Swisspreneur Show
Swisspreneur
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.
- 32 minutes 4 secondsEP #541 - Stefan Weirich: Building AI-powered Robots
Timestamps:
9:03 - Challenges in AI and Robotics
17:55 - Mimics core customer segment
23:00 - The role of the ETH network
25:46 - The future vision for Mimic
Episode description:Stefan Weirich is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mimic, a deep tech startup building foundation AI models for robotic manipulation that enables robots to react, self-correct, and handle real-world variability beyond hard-coded trajectories. With a background spanning mechanical engineering, robotics R&D, and the startup ecosystem.
In this episode, we dive into founder-relevant themes at the heart of the Swiss innovation ecosystem: how ETH research de-risks deep tech, why data is the bottleneck in physical AI, and what it takes to build a company in robotics with real-world deployment constraints. Stefan also shares what’s changing in Zurich and how a rapidly maturing founder community with “San Francisco vibes.”
Beyond the technical story, Stefan goes deeper into the hard trade-offs: choosing specialization over “generalist” hype, building a go-to-market focus in manufacturing and logistics, and the operational reality that execution speed in hardware is limited by logistics, resources, and scaling talent. He also reflects on what Switzerland still needs to produce more global deep tech winners.
The cover portrait was edited bywww.smartportrait.io.
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22 January 2026, 7:24 am - 30 minutes 46 secondsEP #540 - Moritz Futscher: Batteries Thinner Than Hair - The Breakthrough Behind Solid-State Energy
Timestamps:
11:09 - Use-cases for BTRYs technology
15:57 - Challenges in scaling production
20:43 - The Swiss startup ecossystem
23:11 - Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
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 description
In this episode, we sit down with Moritz Futscher, CEO and Co-Founder of BTRY, a Swiss-based deep tech startup building ultra-thin solid-state batteries. After years in academic research in multiple countries, Moritz transitioned from the lab into entrepreneurship to bring battery technology out of research and into real-world applications. He holds a PhD in Physics from Universiteit van Amsterdam.
Moritz shares what it really takes to scale hardware startups in Switzerland, from navigating early incubators and public funding programs to raising capital during a difficult period for battery companies across Europe. We discuss the strengths and gaps of the Swiss startup ecosystem, why early-stage support is strong but scale-up infrastructure remains limited, and how partnerships with European, US, and Asian players are becoming essential for global competitiveness.
Mortiz also goes deeper into the realities of deep tech execution: finding the first real customer use cases, choosing scaling partners, managing complex manufacturing processes, and building a high-performance team culture focused on psychological safety, ownership, and empowerment. He also reflects on the personal leap from academia to startup life, balancing family and leadership, and what success really means when building physical technology that aims to enable entirely new applications.
The cover portrait was edited bywww.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.
18 January 2026, 3:17 pm - 40 minutes 51 secondsEP #539 - Christian Greis: Sidepreneurship that Solves 80% of Skin Cases Online
Timestamps:
7:30 - The problem that led Christian to found derma2go
13:27 - Creating a “win-win” hybrid model
20:08 - Building a two-sided marketplace
30:07 - Raising money with discipline
This episode is co-produced with Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency. Innosuisse supports SMEs, startups, research institutions and other Swiss organisations in their research and development activities. They offer a range of programmes to help you bring your innovative ideas to life. To explore their support offerings and find the right offer for your needs, visit their online guide and take the next step in your innovation journey.Episode description:
In this episode we speak to Christian Greis, a Dermatologist at University Hospital Zürich and the Founder behind derma2go, a Swiss digital dermatology platform built to help patients get expert skin assessments faster through online photo-based consultations. Christian shares how his path from clinical medicine into entrepreneurship was shaped by real-world demand, and how he built derma2Go while staying close to the medical frontline.
Christian speaks about how derma2go creates a win-win through hybrid care - solving 75–80% of cases online and routing the remainder in-house - and what it takes to shift patient behavior from long waiting lists to digital-first care. Christian also breaks down the realities of operating a two-sided platform in healthcare and why the company pivoted toward a B2B2C model by partnering with hospitals and clinics.
Christian also goes deeper into his founder journey: the trade-offs of solo founding, why sidepreneurship can be a strategic advantage in regulated markets, and what Christian learned from Innosuisse training and coaching. Finally, he shares a pragmatic view on fundraising and why it’s important to stay lean and raise only what you need.
The cover portrait was edited bywww.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.
14 January 2026, 6:34 pm - 36 minutes 4 secondsEP #538 - Panagiotis Martakis: Scaling Deep Tech in Switzerland Without Losing Focus
Timestamps:
7:06 - What Irmos does
16:13 - The information gap that Irmos is solving for
22:51 - Why Irmos delayed raising a large financing round
31:53 - What’s next for Irmos
This episode was co-produced with KickFund, a VC fund investing in the most promising Swiss deeptech startups.
Episode Summary:
In this episode we sit down with Panagiotis Martakis, Founder and CEO of Irmos Technologies, a Swiss startup using data-driven monitoring to protect and extend the lifetime of critical infrastructure. Trained as a civil engineer, Panos transitioned from traditional structural engineering into sensing, data, and predictive maintenance through research at ETH Zurich, where the foundations of Irmos were built.
Panos shares how his work in the critical infrastructure sector operates in slow-moving, highly regulated markets where trust, references, and execution matter more than speed. Panos shares why Irmos deliberately delayed raising a large funding round, how the Swiss startup ecosystem supports founders at early stages, and why focus is a decisive advantage when resources are limited.
Panos goes deeper into the realities of building a hardware and data-driven company: reducing uncertainty in engineering decisions, moving from gut-feeling inspections to measurable risk at portfolio level, and narrowing focus after an initial phase of experimentation. He reflects on fundraising timing, working with public-sector clients, learning from Founder networks, and the long-term vision of turning infrastructure monitoring into a scalable, data-powered standard.
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.
7 January 2026, 5:56 pm - 43 minutes 9 secondsEP #537 - Imad Abdallah: The One-Customer Rule for Hardware Founders
Timestamps:
10:01 - What RTDT does
21:03 - Creating a team and spinning-off from ETH
26:19 - Getting financing for Hardware
32:08 - The One-Customer rule
Episode summary:
In this episode, we sit down with Imad Abdallah, Co-Founder & CEO of RTDT, a spin-off from ETH Zurich developing one of the world’s first systems to measure real aerodynamic behavior directly on wind turbine blades. After studying engineering in Canada and Denmark, Imad moved to Switzerland for a postdoc at ETH where the core technology behind RTDT was born.
Imad shares what it really takes to build a hardware company in Switzerland: turning a research prototype into a manufacturable product, navigating regulation, and validating a solution for an industry where no benchmark data exists. Imad also shares how early programs like Venture Kick and Innosuisse helped sharpen their pitch - shifting from “technology that can do everything” to a clear value proposition for one specific market. He explains why the wind industry is concentrated, hard to access, but ultimately ideal for focused, high-impact innovation.
Imad offers an honest look behind the scenes of hardware entrepreneurship: spending months rewriting firmware, installing patches himself in the rain on 100-meter blades, and learning the importance of one customer, one use case, one application in the early days. He reflects on fundraising challenges founders face when developing hardware, the value of choosing partners who understand manufacturing, and the long-term vision of making RTDT the reference in deploying an interface between aerodynamic data and turbine control systems.
This episode was sponsored by infinity.swiss, Switzerland’s most advanced AI accounting tool. Save 25% by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.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.
17 December 2025, 6:46 pm - 54 minutes 15 secondsEP #536 - Marco Cerqui: Switzerland's #1 Grocery App - Built on Ads Users Actually Want
Timestamps:
11:36 - Learning from users and iterating the product
19:22 - Saying no to misaligned revenue and long-term thinking
25:05 - The hard moments (tough calls and running out of money)
40:10 - Life after the exit and letting go
Episode Summary:
Marco Cerqui is the co-founder and former CEO of Bring! - Switzerland's most widely used shared grocery shopping app. With a background in software engineering and product management, Marco and his co-founder Sandro built Bring! from a side project into a platform used across millions of households before being acquired by Swiss Post in 2021.
In this episode, Marco shares how Bring grew from a simple shared shopping list into a category-defining product with a loyal user base. He talks about early product validation, user-centric design, scaling a B2C company from Switzerland, and why simplicity beats feature expansion. Marco also explains how Bring shifted from a paid app to a highly contextual advertising model - without compromising the user experience.
Marco also opens up to the emotional and strategic milestone of exiting to Swiss Post, navigating setbacks along the way, and why stepping down as CEO was one of Marco’s proudest leadership moments. This is a candid, practical masterclass in long-term product thinking, timing, and resilience.
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.
11 December 2025, 6:43 am - 37 minutes 11 secondsEP #535 - David Eberle & Florian Emaury: Impact vs Profit maximizing when scaling-up in Switzerland
Timestamps:
7:30 - Impact vs profit maximizing
19:48 - The price of saying no to investors and customers
25:17 - How bootstrapping vs VC funding impact speed and focus
30:54 - Defining success: short global impact story vs sustainable and long-term growth
This episode was produced by Founders Hive, a community of successful startup founders, industry experts, and investors promoting entrepreneurship in Switzerland and helping early-stage business concepts get ready for seed-stage investment.
Founders Hive is a partner of the Entrepreneurship Training programme, empowered by Innosuisse, the Swiss innovation agency supporting SMEs, startups, research institutions and other Swiss organizations in their research and development activities. Click here to find out more about Founders Hive, empowered by Innosuisse.
Episode summary:
In this Opposing Views episode, we welcome David Eberle (INSEAD MBA), Co-Founder and CEO of Typewise, a YC-backed AI startup building autonomous customer service agents, and Florian Emaury (ETH PhD), Co-Founder and CEO of Menhir Photonics, a fully bootstrapped Swiss deep-tech company producing some of the most precise lasers in the world.
Together with Silvan, they unpack one of the most debated questions in the startup world: should you optimize for impact or profit? They explore how funding strategy shapes decisions, why margins (not industry) determine whether bootstrapping is viable, and how shifting from B2C keyboard app to B2B enterprise AI changed Typewise’s trajectory. They also discuss pricing discipline, ethical boundaries, pivots, and how Swiss founders approach growth compared to U.S. startup culture.
They also open up about navigating ethical red flags with investors, resisting tempting short-term revenue, and balancing ambition with a life worth living. Both founders reflect on what success means beyond valuations: sustainability, joy, quality, risk-taking, and building something that lasts. Whether you're building a deep-tech hardware company or scaling AI software, this episode challenges how you define success and what you're willing to trade for it.
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.
7 December 2025, 7:41 pm - 24 minutes 17 secondsEP #534 - Levent Künzi: How properti took over swiss real estate
Timestamps:
3:05 - From burning out from the 9-5 to becoming an entrepreneur
8:33 - Scaling properti to an industry leader in 5 years
14:00 - How Levent’s role shifted throughout properti’s growth
22:11 - What’s next for properti
This episode was sponsored by infinity.swiss, Switzerland’s most advanced AI accounting tool. Save 25% by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.
Episode Summary:
In our second Swisspreneur Documentary series we sit down with Levent Künzi, Co-Founder and CEO of properti, to explore his journey from burnout to building one of Switzerland’s fastest-growing proptech companies. What started as a frustration with outdated industry norms became a mission to simplify real estate, automate transactions, and create a platform-driven brokerage model built around efficiency and customer experience.
Throughout the episode, Levent opens up about the reality of scaling: How the solution isn’t necessarily increasing headcount, why you should hire slow (with a big focus on cultural fit and decide fast if they’re a match or not), and leveraging automations in the age of AI. He shares how properti reinvested early revenue, built a clear playbook, and shifted from a transaction focus to creating a full on platform to support every need.
We also dive into the mindset evolution behind going from founder-operator to scale-up CEO. Levent reflects on identity and personal sustainability: moving from hustle mode to strategic leadership, why scaling the company required him to first scale himself, and how he surrounds himself with the right board members and investors to help him through struggles and challenging decisions.
Whether you're bootstrapping, fundraising, or transitioning into scale-mode, Levent’s story offers grounded lessons, tactical frameworks, and radical honesty about what it takes to build a category-defining company in Switzerland (and beyond).
This video was produced by: DANGVIDEOS
Cover portrait by smartportrait.
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3 December 2025, 7:23 pm - 52 minutes 37 secondsEP #533 - Hans Tran & Chris Craig: Scaling Smarter - Lessons from Google & Uber
Timestamps:
2:23 - The story behind Google Clouds Founder Story
8:45 - Uber’s pre-IPO hypergrowth
25:19 - Is Switzerland Good at Adopting AI?
44:29 - How Swiss founders can expand into the US
This episode was sponsored by Google Cloud. Join their The Founder's Story event on December 4th to hear an exclusive panel discussion with visionary leaders sharing what it takes to go from building companies to funding them.
Episode Summary:
In this episode, Google Cloud leaders Hans Tran, Industry Lead for Digital Native Startups, and Chris Craig, ISV Partner Manager, share their insights from working with founders across Switzerland and globally. Hans is the creator of Google Cloud’s Founder Stories series and holds a Masters in Digital Marketing Strategy from Trinity College Dublin. Chris brings operational and scaling experience from his years at Uber during its pre-IPO hyper-growth phase and holds an MBA from HSG.
They discuss the current state of the Swiss startup ecosystem, from founder mindset and scaling patterns to the evolving fundraising climate. The conversation explores how Switzerland compares to major innovation hubs and what unique advantages founders can leverage: including deep tech talent, AI readiness, and a rapidly maturing support system.
The discussion also goes deep on cultural dynamics and how Swiss founders need to move faster, take risks earlier, and embrace iteration over perfection. Chris shares raw lessons from building at Uber, why focus determines survival, and why you need to stand for your ideas. Hans reflects on how community-driven founders are changing how startups launch, test, and scale in Switzerland.
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.
26 November 2025, 11:14 pm - 24 minutes 46 secondsEP #532 - Bea Knecht, Carla Bünger & Sandra Trittin: Why Aren’t There More Women in Tech?
Timestamps:
4:58 - Diversity in tech: challenges and opportunities
6:08 - Recruiting challenges in tech
13:00 - Supporting girls in STEM
This episode was sponsored by Google Cloud. Join their Founder's Story event on December 4th to hear an exclusive panel discussion with visionary leaders sharing what it takes to go from building companies to funding them. Link is in the bio! This episode was originally a live conversation recorded at the SEF.Growth Founders Conference back in June 2025.
Episode Summary:
Beat Knecht is the co-founder and CEO of the TV streaming provider Zattoo, and a general partner at the VC fund REALR. She also founded Genistat and Levuro. Bea holds a BA in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Carla Bünger is the co-founder of Phoenix Technologies, a tech cluster that drives the AI landscape through its sovereign hyper-secure IT infrastructure (kvant Cloud) and its SaaS solutions in frontier technologies. She also co-founded KORE Technologies Switzerland. Carla holds an MA in International Relations from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Sandra Trittin is the co-founder and CGO of beebop.ai, a power grid orchestration software which unlocks grid flexibility within consumer devices, turning it into a valuable, tradable asset. She also founded Futurize Energy. Sandra holds an MBA from Mannheim Business School.
During their chat with Silvan, our 3 guests discussed the current representation of women in tech in the Western world. Women are significantly underrepresented in tech, especially in leadership roles (e.g., only 22% of AI professionals in Switzerland are women). They face career obstacles such as stereotypes, biases, and societal filters that hinder their progress.
Diverse teams drive innovation, but the tech industry often overlooks this potential. To improve gender representation, proactive efforts are needed, including:
Encouraging risk-taking (critical for startups and leadership).
Building support systems (mentorship, peer networks).
Fostering STEM environments for girls to ensure future diversity.
Addressing unconscious biases in hiring and promotions.
Ultimately, empowering women in tech requires systemic change, from education to workplace culture, to unlock their full potential and drive long-term progress.
📸 The cover portrait was edited by @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.
20 November 2025, 8:48 am - 43 minutes 4 secondsEP #531 - Thomas Dübendorfer & Paulina Grnarova: A Founder’s & Investor’s Perspective On How AI Will Change Legal Tech
Timestamps:
3:30 - Identifying a market gap in legal tech
10:06 - What is “smart money” after all?
16:22 - How do you go from researcher to CEO?
25:55 - The biggest risk for every scaleup
36:20 - Is Switzerland a hotbed for AI?
This episode was co-produced by SICTIC, the leading angel investor network in Switzerland.
This episode was sponsored by Relai. Get started with Bitcoin by downloading the Relai app today, and profit from 10% less fees by entering code SWISSPRENEUR at checkout.
(Disclaimer: Relai services are exclusively recommended for Swiss and Italian residents.)
Click here to order your copy of “Swiss Startups” today.
Episode Description:
Thomas Dübendorfer is the founder and president of SICTIC, the leading angel investor network in Switzerland. He’s also a cybersecurity expert and serial entrepreneur, holding board seats at Frontify and several other startups.
Paulina Grnarova is the co-founder and CEO of DeepJudge, an AI-powered knowledge search for legal professionals. She holds a PhD in Computer Science from ETH, and started her company in 2021, directly after completing her studies.
Founded by ex-Google search engineers and legaltech veterans, DeepJudge reimagines how firms access and use their internal knowledge, unlocking the full breadth of data and depth of documents to improve all areas of a lawyer’s business. It enables you to build entire AI applications, encapsulate multi-step workflows, and implement LLM agents.
SICTIC is one of DeepJudge’s investors. During his chat with Merle and Paulina, SICTIC president Thomas Dübendorfer shared how he assesses startup teams:
Does the founder really understand what the journey of a startup is?
Can the startup team evolve to meet changing demands?
Does the team believe what they’re selling?
Are they aware that they’ll have to overcome several difficulties in the coming years?
Are they all moving in the same direction, working to achieve the same mission?
Thomas also takes care to assess companies from an ethical standpoint, especially when the tech has dual use. For instance, drones can be used for rescue missions or to bring food or medicine, but they can also be used to transport weapons. In cases like these, it’s crucial to confront the founders with the most problematic possibilities upfront.
Thomas is confident in Switzerland’s AI future: all the experts are here, across a very broad range of industries, and, when it comes to AI specifically, Switzerland can already count on several research institutions making great strides - like the ETH AI Center, the Swiss National Institute, and the Swiss National SuperComputing Center.
The cover portrait was edited by Smartportrait.
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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