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Learn How mitipi Protects Your Home While You Are Away: Meet ‘Kevin’/ Episode 110
Cédric visited the Technopark and talked to Julian Stylianou, co-founder at mitipi. He gave us a firsthand view of ‘Kevin’, his impressions of CES 2018 and his experience with entrepreneurship.
Julian Stylianou is one of the four co-founders at Swiss startup mitipi. Stylianou obtained his master’s degree in Marketing Management at Zürich University of Applied Science and he also co-founded ZHAW Entrepreneurs club there. The club is now the main gathering point of aspiring student entrepreneurs, providing them with valuable information and networking opportunities. With the international professional experience, gained in both Ireland and China, Stylianou has been running his own venture mitipi for a year and a half.
mitipi works on creating a successful burglary prevention system. To increase your home's protection, they conducted thorough market research and came up with ‘Kevin’. ‘He’ is your virtual roommate that simulates a human's everyday activities at home while you are away.
Website: http://mitipi.com/
Watch the video to find out more about CES 2018, product development, home protection and a lot more.
Don’t miss the opportunity to meet ‘Kevin’, watch the show!
Skip to Questions:
0:50 Who is Julian Stylianou?
1:48 What startups have come out from the ZHAW Entrepreneurs club you founded?
3:14 What are your impressions from CES 2018?
4:25 What is mitipi and who's ‘Kevin’?
6:43 Where do you stand with the development of your product?
7:53 Do you plan to integrate mitipi with other smart home technologies?
8:48 Will your product be able to reduce the number of burglaries and will it affect the price of home insurance?
10:11 Investor question: How do you pick your teammates and what makes your team the A team?
11:40 Why did you choose crowdfunding and not ‘conventional’ VC funding?
13:12 What do you see as a strength of the Swiss startup ecosystem and is there anything that could be improved?
The Audience Asks
14:29 Can you give us some insight into the company’s name? And how did you come up with ‘Kevin’?
Quick Fire Q&A
16:03 Finish the sentence: My biggest mistake as a startup...?
16:13 Your best tip to get an investor?
16:25 How did you get your first paying client, if you have one?
16:58 Most important characteristic of a team member?
17:10 What messaging platform does your team use to communicate efficiently?
Expert Advice
17:42 Expert advice from Julian Stylianou
Ep. 110: Interview with Cédric Bollag, the Founder at GlobalTechBox
——————————————
Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.
Connect with me on other social media channels:
Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):
Email: cedric@globaltechbox.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...
GlobalTechBox.com:
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146. Electric aircrafts - our reality: Dufour Aero / Episode 146
21:58||Season 2, Ep. 146Staying in the topic of transportation, welcome to this episode where Thomas Pfammatter, the co-founder at Dufour Aero, shares his experience in aviation, entrepreneurship, and why not to procrastinate with your ideas. The transportation system worldwide is developing and transforming rapidly, and Dufour Aero could be the next big advancement.Thomas Pfammatter is a helicopter pilot and an experienced entrepreneur. After 30 years of professional helicopter flying, he decided to build the first electric aircraft with his partners. This triggered the project of a vertical take-off and landing electric-based aircraft. Seeing how great it flies and how advanced electric propulsion can be for aviation, they designed this new aircraft as a sort of combination of an airplane and a helicopter.The team behind Dufour Aero has built an aircraft that is not only able to take off and land vertically, but also flies with speed and stays safe, ecological, and cost friendly at the same time. This aircraft is intended to be used as a new mode of transportation at a cost that would be affordable for everyone.Website: https://dufour.aero/Watch the video to find out more about the Swiss ecosystem in the area of aerodynamics, similarities between a pilot and an entrepreneur, and about the current trends in the aviation industry.Watch the previous episode: Raphael Gindrat - BestmileIn the upcoming show: François Briod - Monito Skip to Questions:00:59 Who is Thomas Pfammatter?01:25 Having been a pilot, what triggered the idea for Dufour Aero?02:27 What previous experience helped your entrepreneurial activities?03:00 What are the similarities between being a pilot and an entrepreneur?03:26 What is your focus as an investor?03:48 What is Dufour Aero?04:33 Who is this plane meant for and who can fly this?05:46 Looking at the specs of your aircraft, what are the possibilities?06:23 What is the selling price range?07:00 What are your developmental goals in terms of getting the first aircrafts out on the market?08:00 When would you like to have it launched? Is there a date?08:30 When talking to potential customers, what are the risks they are seeing?09:19 Focusing on the technological side, how do you prevent engine failure for example?10:12 How do regulations need to be altered in order for your aircrafts to go into streamlining the process of selling?11:05 What is your target customer?12:04 What did your founding process look like?13:44 Where do you see the current trends going in the aviation industry?14:39 What do you think about autonomous flying?15:40 Looking 20 years down the line, where do you see yourself in the aviation space?16:10 How helpful is it to work closely with academia?17:22 How do you see the local startup ecosystem?18:26 How do you fund raise?Quick Fire Q&A19:24 How do you keep your productivity high?19:37 How do you foster a positive company culture?19:52 What is your biggest mistake as an entrepreneur?20:23 How do you keep a balanced life?20:40 Who is your role model?Expert Advice21:03 Expert advice from Thomas Pfammatter——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!145. Cloud-based transportation solution for any vehicle: Bestmile / Episode 145
19:14||Season 2, Ep. 145Looking for answers regarding autonomous driving, transportation solutions in Switzerland, and how to choose your investor, Cédric interviews Raphael Gindrat, CEO and co-founder at Bestmile. This inspiring episode shares more insight into how one transportation solution can be versatile enough to be applicable to any transportation vehicle in existence.Raphael Gindrat, the executive leader of the company, studied civil engineering, mobility, and transportation at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland. With this educational background, Bestmile was bound to succeed in his career, and it is no surprise that the company he co-founded has come up with the solution for all transportation companies worldwide.Bestmile provides a cloud-based solution designed to connect, manage, and optimize any vehicle. Though it is not a transportation company itself, it has developed an operating system that greatly benefits companies dealing in transportation. Initially, Bestmile mainly focused on autonomous cars, but later expanded its scope to include human drivers, as well. The company groups its target customers into four different transportation categories and Bestmile helps manage the mobility service of each one. Website: https://bestmile.com/By using Bestmile’s tool, transportation companies can run any type of fleet or autonomous vehicle. To find out more on when this type of driving is going to become accessible, why Bestmile has the solution for any large-scale transportation company, and how the company chooses its partners and investors, make sure you watch this episode!Watch the previous episode: Zhenzhong Su - FixpositionIn the upcoming show: Thomas Pfammatter - Dufour Aero Skip to Questions:00:37 Who is Raphael Gindrat?01:29 What is Bestmile?3:14 Who are your customers and how do they use your solution?04:45 What are Bestmile’s competitors in the market?06:27 Where are the biggest challenges for Bestmile in the coming years?07:25 Have you ever considered building your own cars?08:16 What is your prediction for the next five to ten years? What could hold you back or push you forward?09:47 When do you estimate autonomous driving becoming a reality?11:14 What is the Swiss ecosystem like in this field?12:30 What is it like doing business in Lausanne?13:19 Where do you see Bestmile in the next five to ten years?Quick Fire Q&A14:17 How do you achieve and maintain a balanced life?14:40 How do you keep focused?15:00 What is most important to you in an investor?15:27 What is the best tip for getting an investor?16:02 What was your most memorable startup moment as an entrepreneur?Expert Advice17:12 Expert advice from Raphael Gindrat——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!144. The high precision solution for your device: Fixposition / Episode 144
17:55||Season 2, Ep. 144This Monday, we take you to the Entrepreneurship Labs of ETH Zürich where Cédric talked to the CEO and co-founder of Fixposition, Zhenzhong Su. Beside talking about Fixposition and self-localization technology, he talks about his take on the Swiss startup ecosystem, gives his perspective of China’s ecosystem, and shares why he ended up choosing to work and live in Switzerland.Originally from China, Zhenzhong Su was involved in establishing a drone startup. His passion for learning brought him to ETH, where he recieved his Ph.D. in Geomatics Engineering with research focused on low-cost, high-precision, real-time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning. During his studies, Zhenzhong Su had an idea he thought was worth commercializing. While conducting his research, Su met three other co-founders through the Pioneer Fellowship and Fixposition was born.Fixposition makes high-precision positioning systems based on satellite navigation. This technology offers centimeter accuracy even in an obstructed environment. Fixposition’s algorithms can serve self-driving cars, drones, and even robotics. Application varies from agriculture to a drone light show.In addition, if you are interested in hearing more on the comparison of Swiss and Chinese ecosystems, finding the passion for what you do and fostering it, make sure you watch this episode!Website: https://www.fixposition.ch/Watch the previous episode: Reto Lämmler - TestingTimeIn the upcoming show: Raphael Gindrat - Bestmile Skip to Questions:1:09 Who is Zhenzhong Su?2:09 What is the Chinese startup ecosystem like?3:19 When did you decide to come to Europe?4:03 What made you decide to start the Pioneer Fellowship at ETH?5:09 How would you describe the support you got from ETH?6:10 What is Fixposition?6:42 Where do you stand with development of your startup?7:29 What are some use cases for the Fixposition products?8:24 What are your future plans?8:56 What is the next step we need to take in order to take precision mapping to the next level?9:50 What would be a practical example of sensors application impacting the world in the field of agriculture?11:10 Is there any other application besides agriculture which you can share?11:54 What was your experience with “Venture Leaders 2018” like and how did that impact your business?12:54 What are the differences between Switzerland and China in terms of business?14:13 How do you perceive the Swiss startup ecosystem?Quick Fire Q&A15:56 What do you consider success in life?16:05 What is your biggest mistake as an entrepreneur?16:16 How do you keep focused?16:24 How do you foster a positive company culture?16:45 How do you make sure you are a good leader?Expert Advice16:58 Expert advice from Zhenzhong Su——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!143. Get your prototypes tested: It’s TestingTime / Episode 143
20:43||Season 2, Ep. 143Welcome to this exciting first episode of 2019 with one of Zürich’s well-established startups. In this episode, Cédric hosts Reto Lämmler, the CEO and co-founder at TestingTime, to find out more about how TestingTime works. In order to understand what the end users like or dislike about your product, studies need to be conducted. Watch the episode to find out how easily they can be done.Reto originally studied computer science and has had a lot of experience with startups. After he moved to San Francisco and worked in Silicon Valley for five years, Reto came back to Zürich to work at Doodle as a product manager. That was a great success story which inspired him to found his own company, TestingTime. TestingTime is a test user recruiting service which helps your business discover what your customers love about your product. You can get your prototypes tested with their help as they cut down on the time you spend looking for potential users to try. TestingTime recruits people who represent your target audience to review your product, and handle the entire testing process from start to finish, saving you time. Website: https://www.testingtime.com/en/Watch the video to find out more on the trends in the market research vertical, when the right moment to use your tool is and what organizational challenges you can expect when starting your business.Watch the previous episode: Lars Tvede - Nordic EyeIn the upcoming show: Zhenzhong Su - Fixposition Skip to Questions:0:58 Who is Reto Lämmler?2:55 How did you evolve from being a product guy at Doodle to being an entrepreneur?3:45 One of the earliest things you developed was an app - what was the Memory Training App about?5:47 Can you give us a short pitch of what TestingTime is all about?6:59 What is your business plan behind it?7:18 When you build the market place there’s always the chicken and egg issue. What did you do and what was the solution for your problem?8:44 How do you see the difference between a regular investor, a private investor, and VC and Investiere?10:43 When you look at the trends in the market research vertical, when is the right moment to use your tool and what is your vision in the next ten to fifteen years? 13:07 What were your findings and how did you deal with organizational challenges?14:55 What can be improved in the Zürich startup ecosystem and what are your impressions?Quick Fire Q&A16:33 How do you make sure you are a good leader?16:55 What’s your most memorable startup moment?17:18 How do you achieve and maintain a balanced life?17:33 How do you keep your productivity high?18:12 What do you consider success in life?Expert Advice19.18 Expert advice from Reto Lämmler——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!142. Tech, Lifestyle and The Power of Youth: Nordic Eye is A Unique Fund /Episode 142
28:05||Season 2, Ep. 142Today, we are thrilled to share an interview with another successful and super inspiring venture capitalist. Cédric visited Crypto Valley in Zug in order to meet with Lars Tvede, an investor at Nordic Eye. Watch the video to learn how our guest got to meet royal families, about his book “Entrepreneur,” and a lot more!As an engineer and economist, Lars Tvede has gained experience in several different (but still related) industries during his career. The first professional steps he made were in marketing. He then expanded his interests to finance and spent part of his career in investment banking and as a hedge fund manager. Two years ago, he co-founded a venture capital fund and he says it’s the most fun thing he has ever done! Tvede has also written 15 books so far, and this interview was the perfect opportunity to ask him about the latest one: “Entrepreneur”.Nordic Eye is a venture capital fund that is mostly focused on the early-stage companies from the technology sector and, unlike the majority of funds, they also invest in lifestyle companies. The team behind Nordic Eye values the potential of young people and the ideas coming from them. That’s why they have special advisory boards within their fund, consisting of students with outstanding backgrounds. Website https://nordiceye.com/ Watch the video to find out what else differentiates Nordic Eye from all the other venture capital funds and what kind of companies are they looking for!Watch the previous episode: Phil Lojacono - AdvanonIn the upcoming show: Reto Lämmler - TestingTimeSkip to Questions:1:05 Who is Lars Tvede?1:48 What is your connection to royal families?3:14 You refer to Verbier, Switzerland as “Little Scandinavia.” Why? 4:24 You wrote 15 books so far! What’s your latest book about? 5:31 How did you become a venture capitalist?8:34 What kind of companies are you looking for?9:48 What makes your VC unique? (youth boards) 11:28 What does recruiting for the youth board practically looks like?12:48 The sales accelerator?14:54 What do you see as “Super Trends”/”Mega Trends”?18:38 What impact will the economy have on the startup ecosystem?20:06 What do you think about luck as a factor determining success in business?21:58 Most influential person in your life?23:00 What’s the difference between Swiss startup ecosystem and the one in Nordics? Denmark?Quick Fire Q&A24:05 How do you achieve & maintain a balanced life?24:46 How do you keep focus?25:15 How do you foster positive company culture?25:47 What is “success in life” for you?26:16 As an investor, what is your best tip to startups for getting an investor on board?Expert Advice 26:49 Expert Advice from Lars Tvede——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!141. Financing Invoices: Advanon Will Help Your SMEs Get Paid /Episode 141
30:41||Season 2, Ep. 141This week, we were curious to learn more about the latest fintech innovation and what it’s like to work for the world’s leading employer, Google. To find out about it first hand, Cédric met with Phil Lojacono, Founder & CEO of Advanon. With a background in Finance and Banking, Phil Lojacono built an interesting career, switching from a corporate job to a startup. Lojacono studied in Luzern but gained international academic experience by spending the two exchange semesters in London, England and Edmonton, Canada. Soon after, he got the opportunity to work for Google as an intern on the business development side, which Lojacono described it as “an amazing experience.” That’s where he got inspired to start his own company and where he met his co-founders. The team behind Advanon identified a major issue that many SMEs are dealing with. Once they deliver their products or services, they often have to wait for three to four months in order to get paid. To bridge the long payment terms of SMEs, Advanon developed a platform that enables SMEs to sell invoices to financial investors. That way, SMEs get the chance to improve their cash balance, while investors can experience a sort of short-term investment.Website https://www.advanon.ch/Apart from trying to answer everlasting questions like how to get started and how to build a successful team, we also tackled some very interesting financial topics in this video. Press play to learn what the future holds for lending money as well as why it's important for a business to have liquidity. Watch the previous episode: Dani Gutenberg - VI PartnersIn the upcoming show: Lars Tvede – Nordic EyeSkip to Questions:1:08 Who is Phil Lojacono?2:05 Corporate, Google, then Advanon? What are the differences?3:40 What is Advanon? Vision? Why?4:34 Walk me through the process - customer journey? Business model?5:54 What does that look like from the investor perspective?7:08 How did you come up with the idea?8:44 Where do you see the future of lending money? 9:58 What are the biggest reasons why companies need liquidity?11:09 Dani Gutenberg called you “The Best CEO & Startup in Switzerland” - why?12:40 How did you get your first clients? Door to door? Practically speaking, what did you do?14:26 How does “unlimited vacation” work?17:03 What was the interesting thing that you learned about PR?18:06 How do you deal with the scandal? What were your learnings?22:24 You started as a team of three founders and then had to separate from one of them in a painful process. Key learnings from that?23:51 Beat Buehlmann, your Innosuisse coach and former board member: How was your experience there? 25:21 How is the startup ecosystem in Switzerland? Especially the investor landscape?Quick Fire Q&A27:15 What’s your biggest regret?27:25 What is “success in life” for you?27:53 How are you making sure to be a good leader?28:25 How do you achieve a work-life balance?Expert Advice29:04 Expert Advice from Phil Lojacono?——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!140. Turn Your Idea into a Unicorn with VI Partners /Episode 140
22:13||Season 2, Ep. 140It’s been a while since we had an investor story on the #StartupShow. We recently had the pleasure of hosting Dani Gutenberg, the Early Stage Angel Investor at VI Partners - and let me tell you, it was worth the wait. If you are curious to learn about his early investment in Facebook 11 years ago and how he recognized its potential, don’t miss the super inspiring interview below!Coming from the world of engineering, Dani Gutenberg began investing in startups in the mid-‘90s. At the very beginning of his career, he started a company that distributed products and services from the USA to Europe. Most of them took part in building the internet as we know it today, such as NetScape and AltaVista. For the past 15 years, Gutenberg has been supporting startups as an early stage investor at VI Partners AG. He still enjoys working with very young, innovative, and energetic people.VI Partners gathers 10 large Swiss investors around the idea of providing the seed stage companies with capital, coaching and networks. They mostly invest in Swiss startups and collaborate closely with ETH in Zurich. Regarding their industries of interest, the main focus of VI Partners is in two fields: healthcare and technology. Watch the video to hear Gutenberg’s main criteria when selecting startups.Website: https://vipartners.ch/ In this episode, Gutenberg also tells the story of the biggest mistake he made as an investor, the importance of industry expertise and why you, in particular, should be building a unicorn.Watch the previous episode: Adrian Walker – BoataffairIn the upcoming show: Phil Lojacono – AdvanonSkip to Questions:1:01 Who is Dani Gutenberg?1:50 What did your early days in Hawaii look like?3:26 How do you handle the feeling of taking the risk and starting a business by yourself?5:18 What’s VI partners? Where is your focus? Stage? 6:41 How did you discover Facebook in December 2017? What was the indicator for success back then?9:11 How do you deal with a negative feedback?10:07 What excites you the most about the investment process?10:44 How do you cope with “the importance of industry experts” - why is this important during the investment process? 11:15 You are both a private investor and a board member of vipartners. How do you distinguish between those two? 12:24 How do you allocate the time you dedicate to different types of startups?13:29 What’s the feeling of fulfilling a goal with a startup and having to let them go after all?14:50 What trends do you see in the VC industry?16:05 What are the industry verticals (or startups) that are going to be big in the next 10 to 15 years?18:07 What makes the local VC/Startup ecosystem so unique? Quick Fire Q&A18:34 What’s your best valuation method for early-stage startups?19:35 What are some tips for balancing work and life?19:54 What’s your best advice for starting a VC/raising a fund?20:14 My biggest mistake as a VC was…20:41 Who is your role model in the VC world?Expert Advice21:24 Expert Advice from Dani Gutenberg——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!139. The Most Authentic Experience on the Water: Boataffair /Episode 139
27:19||Season 2, Ep. 139Let’s stop for a minute and think about how important is it to disconnect every now and then and to recharge our “batteries.” Don’t worry, as usual, we will talk about business and entrepreneurship, but we will also talk about the importance of going offline. To find out about disconnecting on the water, Cedric met with Adrian Walker, a boating expert and CEO & Co-Founder of Boataffair.Adrian Walker has a very exciting international background. Half Swiss, half British, he grew up in Switzerland where he studied Economics and Finance. In the first years of his career, he worked as a Certified Accountant. Soon after realizing that there is so much more to be discovered, Walker followed his curiosity and travelled the world. He spent some time working in the tourism industry, living in Spain and Mexico. He earned his MBA at the Imperial College in London, which brought Walker to England. During his studies, he got in touch with many inspiring entrepreneurs. Combining work with his passion for boats and his dream of starting his own business, Boataffair was born.The aim of Boataffair is to provide their clients with an authentic experience on the water by enabling boat owners to share their boats with guests. Boataffair offers boat rentals for a flexible amount of days with various requests, from a romantic getaway to a team building event. Another important mission of the team behind Boataffair is bringing transparency to the boat chartering market. Watch the video below to find out what they have in mind!Website https://www.boataffair.com/In this episode, we explore how important is to stay authentic and true to yourself, what could be the best selling strategy and a lot more!Watch the previous episode: Manuel Hug - SoFlowIn the upcoming show: Daniel Gutenberg – VI PartnersSkip to Questions: 1:12 Who is Adrian Walker?4:04 How come you switched sides from investment to entrepreneur? 5:46 What does Boataffair do? What’s your vision?8:16 Where do you currently stand with the development? User? Boats?9:51 What were the first steps of your startup?14:31 How was it for you to have to think outside of Switzerland from day one?16:40 What is your vision for Boataffair?18:29 How do you perceive the local ecosystem? Quick Fire Q&A20:22 What are some tips for balancing work and life?21:04 The most important character trait in an entrepreneur is…?21:49 What traits do you look for when you hire someone?23:10 What is your best selling strategy?24:02 Who is your role model?Expert Advice24:56 Expert Advice from Adrian Walker——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!138. The New Transportation Revolution: Meet SoFlow /Episode 138
18:31||Season 2, Ep. 138Curious to learn about the latest innovations in urban transportation? We were too! That’s why Cédric conducted an interview with Manuel Hug, CEO & Co-Founder of SoFlow. Watch the video below for more on innovative types of transportation.Manuel Hug studied Supply Chain Management and spent a significant part of his career in this field. He worked for ten years in supply chain coordination and logistics in a big retail company, but eventually he decided made the change to pursue an entrepreneurial dream. That’s how three years ago Hug and his friends started their own business, SoFlow. The vision of the SoFlow team was to help people change the way they commute in cities on a daily basis. This micro-mobility company created a program which consisted of more than 20 types of reliable and rechargeable transportation. From e-skateboards and hoverboards to scooters, every product is environmentally friendly and respects the Swiss quality standards.Website https://www.so-flow.com/ In this video, we discuss the best selling strategy for a new product that needs to be introduced to the market. You will also learn about the trends in personal transportation, as well as why it’s good to start (and if needed fail) fast with your venture. Watch the previous episode: Ben-Elias Brandt – LedgyIn the upcoming show: Adrian Walker – BoataffairSkip to Questions:1:00 Who is Manuel Hug?1:39 How come you made the shift from corporate to startup? 2:42 How did you come up with the idea? The first year of your startup?3:23 What is SoFlow?4:05 What is your vision with SoFlow for the next couple of years? 4:38 What are some of the products you have? Which one is the most popular one?5:45 Production & Import of these products: what are the biggest challenges?6:56 What is the difference between your products and the Xiaomi M365?8:07 You just raised over 700k Euro on Seedmatch. How come you decided to do crowdfunding? Why debt vs equity?9:43 How did you prepare for Seedmatch?10:38 How do you cope with paying the interest rates on a regular basis?How was the time you raised the money? Community building?11:08 What’s the plan with the money? Roadmap?12:08 Trend in Silicon Valley? What do you think about it?13:43 What will urban transportation look like in ~5 years? 14:23 What is the local ecosystem like? Hong Kong?Quick Fire Q&A15:49 The most important character trait in an entrepreneur is…?16:03 What's important to you in an investor?16:21 What traits do you look for when you hire someone?16:38 What is your best selling strategy?17:20 My biggest mistake as an entrepreneur was…?Expert Advice18:04 Expert advice from Manuel Hug——————————————Get in touch: https://goo.gl/forms/7zqfBX9ctwH8Nu4I2 ——————————————Cédric Bollag is an aspiring venture capitalist. Cédric decided to turn his passion about “Startups, Tech & Innovation” into a blog. He releases video interviews with entrepreneurs, investors and thought leaders in innovation. For any questions, suggestions and inquiries feel free to connect and reach out.Connect with me on other social media channels:Cédric Bollag (Blogger & Founder):Email: cedric@globaltechbox.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/cedric.bollag/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/cedric.b...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cedric.bollag/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cedricbol...GlobalTechBox.com:Instagram: https://instagram.com/globaltechbox/Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/globalte...Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globaltechbox/Thank you for your attention!