraging him to start his own business and helping him with digitization and with the linguistic aspect. This company was eventually sold, giving Marko an advantageous small business experience.
In 2023 he started Swiss-Mile with friends and colleagues he’d known since 2018. Their USP was simple: they were incorporating neural networks on wheeled-legged robots, helping them to navigate complex environments. Their robots can walk, drive, stand upright, open doors, and manipulate packages. Ever since launch, they’ve had a huge amount of success on social media — their videos have gotten a total of 100M views. This, of course, resulted in over 150 companies reaching out to them to inquire about their product, with leads coming in on a daily basis.
With such an innovative and useful product, Marko and his team had trouble picking the best industries to focus on. After much reflection and many feedback loops with their leads, they decided on security and logistics. When it comes to the security industry, Swiss-Mile robots are useful for maintaining critical infrastructure which must be checked 24/7, since this is a boring, repetitive job for which it is harder and harder to find human workers. In the logistics field, the operations which take place inside warehouses are already quite automated, but the transportation of merchandise from warehouses to the outside world is not, because that is a much more complex environment for a robot to navigate — but not too complex for Swiss-Mile robots!
Swiss-Mile has had astounding fundraising success. They raised a $3.5M pre-seed round in 2023, and then a $22M seed round in 2024, co-led by Jeff Bezos and the Chinese fund HongShan.
The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.
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Dec 11, 2024 • 44min
EP #461 - Lida Ahmadi & Adam Korczak: Top Skills a Startup Founder Must Have
Timestamps:
8:48 - Building a startup in tissue engineering
11:23 - Building a foodtech venture studio
15:49 - The underrated challenge of making phone calls every day
23:44 - Why having an analytical mind is crucial
26:41 - The importance of mentorship
This episode was co-produced with the Female Founders Initiative.
The conversation originally took place at the Rise Up Summit 2024.
Answer our quick questionnaire about entrepreneurial skills here.
About Lida Ahmadi & Adam Korczak:
Lida Ahmadi is the founder of Sproutd, a foodtech venture studio partnering with corporates to tackle current food system challenges. She holds an MA in Accounting and Finance from HSG and co-founded Snäx in 2018 (acquired by FELFEL in 2023) before beginning her new venture in 2024.
Adam Korczak is the co-founder and CEO at Treeless, an ETH Zurich Spin-off developing microorganism-based cellulose materials with the goal to end plastic pollution. He obtained his education in Biomedical/Medical Engineering at ETH and incorporated the company in 2023.
During their chat with Merle, Lida and Adam reflected on the skills which have bolstered their unique founder journeys. The abilities needed to build a successful startup were not always what this pair of founders expected: Lida recalls being surprised and feeling challenged by the need to develop her analytical mind and to gain the habit of making data-based decisions, and Adam remembered how difficult it was at first to have to make such a inordinate amount of phone calls every single day.
Both founders value the technical skills they learned in school, but most of all they appreciate how their education taught them resilience — the ability to cope with stress.
Adam continues to scale Treeless successfully and Lida is currently working on a new project that is still in stealth mode.
Resources Mentioned:
Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman (Lida Ahmadi)The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.
Don’t forget to give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin, 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 giveaways or founders' dinners.

Dec 8, 2024 • 60min
EP #460 - Cyrill Gyger: How to Sell 3D Radar Tech to Public Hospitals
Cyrill Gyger, co-founder and CEO of QUMEA, shares insights from his journey in digital mobility monitoring for patient safety. He discusses the innovative use of AI radar to track patient movements and breathing, aimed at preventing falls in hospitals. Cyrill explores the challenges of selling cutting-edge technology to public healthcare institutions and the importance of aligning co-founder incentives for success. He also highlights the complexities of navigating startup support programs in Switzerland, emphasizing strategic growth amidst economic hurdles.

Dec 4, 2024 • 38min
EP #459 - Sergio P. Ermotti: Führung, Leidenschaft und die Zukunft der UBS
Sergio Ermotti, Group CEO of UBS and a key player in global finance, shares his journey from aspiring footballer to banking leader. He discusses the monumental task of integrating Credit Suisse into UBS, shedding light on the challenges and strategies involved. Ermotti emphasizes the importance of leadership, integrity, and fostering a strong organizational culture. He also touches on the bank's responsibility to Swiss society and shares valuable advice for young talents regarding perseverance and sacrifice for success.

Dec 1, 2024 • 46min
EP #458 - Florim Cuculi: A Doctor With Entrepreneurial Blood
Florim Cuculi, a Swiss cardiologist and chief at Luzerner Kantonsspital, shares his inspiring journey from immigrant to medical leader. He discusses the blend of medicine and entrepreneurship, offering insights on effective leadership qualities like fairness and humility. Florim emphasizes the importance of maintaining health and managing stress, revealing techniques he uses to stay balanced. He also explores the impact of social media in medicine, aiming to educate the public while navigating its challenges. His story is a testament to resilience and passion.

Nov 27, 2024 • 52min
EP #457 - Nikolai Schröder: How to Stand Out in the Car Subscription Market
Nikolai Schröder, co-founder and COO of FINN, shares insights from his journey transitioning from a consultant at Boston Consulting Group to establishing a car subscription service. He discusses simplifying the car rental process, the importance of customer convenience, and the competitive landscape in Europe. Notably, he explains varied financing strategies essential for such a capital-intensive model and the company's ambitious goals for profitability and market expansion. Schröder also highlights the balance between personal passions and entrepreneurial responsibilities.

Nov 24, 2024 • 43min
EP#456 - Leonie Flückiger: Why Luxury Watches Need NFTs
Leonie Flückiger, co-founder of Adresta, shares her journey from a STEM background to redefining luxury watch ownership with NFTs. She discusses how blockchain technology and digital twins enhance authenticity and insurance processes for luxury watches. Leonie reveals secrets about navigating the secondary market and customer acquisition in a niche industry. She reflects on the challenges of startup funding, the importance of resilience, and her preference for entrepreneurial freedom over corporate consultancy after her company's acquisition.

Nov 20, 2024 • 43min
EP #455 - Joanne Sieber: Switzerland, The Leading Deep Tech Nation
Joanne Sieber, CEO of the Deep Tech Nation Switzerland Foundation, shares her vision to transform Switzerland into a leading deep tech nation. She discusses ambitious goals, including raising CHF 50B in venture capital and creating 100K jobs within ten years. Joanne highlights the need for improved collaboration and financial backing while addressing the cultural shifts necessary for startup growth. With insights from her diverse background, she emphasizes the importance of innovation in shaping a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Nov 17, 2024 • 46min
EP #454 - Pascal Jenny: Building a Sustainable Tourism Business in Arosa
Timestamps:
3:31 - Athletes are their own entrepreneurs
10:01 - Upfront investments for tourism infrastructure
15:44 - How to host a good event
21:29 - What does sustainability mean in business?
26:30 - Sustainability is not a marketing topic
This episode was co-produced by smzh, your independent go-to partner in all matters relating to finance.
About Pascal Jenny:
Pascal Jenny is the former managing director and current president at Arosa Tourismus. He holds a BA in business administration from UZH and worked in Swiss sports television before founding Arosa Tourismus in 2008. He’s also the founder of tfy-consult, a company offering sustainability checks for other businesses, and is active as a board member at smzh.
Pascal’s connection to the Arosa region is long-standing: he vacationed there every single Summer until he was 25, and his great-great-grandfather used to be a priest there, as well. As a young person, he always enjoyed Arosa, but found its tourism industry lacking in certain respects, which motivated him to create a business which not only functioned as a hotel but also hosted events and offered experiences, and, most importantly, which measured its results and iterated accordingly.
Sustainability is a very important topic for Pascal, not only ecologically but also socially and economically. Arosa’s investors are aware that they’re unlikely to get back their investment, but still they offer their money because they want to build something beautiful. And when it comes to the relationship between Pascal’s business and the local Arosa population, clear and constant communication is key — and it served Pascal and his team well both when they came up with the idea to create a bear sanctuary, and when they thought of doing a gay ski week. Arosa Tourismus very intentionally does not invest much on social media marketing in order to avoid swaths of mass tourism coming their way.
Pascal stepped down from his managing director role in 2020 and is nowadays involved solely as president.
SMZH: tailor-made .holistic. for you.
smzh is an independent financial services provider who is assisting both private and corporate clients with individual advice in the areas of finance & investments, pensions, mortgages, insurance, real estate and tax & law. Through a 360° Check-Up, smzh ensures that you receive customized and comprehensive financial planning according to your initial situation and with a view to achieving your wishes and goals, as well as being accompanied by our experts during implementation.
The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.
Don’t forget to give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin, 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 giveaways or founders' dinners.

Nov 13, 2024 • 41min
EP #453 - Samir Ounzain: Unlocking the Power of the Dark Genome
Timestamps:
5:22 - From the UK to Switzerland
11:29 - The dark genome and chronic diseases
17:35 - HTX001 and heart failure
26:44 - Sticking to grants at first
34:32 - Managing two separate teams
This episode was sponsored by smzh, your independent go-to partner in all matters relating to finance.
About Samir Ounzain:
Samir Ounzain is the co-founder and CEO of HAYA Therapeutics, a precision medicines company targeting the regulatory genome for cardiovascular diseases, fibrosis and cancer. He holds a PhD from the University of Leicester and was previously a researcher at Imperial College London, University College London and CHUV Lausanne University Hospital before starting HAYA in 2019, together with his co-founder Daniel Blessing.
Early on in his academic career Samir studied the so-called “dark genome” (also known as the “regulatory genome”), which at the time of discovery (2001) was considered “junk DNA”, i.e. the 98% of our DNA that apparently did not make or in any way affect our genes. More recent scientific research has discovered that this regulatory genome is key to understanding how our genes interact with our environment, and can therefore be useful in targeting environment-caused diseases like heart failure and cancer.
HAYA’s lead therapeutic candidate is HTX-001, an antisense oligonucleotide targeting Wisper, which is a tissue and cell-specific cardiac lncRNA known to play a role in heart failure. The company is also developing a pipeline of lncRNA-targeting candidates for the cell-specific treatment of diseases in other tissues, including the lungs and the microenvironment of solid tumor cancers. The added benefit of their drugs is that by targeting the “dark” 98%, instead of the 2%, they result in zero side effects: conventional drugs help patients treat their diseases but they also produce secondary unwanted effects because the proteins that they are targeting (in our 2%) are also responsible for other functions — this same issue does not exist when it comes to drugs which interact with the dark genome.
HAYA Therapeutics is headquartered at the life sciences park Biopôle, in Lausanne, with additional laboratory facilities at JLABS, San Diego. They have raised a total of $25M in funding backed by a strong consortium of investors, including Broadview Ventures, Apollo Health Ventures, 4SeeVentures, BioInnovator, Bernina Bioinvest, Humboldt and Schroder Adveq.
This cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io
Don’t forget to give us a follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin, 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 giveaways or founders' dinners.