Podcast
Swisspreneur Show
Hosted by Swisspreneur · EN
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.
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Episodes
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Why Europe Needs Its Own Cloud Infrastructure: Exoscale CEO Mathias Nöbauer (EP#562)
1w ago00:27:21Tap to summarizeTimestamps:07:20 - Building a European Alternative in Cloud Services14:02 - Leadership Style and Team Dynamics18:01 - Navigating the Fast-Paced Cloud Industry21:30 - Switzerland's Role in Europe's Digital SovereigntyThis episode was co-produced with Innovaud, the innovation and investment promotion agency for the canton of Vaud. Episode description:Mathias Nöbauer is the CEO of Exoscale, a European sovereign cloud provider helping organizations run applications and infrastructure under European jurisdiction. With more than 25 years of experience across software development, today, he is focused on building a European alternative to the dominant US cloud providers while helping organizations navigate an increasingly complex technology landscape.In this episode, we discuss why digital sovereignty is moving from a legal and compliance concern to a strategic business priority, how Europe's dependence on foreign technology infrastructure creates new risks for companies and governments, and why Europe needs to invest more boldly in its own technology ecosystem. Mathias also shares how Exoscale competes against hyperscalers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, and why he believes sovereign cloud infrastructure will become increasingly important for Europe's future prosperity.We also explore how to build trust in critical infrastructure businesses, the leadership lessons Mathias has learned from scaling an engineering-led company, and Switzerland's unique position as a trusted hub that could help shape Europe's digital future. Along the way, we discuss talent development, risk-taking in European entrepreneurship, and why innovation, sovereignty, and prosperity are more connected than many people realize.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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Vom 25m²-Büro zum grössten Onlineshop der Schweiz: Digitec Galaxus CEO Florian Teuteberg (EP#561)
2w ago01:03:49Tap to summarize(English below) Florian Teuteberg, Mitgründer und CEO von Digitec Galaxus, empfängt uns im Logistikzentrum in Wohlen und erzählt die ganze Geschichte hinter dem grössten Onlinehändler der Schweiz: von drei Gamern in einem 25-Quadratmeter-Büro bis zu über 3 Milliarden CHF Umsatz.In dieser Swisspreneur Documentary erfährst du:- Wie drei Gaming-Freunde aus Leidenschaft für Hardware ein Milliardenunternehmen aufbauten- Warum der Onlineshop aus der Frustration entstand, Kunden immer das Gleiche erklären zu müssen- Wie Digitec Apple- und Samsung-Produkte grau importierte, nachdem die Hersteller sich weigerten zu liefern- Warum sie ihr gesamtes ERP-System zweimal von Grund auf selbst entwickelten und wie es fast schiefging- Was der Einstieg der Migros verändert hat- Wie sie jetzt in Deutschland und Österreich gegen Amazon antreten---Florian Teuteberg, co-founder and CEO of Digitec Galaxus, welcomes us to the logistics center in Wohlen and tells the full story behind Switzerland’s largest online retailer: from three gamers in a 25-square-meter office to over CHF 3 billion in revenue.In this Swisspreneur documentary, you’ll learn:- How three gaming friends built a billion-dollar company out of their passion for hardware- Why the online store was born out of frustration at always having to explain the same thing to customers- How Digitec imported Apple and Samsung products through parallel imports after the manufacturers refused to supply them- Why they developed their entire ERP system from scratch twice on their own—and how it almost went wrong- What Migros’ entry into the market changed- How they’re now competing against Amazon in Germany and AustriaThe cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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The Two-Country Strategy for Swiss Startups: Laurent Decrue & Sophie Lamparter (EP#560)
3w ago00:53:43Tap to summarizeTimestamps:15:14 European AI Landscape and Mistral AI Acquisition28:12 The Rise of European Startups in the U.S.30:06 Building Bridges: Dual Ecosystems for Success42:30 IPO Frenzy: The U.S. Market's Impact on EuropeThis episode was co-produced with Swiss Startup Days, the leading Swiss deep-tech catalyst event for startups, investors, enablers, and corporates.Checkout Newcomers - the ultimate pitching format for pre-seed and seed startups in Switzerland. Applications open in December 2025.Episode Summary: In this episode of Swisspreneur Briefing, we’re joined by Laurent Decrue, Co-CEO of Holycode, and Sophie Lamparter, Founding Partner of VitaminºC, a climate tech venture fund investing across Europe and the US. Together, they unpack the latest developments shaping the Swiss and European startup ecosystem, from record-breaking funding rounds and AI acquisitions to the growing role of European founders on the global stage.In this episode, we discuss why venture capital remains heavily concentrated in AI, biotech, and deep tech, and what that means for founders building outside those sectors. We explore whether Europe has already lost the consumer AI race and why industrial AI could become its biggest opportunity. We also examine the emerging playbook for ambitious European startups: keeping talent and R&D in Europe while leveraging the US for fundraising, sales, and scale. Finally, we look at the return of IPOs and large exits, and how new liquidity could restart the flywheel of startup creation and investment across the ecosystem.Beyond the headlines, we dive into the cultural differences between the US and European startup ecosystems, what Switzerland’s quality of life means for attracting and retaining talent, and why Europe’s challenge may not be a lack of talent but a lack of ambition. We also discuss the psychology behind investor FOMO, the race to gain exposure to companies like Anthropic, and how success stories create the optimism and momentum that inspire the next generation of founders to think bigger.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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The Startup Tackling The Invisible Disease Affecting 10% of Women: Scanvio Co-founder & CEO Stefan Tuchschmid (EP#559)
3w ago00:42:11Tap to summarizeTimestamps:12:58 - The Challenge of Diagnosing Endometriosis17:12 - Collaborating with Doctors for Effective Solutions24:01 - Funding Strategies and Investor Relations30:31 - Balancing Family Life and EntrepreneurshipThis episode was co-produced with Swiss Startup Days, the leading Swiss deep-tech catalyst event for startups, investors, enablers, and corporates.Checkout Newcomers - the ultimate pitching format for pre-seed and seed startups in Switzerland. Applications open in December 2025.Episode Description:Stefan Tuchschmid is the CEO and Co-founder of Scanvio Medical, a Swiss medtech startup building AI-powered ultrasound support tools to help doctors detect Endometriosis earlier. In this episode, he shares lessons from building and scaling companies in healthcare, navigating AI adoption in medicine, and becoming a second-time founder.In this conversation, we discuss why adoption matters more than obvious product value, especially in healthcare and AI. Stefan explains why the best AI products often augment experts instead of replacing them, and how Scanvio is building “a second pair of eyes” for gynecologists during ultrasound scans. We also dive into the realities of fundraising in Switzerland, including how to approach family offices and business angels, what “smart money” actually means, and why personal connection and storytelling still matter when raising capital.We also explore the more personal side of entrepreneurship: how Stefan’s approach to leadership changed after building his first company, why he now delegates far more intentionally, and how becoming a father of three reshaped the way he thinks about founder mode, work-life balance, and scaling teams. Finally, we discuss the hidden human cost of endometriosis, a condition affecting 10% of women globally that still takes an average of 10 years to diagnose.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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How Founders Need to Change as Their Startup Scales: Grape Founder Gregory Inauen (EP# 558)
May 700:43:10Tap to summarizeTimestamps:03:31 - Building Grape: From Tech to Insurance12:36 - Building Trust in Insurance26:53 - Scaling Leadership and Team Dynamics31:18 - Hiring for Long-Term SuccessThis episode is part of the Swisspreneur Scale-up Circle content, our curated community of Swiss Series A + founders and operators where you can get operator grade insight. Episode description:Gregory Inauen is the founder and co-CEO of Grape, a Swiss digital employee insurance company combining insurance, software, and preventive health services. Before founding Grape, Greg was deeply involved in the Swiss startup ecosystem through the ETH Entrepreneur Club, where he became immersed in the founder community early on.In this episode, Greg shares what founders underestimate about scaling a startup in Switzerland. We discuss why scaling is mostly an organizational challenge rather than a growth challenge, how founders need to evolve as the company grows, and why improving the organization becomes more important than simply working harder yourself. Greg also explains why Grape deliberately avoided positioning itself too strongly as a “startup,” how trust changes the way you build in regulated industries, and why disciplined hiring compounds over the long term.We also go deeper into the more nuanced side of company building: what it feels like when “everything breaks” during scale-up phases, how the co-CEO model works in practice at Grape, and why some of the company’s earliest employees chose to personally invest in the business. Greg reflects on building in industries where reliability matters more than hype, learning an entirely new sector from scratch, and what it takes to continuously reinvent yourself as a founder while the company scales.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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How to Thrive in the Swiss Startup Support Ecosystem: Pascal Stürchler, Wendy Jordan & Sam Dumelin (EP# 557)
Apr 2900:46:41Tap to summarizeTimestamps:6:38 - What makes Switzerland a unique environment for startups14:42 - Global best practices the Swiss startup world can adopt20:11 - How to network and approach VCs25:46 - The role of academic and research institutes in the Swiss startup ecosystem 28:41 - Top 3 tips for launching a startup in SwitzerlandThis episode was produced in collaboration with Startup Days, which took place on May 14th 2025.About Pascal Stürchler, Wendy Jordan and Sam Dumelin:Pascal Stürchler is the co-founder and CEO of Bloomhaus Ventures, a seed and early stage startup investor, as well as the President of Founders2, a growth program guided by top Silicon Valley coaches. Wendy Jordan is the Founder and COO of Encuentra24.com, the leading online classifieds platform in Central America, and founder of Fyiar Ventures, a private capital firm focused on tech scale-ups. Sam Dumelin is the co-founder of Novu Campus, a state-of-the-art coworking on-site campus in the heart of Zurich, and Novu Office, a full service provider for office refurbishing equipment. In this session we spoke about what makes the Swiss startup ecosystem unique, namely the presence of diverse and innovation-dense industries in close contact with each other, as well as the top quality higher education and legacy around innovation in Switzerland. We also discussed the best practices that can be implemented to level up the ecosystem, such as transitioning from a more specific to holistic approach in supporting early stage start-ups, the role of universities in promoting cross functional talent matchmaking, and how pitches are moving towards a more personal storytelling approach.We then heard the panelists share their insights on best practices for networking and reaching out to VCs in the Swiss context, as well as the how-to’s and value of validating a product before scaling-up, pivoting quickly, and leveraging the mentorship and support opportunities already in place for start-ups in Switzerland.The session ended with a Q&A with the audience, where our panelists shared tips on how to break into the large manufacturing space with limited capital and how to work with banks to secure debt funding.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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Why Startups Win Or Lose On People: Witena Partner Samuel Berger (EP #556)
Apr 2300:53:33Tap to summarizeTimestamps:9:49 - Challenges for Founders in Hiring20:26 - The Role of Boards in Startups38:52 - Incentivizing Management Teams49:00 - Celebrating Swiss Innovation and CompetitivenessEpisode Summary:Samuel Berguer is a Partner at Witena, an executive search firm with a dedicated focus on supervisory board and executive committee appointments. Before moving into executive search, he spent years working closely with growing companies in Switzerland, giving him a front-row seat to what actually drives success as companies scale - and where most of them get it wrong.In this episode, we break down why startups quickly become a people game, and how having the right people in the right roles at the right time separates companies that scale from those that stall. Samuel shares why founders should surround themselves with challengers, not supporters, and why decision-making, not consensus, is one of the most underrated leadership skills. We also dive into hiring mistakes founders repeatedly make, including why they tend to hold on to the wrong people for too long.We also explore the role of boards in Swiss startups: when to set one up, how to structure it, and why most early boards fail to add real value. Samuel explains why boards shouldn’t be filled with “fans,” but with people who bring experience, challenge assumptions, and evolve with the company. On a broader level, we discuss the Swiss startup ecosystem, from its strong technical foundations to its talent pipeline challenges, and what needs to change for Switzerland to build more globally competitive companies.If you’re building a startup and want to make better hiring, leadership, and board decisions early, this episode is a must listen.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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Why Swiss Startups Still Sell Too Early: Laurent Decrue & Sophie Lamparter (EP #555)
Apr 2000:50:58Tap to summarizeTimestamps:6:00 - Big Signals in the Swiss Ecosystem14:46 - US vs Europe - The IPO Landscape30:49 - Concentration and Kingmaking in Investments35:55 - The Role of Founder-Led FundsThis episode was co-produced with Swiss Startup Days, the leading Swiss deep-tech catalyst event for startups, investors, enablers, and corporates.Checkout Newcomers - the ultimate pitching format for pre-seed and seed startups in Switzerland. Applications open in December 2025.Episode Summary:In this Swisspreneur Briefing, Sophie Lamparter (Partner at VitaminºC) and Laurent Decrue (Co-founder & Co-CEO at Holycode) join us to break down the latest signals shaping the Swiss startup ecosystem. From a fresh $20M climate fund launch to major deep tech exits and IPO ambitions, we look at what’s really happening beneath the headlines - and whether Switzerland is finally entering a new phase of growth.We dive into three key themes. First, the tension between early exits and long-term ambition - and why Swiss startups still tend to sell before reaching global scale. Second, the growing gap between Europe and the US when it comes to capital markets, with companies choosing Nasdaq over local exchanges. And third, the rise of concentrated capital in venture, where a handful of funds are increasingly “making kings” and determining which startups get to win.Beyond the headlines, the conversation gets more nuanced. What does it mean for Switzerland if its best deep tech companies are acquired early? Is Europe structurally disadvantaged when it comes to scaling - or does it still have an edge in areas like robotics and physical AI? And how do cultural factors, risk appetite, and investor mindset shape the kinds of companies that get built here? This episode is a candid look at where the Swiss ecosystem stands today - and what still needs to change.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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How Switzerland Is Reinventing Life Sciences: François Capel & Loïc Roch (#554)
Apr 1500:34:53Tap to summarizeTimestamps:2:46 - Understanding Self-Driving Labs6:07 - Defining BioTools and Their Market14:49 - Building an Ecosystem for BioTools18:11 - Future Directions for Ateneri and InnovaudThis episode was co-produced with Innovaud, the innovation and investment promotion agency for the canton of Vaud. Check out https://www.innovaud.ch/en/ to learn more.Episode Summary:In this episode we’re joined by François Capel, Innovation Advisor at Innovaud, the innovation agency behind the canton of Vaud, who is leading the push to define and build a new category in life sciences: BioTools, positioning Switzerland as a hub for companies building tools for research, not just end products. With him is Loïc Roch, the co-founder and CTO of Atinary, a Swiss deep tech AI company building self-driving labs from Lausanne and Silicon Valley. By combining robotics, machine learning, and automated experimentation, Atinary is fundamentally changing how scientific discovery happens. In this episode, we unpack three key ideas. First, why the next wave of AI is moving beyond software into the physical world, automating entire R&D pipelines and accelerating discovery by up to 1000x. Second, how BioTool startups operate under a completely different business model than traditional biotech, avoiding regulation and enabling faster go-to-market, but facing new challenges in sales, pricing, and positioning. Third, how Atinary is building a data flywheel through self-driving labs, turning experimentation into a scalable, AI-driven process.We also go deeper into the nuances behind building in Switzerland. François shares why BioTools require a new category identity for investors, coaches, and founders to understand the opportunity, and how ecosystem coordination in places like Vaud can accelerate entire industries. Loïc reflects on the real bottleneck in deep tech, not technology, but change management, and what it takes to shift decades-old scientific workflows. And together, they highlight why Switzerland’s strength is not just in individual startups, but in building tightly connected ecosystems that can compete globally.The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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How 3 Friends Built a CHF 10M Plant Brand From their Kitchen: Feey Co-founder & CEO Sven Jakelj (#553)
Apr 1201:00:25Tap to summarizeTimestamps:6:02 - Founding Feey: The Birth of a Plant Brand18:11 - Building a Unique Brand Experience33:34 - Leveraging Logistics as a Strategic Advantage42:05 - Harnessing AI For Enhanced Operations Episode SummarySven Jakelj, Co-Founder and CEO of feey, went from cybersecurity to building Switzerland's category-defining plant brand — starting with zero knowledge about plants, a 5th floor apartment in St. Gallen, and a kitchen that doubled as a repotting station.In this Swisspreneur Documentary, we visit feey's headquarters and vertical farm to uncover how Sven, his brother Janko, and co-founder Severin built a CHF 10M business by rethinking everything about how plants are sold, shipped, and cared for.In this episode, you'll learn:🌱 Why a 2B+ CHF market had zero brands — and how feey spotted the gap📦 How they developed their own packaging and logistics to ship living products safely🏭 Why they built a vertical farm with no farming experience ("I didn't even know where to turn it on") ✍️ The handwritten card strategy that still scales today — for less than a paid ad click 💀 How 7,000 plants died weeks before their biggest product launch — and how they recovered🤖 How AI is transforming the way they learn, iterate, and grow faster than ever 📈 Their path from side hustle to CHF 10M revenue — and why retail could 10x the businessThe cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.Don’t forget to give us a follow on Instagram, Linkedin, TikTok, and Youtube 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.
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