Swisspreneur Show

Greta Preatoni, the innovative co-founder and CEO of Mynerva, discusses her groundbreaking work on a device designed to relieve neuropathic pain. She delves into the complexities of diabetic neuropathy and the risks associated with traditional opioid treatments. Greta shares insights on developing brain-computer interfaces and the importance of a strong patent strategy for MedTech startups. She also highlights the challenges of navigating health product regulations while emphasizing the potential of AI and electrical stimulation in improving patient care.

James Rilett, the CPTO at Open Mineral and former consultant, dives into the world of metal commodity trading essential for the energy transition. He shares insights on the significance of historical knowledge in trading and the digital transformation reshaping the industry. Rilett compares Switzerland and Abu Dhabi's trading environments, emphasizing sustainability and ESG compliance. The conversation also highlights innovative solutions to trade finance issues, navigating market complexities, and striking a balance between centralization and wealth.

Aurelio Perucca, the co-founder and CEO of Splint Invest with a PhD in Economics, dives into the world of alternative investments. He explains how these assets can provide stability outside traditional stocks and bonds. Listeners learn about the importance of diversification and the benefits of fractional ownership, even in luxury items. Aurelio emphasizes making informed choices to avoid the opaque market pitfalls and shares insights on cash flow management while investing in niche markets. It's a compelling look at expanding investment horizons!

Jessica Farda, co-founder and CEO of Noriwear, shares her journey into sustainable packaging using seaweed. She discusses the surprising versatility of seaweed, with over 12,000 species, some growing rapidly without resources. Jessica reflects on the challenges of being a newcomer in the biotech world and how her personal journey shaped her passion for green solutions. The conversation also dives into securing funding and the innovative business model Noriwear employs, emphasizing the potential of eco-friendly materials in combating plastic waste.

In this conversation, venture capital experts Kevin Baxpehler, Diego Braguglia, Harald Nieder, and Mike Hobmeier dive into the growth-stage funding landscape. They explore how startups can determine the right time to seek VC funding and what factors attract investors without proven track records. The panel discusses Switzerland's strengths in healthcare innovation and the importance of strong team dynamics. Additionally, they provide insights on equity distribution and the need for strategic involvement post-investment to foster long-term success.

Tillmann Lang, co-founder and CEO of Inyova Impact Investing, discusses capitalism's potential to address climate change. He highlights how banks influence environmental sustainability and urges for responsible investment practices. Tillmann shares insights on personalized investment strategies that align with individual values, advocating for transparency in sustainable investments. He addresses global inequalities in climate regulations and proposes solutions like carbon taxes to harmonize capitalist interests with ecological responsibilities. An enlightening conversation on aligning finance with sustainability!

Enzo Wälchli, the CCO at Anybotics and LinkedIn’s leading Swiss voice in robotics, discusses his transition from corporate life to the startup world. He emphasizes the critical role LinkedIn plays in sales, advocating for consistent content creation to attract prospects. Enzo shares insights on the power of video for virality, the importance of meaningful engagement over mere likes, and offers practical tips on building a personal brand. He believes that every salesperson should embrace LinkedIn as a dynamic tool for connecting with clients.

Timestamps: 6:59 - Being humbled by Y Combinator 12:20 - EPFL’s extension school 15:47 - What needs fixing in Switzerland 29:25 - Budget cuts for Swiss universities 39:40 - EPFL AI center This episode was sponsored by NordPass. Use code “swisspreneur” at checkout to get 30% off Business and Teams plans. About Marcel Salathé: Marcel Salathé is a professor at EPFL, startup founder and investor, as well as a digital epidemiologist. He holds a PhD in Biology and Environmental Sciences from ETH, and has taught at Stanford and Penn State. He is the founder of the EPFL Extension School and AIcrowd, an AI challenge platform at EPFL. When founding the EPFL Extension School, Marcel’s goal was to fulfill EPFL’s mandate of not only educating its students but the Swiss population at large — he believes the current educational system, which restricts education to childhood and adolescence, is outdated, and that Swiss people need to be learning continuously, especially considering the rapid acceleration of technological development. Self-learning has played a big role in Marcel’s career, who originally studied Biology but has since branched out to machine learning and generative AI. During his chat with Silvan, he further argues that although Switzerland has done a great job in connecting innovation centers (such as universities) with the private sector, it’s done terribly at channeling this innovation towards the public sector as well, which is why this sphere seems to be 20 years behind the curve. Marcel thinks there must be a structural push towards this, just as there was a concerted political effort before to connect universities with the private sector. He is strongly against the recent budget cuts for education and innovation, because he considers this to be the “magic sauce” of Switzerland’s prosperity.

Thomas Crawford, co-founder and CEO of Bind, and Daniel Delouya, co-founder and COO, delve into the transformative power of AI in the insurance industry. They discuss how Bind simplifies customer targeting with an AI-driven approach, moving away from traditional methods. The duo shares insights on securing their first commercial agreements and their fundraising journey through the Swisspreneur Syndicate. Personal reflections reveal their entrepreneurial paths, showcasing their transition from corporate life to revolutionizing insurance with technology.

Timestamps: 7:18 - Selling your MVP 12:19 - Finding co-founders 16:24 - Not focusing enough on specific markets  27:05 - Scaling too early & stepping down as CEO 37:02 - Employee share programs About Viktor Calabro: Viktor Calabro is the founder and former CEO of Coople, Europe's largest digital staffing platform. He previously worked for companies like Trivadis AG and Erlebniskultur GmbH before starting Coople in 2009. Coople matches flexible workers to short- and long-term assignments in various roles in office, retail, logistics, hospitality, events and hotel. They increase their clients’ revenue by adjusting their team in real-time to match fluctuating demand, and reduce their client’s costs by outsourcing admin and payroll.  One challenge that Viktor had to face during his time at Coople was finding out that they had scaled too early, before actually achieving true product-market fit, and seeing themselves being spread too thin. This, paired with the fact that Victor had been going all-in for Coople for almost a decade and no longer had the energy to meet the needs of his role, made him step down as CEO role in 2018. Nowadays, his focus is on coaching, training, and investing, as well as on spending quality time with his family and friends. 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.