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.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
How Founders Need to Change as Their Startup Scales: Grape Founder Gregory Inauen (EP# 558)
2w ago00:43:10Tap 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.
Transcribe →
How to Thrive in the Swiss Startup Support Ecosystem: Pascal Stürchler, Wendy Jordan & Sam Dumelin (EP# 557)
3w ago00:46:41Tap 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.
Transcribe →
Why Startups Win Or Lose On People: Witena Partner Samuel Berger (EP #556)
4w ago00:53:33Tap 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.
Transcribe →
Why Swiss Startups Still Sell Too Early: Laurent Decrue & Sophie Lamparter (EP #555)
4w ago00:50:58Tap 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.
Transcribe →
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.
Transcribe →
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.
Transcribe →
Build & Share Native Apps From Your Phone: Bloom Co-founder & CEO David Oort Alonso (#552)
Apr 200:49:10Tap to summarizeTimestamps:12:54 - The Y Combinator Journey16:24 - The Need for Solutions Like Bloom24:23 - Raising $3.4 million in three days 37:07 - The future of AI and software developmentCheck-out Bloom: https://bloom.diy/androidEpisode SummaryDavid Oort Alonso is the co-founder of Bloom, a mobile app builder that’s aiming to make your phone a creation device. Trained in aerospace engineering and robotics in ETH, David’s path into software started with tinkering, then spiraled into a bigger thesis: the friction in software creation is still keeping most people from shipping real products.In this episode, David shares why mobile is still fundamentally broken compared to web (hardware constraints, distribution, approvals, and iteration loops); how Bloom uses universal apps and a radically simpler sharing flow to get native apps onto real users’ phones in minutes; and the category race in “vibe coding” and why speed alone won’t win -reliability and retention will.We also go deeper into the founder journey: the mechanics behind getting into Y Combinator after five rejections, and raising $3.4M in five days without a pitch deck, and why building from Zurich can be strategically smarter than competing for the same talent pool in San Francisco.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.
Transcribe →
The $100M TechBio Built Without VCs: Cutiss Co-founder & CEO Daniela Marino (EP #551)
Mar 2600:57:45Tap to summarizeTimestamps: 10:22 - Navigating the Shift from Academia to Startup16:47 - Innovative Skin Tissue Therapy: The NovoSkin Product33:53 - Navigating Growth Challenges41:37 - Investment Journey and StrategiesThis 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 Summary:Daniela Marino is the co-founder and CEO of Cutiss, a Swiss late-stage tech bio company developing personalized skin tissue therapies for reconstructive surgery. With a background in biotechnology and years in academia, Daniela transitioned from research into entrepreneurship to bring a breakthrough innovation to patients. Today, Cutiss is advancing through clinical trials, working to turn regenerative science into real-world medical impact.In this episode, Daniela shares why cutting-edge scientific research often struggles to become companies, what it takes to transition from academia into building a startup, and how Cutiss scaled into a late-stage tech bio through an unconventional path - raising over CHF 100 million without relying on traditional venture capital. Daniela also shares insights on navigating the European regulatory landscape and why Switzerland can be a unique advantage for deep tech founders.Beyond the business, Daniela reflects on the personal reality of becoming a founder without prior startup experience, including learning the fundamentals while building the company in real time. She talks about the importance of resilience, surrounding yourself with the right people, and leading a growing team through uncertainty. The conversation also touches on the real-world impact of Cutiss’ work - including supporting patients with severe burns, such as victims of the recent Crans-Montana tragedy - and what it means to build a company with a deeply human mission.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.
Transcribe →
Inside Switzerland’s Startup Pipeline: Laurent Decrue & Sophie Lamparter (EP #550)
Mar 1600:51:38Tap to summarizeTimestamps:9:05 - Big March Funding Rounds24:13 - ETH Zurich Record Pipeline and Startup Ecossystem35: 22 - The Future of Robotics and Industrial Tech in Switzerland43:53 - Investment Strategies (Spray and Pray vs Focused Approach) This 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 March Swisspreneur Briefing, we go live with Sophie Lamparter (Founder & Managing Partner at VitaminºC) and Laurent Decrue (Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Holycode) to break down what’s moving and shaking in the Swiss startup ecosystem in the last month - from funding rounds and deep tech momentum to the structural challenges founders still face when trying to scale globally.The conversation explores three major themes shaping Switzerland’s startup landscape right now. First, why significant funding rounds are still happening in Switzerland despite the global AI hype, particularly in sectors like medtech, biosensing, and crypto. Second, the growing impact of ETH Zurich as a startup engine with their 2025 Ventures report, where they had record spin-offs, stronger investor interest, and improving conditions for founders commercializing research. And third, why robotics and industrial tech could become one of Switzerland’s most important breakout sectors in the coming years.Along the way, the discussion goes deeper into some of the structural questions behind the headlines: why Switzerland excels at inventing but often struggles to scale, why American investors still dominate late-stage rounds for Swiss startups, and how culture, risk appetite, and ecosystem incentives shape the kinds of companies that ultimately emerge. The episode also touches on the role of programs like Venture Kick, the growing international attention on Swiss deep tech, and what the ecosystem still needs to produce more global category leaders.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.
Transcribe →
How ETH Zurich Became a Startup Machine: Frank Floessel & Vanessa Wood (#549)
Mar 1100:49:58Tap to summarizeTimestamps:7:59 - ETHs Modernization in Supporting for Founders and Startups21:03 - Growth of Spin-offs and Startups at ETH29:52 Identifying Gaps in the Ecosystem35:43 Metrics for a Healthy EcossystemEpisode Description:In this episode we’re joined by Vanessa Wood, Vice President for Knowledge Transfer and Corporate Relations at ETH Zurich, and Frank Floessel, Head of ETH Entrepreneurship. Vanessa oversees how ETH connects its research with industry, government, and society, such as partnerships, intellectual property, and spin-offs. Frank brings the perspective of a founder and operator: after studying electrical engineering at ETH, he co-founded Tempobrain before returning to help shape the next generation of entrepreneurs at ETH.In the conversation, we explore how ETH is transforming its approach to entrepreneurship, making the spin-off process faster, clearer, and more founder-friendly. They also go into why deep tech could be Europe’s opportunity to compete globally again, with institutions like ETH producing the research and talent needed to build the next generation of companies. They then discuss the structural challenges still facing Europe - including the lack of late-stage liquidity and strong public markets compared to the U.S.We also dive into the founder mindset behind successful startups. Vanessa explains why great technology alone doesn’t build a great company - founders also need to understand customers, markets, and how to assemble teams that can turn research into real products. Frank shares his own journey from ETH student to founder and back to the university, highlighting how successful entrepreneurs often return to support the next generation. Together, they discuss how ecosystems like ETH grow stronger over time as experienced founders reinvest their knowledge, networks, and capital into future startupsThe 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.
Transcribe →