Podcast Summary: The Entrepreneurs — "Is solar jet fuel ready for takeoff? Why Swiss and Zürich Airport are turning to sun power"

Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Tom Edwards, Monocle

Episode Overview

This episode of The Entrepreneurs explores two innovative Swiss ventures: Sinhelion, a startup harnessing solar energy to create sustainable jet fuel, and Zurich’s trailblazing Christmas markets led by creative entrepreneur Katja Weber. The program delves into how solar fuels might revolutionize aviation without overhauling existing infrastructure and unpacks how tradition-driven events can be adapted for new cities while upholding a unique local identity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sun-Driven Fuels: Sinhelion’s Vision for Aviation and Beyond

Guest: Dr. Gianluca Ambrosetti, physicist, co-founder & co-CEO, Sinhelion

Early Inspiration and Company Founding

• Gianluca’s background in high-temperature solar led him to ETH Zürich’s lab, where solar-made fuels first “got under my skin” ([02:05]).
• Initial skepticism (“my sister saying my brother is transforming water into gasoline”) turned into conviction as the market matured ([02:54]).
• Sinhelion founded in 2016 with a mission to scale solar fuel technology from lab to market.

Core Technological Advantage

• Solar fuels are chemically identical to fossil fuels, allowing use in existing vehicles and infrastructure ([03:44]).
• Quote:

  "We can make fuels green. We don't need to change the whole infrastructure… trillions and trillions have been invested could be reused seamlessly."
  — Gianluca Ambrosetti, [04:20]

• Main innovation: Reversing combustion using solar energy, specifically high-temperature concentrated solar power, to convert CO₂ and water back into liquid fuels ([05:46]).

Carbon Impact & Feasibility

• Solar fuel production can reduce emissions by 80–90%, approaching true carbon circularity ([07:41]).
• Quote:

  "The carbon that is emitted when the fuel is burned is the same carbon that it is picked up somewhere else and put back in the process. So the process per se could be neutral."
  — Gianluca Ambrosetti, [07:41]

• Lifecycle analysis essential: Account for plant construction and grid backup emissions.

Importance of Partnerships

• Collaborations with Swiss Airlines (Lufthansa), Zurich Airport, and automotive partner AMAG accelerate commercialization and signal demand ([09:21]).
• Pioneering customers needed for scaling and investment confidence.

Seamless Integration with Vehicles

• Sinhelion’s solar fuels power an iconic 1985 Audi Quattro, chosen to demonstrate compatibility with classic ICE vehicles ([11:24]).
• Emphasizes complementarity: Not a replacement for electrification, but a solution for the existing global ICE fleet.

Building and Leading Teams Internally

• Company likened to a “musical band,” requiring chemistry, curiosity, inner drive, and humility ([13:20]).
• Quote:

  "A company is like a musical band… the sum of the individuals is more than the sum of the individual."
  — Gianluca Ambrosetti, [13:20]

What Drives the Future?

• Gianluca is most excited about scaling up plants for real-world impact ([16:03]).
• Technology is ready; the challenge now: "We need to scale. And this is really like seeing the next steps become reality." ([17:14])
• Not a winner-takes-all race; multiple technologies can and must scale for the sector's transformation.

2. Zurich’s Christmas Markets: Tradition, Innovation, and Expansion

Guest: Katja Weber, co-founder and creative force behind Zurich's Christmas markets

The Spark: Why Zurich Needed Christmas Markets

• Katja, originally from Germany’s French border, was struck by Zurich’s lack of traditional Christmas markets ([18:43]).
• Persistent vision over 10+ years led to Zurich’s now-cherished Bellevue market, celebrating its tenth anniversary ([18:43]).

Inspiration and Growth

• Guided by values of community, sharing, and celebrating ([20:45]).
• Input from Monocle’s Tyler Brûlé during inception; supportive creative exchanges ([18:43]).
• Expansion has led to markets in Lucerne, Geneva, Paris, with adaptation to each city’s unique festive spirit ([21:14]).

Tailoring to Place While Retaining Identity

• Each market customized to local culture and geography—Zurich, Lucerne (“more cartoony, traditional characters”), Geneva (lakeside, airy grandeur), Paris (huge fountain center) ([21:14]).
• Approach: Partner closely with local stakeholders to discern “the sparkle of Christmas” for each city ([21:14]).
• Essential to be both “recognizably the same, but…very, very different.” ([23:16])

The Challenge and Joy of Seasonal Reinvention

• Migratory, transient nature: Every year teams must reconnect, sometimes in new locations, to maintain magic, logistics, and sustainability ([23:39]).
• Recent years brought obstacles: pandemic, energy concerns, talent recruitment ([23:39]).

Looking Forward

• Focus shifting from grand novelty to deepening and improving the experience (“going into the deepness and into details”) ([23:39]).
• Goal: offer both “stability” and gentle, progressive change amid turbulent times.

Memorable Market “Wowishness”

• Each market has its unique “smell… flavor… uniqueness” ([27:03]).
• Highlights: Geneva’s lakeside fondue chalet (“huge windows…lake just one meter beside you”), festive stalls, Paris’ new site, Zurich’s Illuminarium light show ([27:03]).
• Quote:

  "My recommendation for this year is of course go to Paris… But my one of my favorites… is Geneva… you are sitting in the Fond de Chalet and you have those huge windows and you can see the lake just one meter beside you…"
  — Katja Weber, [27:03]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “We can make fuels green. We don't need to change the whole infrastructure… trillions and trillions have been invested could be reused seamlessly.”
  Gianluca Ambrosetti, [04:20]

• “The carbon that is emitted when the fuel is burned is the same carbon that it is picked up somewhere else and put back in the process.”
  Gianluca Ambrosetti, [07:41]

• “A company is like a musical band… the sum of the individuals is more than the sum of the individual.”
  Gianluca Ambrosetti, [13:20]

• “We need to understand from our partners what is the sparkle of Christmas or festive season for them.”
  Katja Weber, [21:14]

• “My recommendation for this year is of course go to Paris… But my one of my favorites… is Geneva… you are sitting in the Fond de Chalet and you have those huge windows and you can see the lake just one meter beside you…”
  Katja Weber, [27:03]

Noteworthy Segments & Timestamps

• Sinhelion's Founding Story and Solar Fuel Basics: [02:05] – [07:18]
• Partnerships and Commercial Scale: [09:21] – [10:56]
• Iconic Audi Quattro Solar Fuel Demo: [11:15] – [12:49]
• Hiring and Company Culture: [13:20] – [15:02]
• Scaling Solar Fuel Tech – Future Vision: [16:03] – [17:36]
• Zurich Christmas Market Origins & Expansion: [18:43] – [21:14]
• Local Adaptation & Creative Process: [21:14] – [23:16]
• Obstacles, Challenges, and Deepening the Tradition: [23:39] – [26:23]
• Creating Wowishness – Memorable Market Moments: [27:03]

Final Thoughts

This episode is a testament to Swiss ingenuity in both deep tech and community-building. Sinhelion’s progress on solar-made fuel offers tangible hope for decarbonizing aviation without upending existing systems. Meanwhile, Zurich’s evolving Christmas markets exemplify how honoring local identity while embracing new partnerships and challenges can yield evermore meaningful collective experiences.