Swisspreneur Show

Timestamps: 8:02 - Should military service be mandatory for women? 12:19 - Growing up with 3 sisters and an entrepreneurial mom 18:35 - The women quota 20:58 - How can men support women? 27:18 - How do we get more women in leadership positions? The Episode In 60 Seconds What drives inequality in Switzerland? Historical factors such as the absence of a total war which shook up societal structures i...

Timestamps: 2:26 - Why Estefania left research to start her own company 10:35 - Growing up in an entrepeneurial family 21:27 - If you're gonna fail, fail fast. 30:18 - How Estefania went about looking for a location 35:19 - How Estefania structures negotiations About Estefanía Tapias: Estefanía Tapias is the CEO and Co-Founder of WeSpace , a community, workspace and digital platform that&nbsp...

Timestamps 1:49 – Do I need a co-founder at all? 2:57 – At what stage should you look for co-founders? 3:48 – Is there an ideal number of co-founders? 5:25 – Where do I find my co-founders? 6:52 – Friends/family as co-founders: yay or nay? 8:06 – Is it necessary to have previously known your co-founder? 10:45 – Does my co-founder need to be geographically close? 11:49 – What is a good test to figu...

Timestamps: 1:49 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to hiring and managing people? 13:08 - The diversity question 25:48 - Good startup communication 44:47 - How to strengthen your gut feeling, in terms of hiring 49:44 - Should you hire friends and family? The Episode In 60 Seconds People can be an organization’s biggest asset but also one of their greatest pain points....

Timestamps 1:53  - How Markus got involved with students.ch 21:49 - How to manage several business at the same time 25:13 - How to scale up very fast 38:25 - Why Markus started his investment company 47:12 - When should you actually move your startup to San Francisco About Markus Okumus: Markus Okumus is a serial entrepreneur with two successful exits in Switzerland. In 2007, his first ventur...

Timestamps 1:53 – What are some questions every founder should ask themselves before fundraising? 4:13 – How do you determine what is smart money for your business? 5:08 – When is the ideal time to find investors (not FFF)? 6:08 – After how much revenue did you start to look for investors? 9:17 – How can I estimate how much my startup is worth before starting the first financing round? 11:21 – Wha...

Timestamps 2:43 - Why start a company in Switzerland after studying in the US 10:00 - How to scale up in 3 years 22:15 - From founder to investor 31:37 - What the entrepreneurial spirit should be like 36:58 - Is age a factor? The Episode In 60 Seconds The role of a startup CEO is challenging and ever-changing. These are some of the tasks you should be ready to tackle in the initial stages of your...

Timestamps: 2:03 - Why start a company in Switzerland after studying in the U.S.? 9:15 - How to scale up within 3 years 21:22 - Going from founder to investor 30:42 - What the entrepreneurial spirit should be like 35:58 - Is age a factor, in the startup world? About Alex Fries: Originally from the Swiss Canton of Graubunden, Alexander Fries moved to San Francisco in 2002 in connection with a tech...

Timestamps: 1:54  - Going bankrupt as a young adult 12:18 - Key values for founders 15:39 - When to drop a business venture 17:23 - VC funding or bootstrapping? 18:55 - Europe's role in the global startup scene About Frank Thelen: Frank Thelen is the Co-Founder and CEO of Freigeist Capital (formerly e42). He is however best known for his role on “ Höhle der Löwen ”, a German reality TV progra...

Timestamps 1:53 - What mistakes do Swiss Startups make repeatedly regarding their finances?  4:11 - When should you decide to hand your accounting to someone else?  16:05 - Insurances, deductions and fees to take into account  34:06- What to do when a customer doesn't pay the invoice  44:05 - Where to find the right financial partners The Episode In 60 Seconds When it comes to...

Timestamps: 1:50 - What mistakes do Swiss startups make repeatedly when it comes to the legal aspect? 10:54 - How to get out of a tricky contract 26:30 - How to handle investors 40:00 - HR: attracting and retaining talent 48:50 - Should you have a strong legal partner on your side? The Episode In 60 Seconds There are 5 legal areas every startup should have covered: Corporate law Have a clear agree...

Timestamps: 2:10 - Mistakes Swiss founders make repeatedly when it comes to B2B Sales 12:37 - How to determine your target clients 22:22 - Where to look for leads 36:20 - How to close a deal faster  42:43 - What KPIs to focus on About Iman Nahvi: Iman Nahvi is the co-founder and CEO of Advertima , a company which uses AI for consumer engagement on physical channels. At Advertima, Iman impleme...

Timestamps: 2:26 - Should you start a business with a family member? 4:33 - Why Iman went from banking to entrepreneurship 20:50 - How Iman chooses his employees 28:40 - Paying every employee the same salary 33:11- Employee stock option pools About Iman Nahvi: Iman Nahvi is the co-founder and CEO of Advertima , a company which uses AI for consumer engagement on physical channels. At Advertima, Ima...

Timestamps   1:23 - What mistakes do Swiss founders repeatedly make when it comes to B2C marketing? 11:00 - Investing in auto-marketing activities 14:04 - Improving conversion rate 21:02 - Best tools for marketing 29:18 - The marketing channel of the future About Alan Frei: Alan Frei is the co-founder of amorana.ch , an e-commerce platform for sex toys and lingerie. Before starting Amora...

Timestamps   1:32 - What can the Swiss startup ecosystem learn from the Chinese one? 12:10 - The importance of having the right focus 16:20 - How Alan's father being an entrepreneur influenced him 20:57 - Does minimalism bring happiness? 26:34 - The role of the social circle when it comes to personal growth and support About Alan Frei: Alan Frei is the co-founder of amorana.ch , an e-commerce...

Timestamps: 1:15 - Mistakes Swiss founders make repeatedly. 4:20 - How to find the right evaluation. 09:58 - How much money should an early-stage company raise? 21:47 - How should a startup team deal with an investor? 29:12 - How often does Daniel check-in with his investments? About Daniel Gutenberg: Finding unicorns before they have 10 employees is his ambition. Daniel Gutenberg is one of Switze...

Timestamps 2:55 - How he started his first company 14:28 - His first successful exit 19:00 - Being a Venture Capitalist and an Angel Investor at the same time 27:40 - What are the characteristics of a Unicorn CEO? 39:33 - The future of blockchain technology and crypto assets in general About Daniel Gutenberg: Finding unicorns before they have 10 employees is his ambition. Daniel Gutenberg is one o...

Timestamps  1:19 - Mistakes Swiss startups repeatedly make when creating a product  10:03 - How long does it take to build a great tech product? 12:44 - How to acquire customers 17:46 - Bringing new technology to Switzerland 26:22 - What makes a great product? About Herbert Bay: Herbert is the co-founder of Kooaba, an image recognition program which he successfully sold to Qualcomm in 20...

Timestamps: 1:20 - What made Herbert Bay become an entrepreneur. 5:40 - Having two technical founders; dealing with lack of business knowledge. 7:30 - Raising 10 million dollars. 12:25 - How Herbert dealt with a difficult time in his life; what he learnt. 24:57 - Managing a company from a distance. About Herbert Bay: Herbert is the co-founder of Kooaba, an image recognition program which he succes...

Timestamps   1:23 - Team-related mistakes 4:50 - Giving guidance vs offering freedom to employees 7:11 - The company lifecycle 12:55 - The ideal co-founding relationship 34:25 - Sendtask and remote teams About Cédric Waldburger: Cédric is a Venture Capitalist and founder of Dfinity , Tenderloin Ventures and Sendtask . He started his first venture – Mediasign, a digital branding agency – in hi...

Timestamps: 1:37 - Delivering value to 11 different projects at the same time 14:19 - How the Swiss military service supported/hindered Cédric's entrepreneurial career 20:15 - Owning only 64 things 22:52 - What is DFINITY? 34:42 - 90-day goals About Cédric Waldburger: Cédric is a Venture Capitalist and founder of Tenderloin Ventures and Sendtask . He started his first venture – Mediasign, a digita...

Timestamps 1:30 - What mistakes do you see Swiss startup founders repeatedly make? 7:30 - How to obtain accurate feedback for your idea. 14:50 - Where to spend your time: documentation vs implementation. How to implement. The minimum viable product. 25:40 - Data gathering to evaluate the possible success of your idea. 28:12 - When to kill your idea or move on from it About Christian Hirsig: Christ...

Timestamps: 3:00 - Changes for Swisspreneur. 6:28 - Associations vs For-profit companies. 12:40 - Finding good employees. 23:25 - Growing up in an entrepreneurial family. 26:47 - When to leave a startup. About Christian Hirsig: Christian is one of the co-founders of Swisspreneur.org and a passionate serial entrepreneur. He founded his first venture — Atizo, a crowdsourcing platform for ideas — in...

Timestamps 2:06 - What makes a successful accelerator application 15:40 - Launching your first pilot 29:00 - Hiring and outsourcing 33:16 - Splitting shares 39:55 - Making it work without salaries About Anastasia Hofmann and Naomi MacKenzie Through her work experience in Malta, Miami Beach, Lausanne and Zurich, Anastasia developed a strong fascination for the hospitality industry. She holds a Bach...

Timestamps 9:00 - Deciding who to sell to 22:52 - Retaining confidence after your first failure 36:14 - What to look for in a headhunter 41:05 - Stock option plans 52:49 - Building a company, not a startup About Thomas Sterchi: Thomas is best known as the founder of  jobs.ch , an online job market platform. In 2007, he and his partner sold the venture to an American holding company for a mult...