Startups
I work intensively with startups. Here I share interesting ventures, market observations and lessons from my experience.
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The Vibe VC: Startup investing in the vibe coding era
Most early-stage startups are still judged based on a pitch deck. This format has established itself for a reason: it creates order, enables comparison and brings complex ideas into a narrative form. And yet it is becoming increasingly clear that pr... read more
25.04.2026
25.05.2024Quick-Commerce Market Overview: The Few That SurvivedThe party mood is over: Quick commerce startups like GoPuff, Gorillas and Getir are closing locations. I have therefore created a constantly updated ...read more
31.01.2024GPT for the Swiss startup sceneIn ChatGPT I created a GPT that can answer questions about the Swiss startup scene. The GPT is familiar with these topics, among others: Swiss startu...read more
15.09.2022Startup coaching in EthiopiaAt the beginning of August 2022, I spent a few days in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. There I coached startups on behalf of the Tesfa Ilg Foun...read more
23.03.2021Is the Nebelspalter a media startup - or a smokescreen?Markus Somm, Blocher biographer and journalist, bought the Swiss satirical magazine Nebelspalter and converted it into an online medium. Somm never t...read more
05.03.2021Quick-Commerce: GoPuff and Gorillas Clones Conquer the WorldSince Gorillas became Berlin's hottest startup, everyone in the startup scene has been talking about quick commerce: online supermarkets that deliver...read more
26.10.2020Blick TV: Innovative news TVBlick TV has been live since mid-February 2020. I've taken a quick look at it since then and am of the opinion that Ringier is doing a lot of things ...read more
19.12.2018Klazz wins the EdTech Contest 2018 in Abu DhabiMy language travel startup Klazz won the “Lifelong Learning” award at Krypto Labs’ EdTech Contest 2018 in Abu Dhabi. I was able to meet exciting inve...read more
09.12.2018Klazz in the top 5 of the EdTech Startup Contest in Abu DhabiKlazz, the language travel startup that I co-founded, was chosen from over 800 startups as a finalist in the top 5 of the EdTech Innovation Startup C...read more
26.11.2018Next Floor: Accelerator for tourism startupsWith Klazz I have been active in the EdTech and tourism environment for some time. I came across the Next Floor Accelerator in Salzburg, which is bac...read more
13.03.2018Productivity and focus in startupsI haven't written a blog post in almost a year. That can only mean one thing: I'm very busy and focused on my startup. To improve my productivity and...read more
17.03.2017Unfair: No unemployment benefits for failed foundersIn his latest blog post, the well-known business angel Roland Zeller raised a problem that is practically not talked about in Switzerland: If a start...read more
01.02.2017WordPress: The perfect tool for MVPsAccording to Lean Startup theory, every entrepreneur should check the assumptions critical to success as quickly as possible - first qualitatively wi...read more
28.11.2016How startup PR worksSince I landed on Cédric Bollag's influencer list, emails from startups wanting to be featured on my blog have skyrocketed. The startups or their PR ...read more
16.11.2016Silicon Valley: The days after the electionIn the run-up to the US presidential election, most tech leaders in Silicon Valley spoke out in favor of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, with o...read more
12.10.2016Free support for startups in SwitzerlandIn the meantime, there are many contact points for Swiss founders looking for free support for their startup. Since the various support organizations...read more
19.09.2016Digital Festival: By far the best Swiss conferenceThere are few or no events for the people of us that make it worth traveling to Zurich from abroad. With one big exception: With the first edition of...read more
11.08.2016Dear Zurich, we need to talk.Conversations that start like this rarely end well - usually at least one person gets hurt. I'll try anyway. Dear Zurich, I really like you. You are ...read more
27.07.2016Startup location: San Francisco or Berlin?Exactly a year ago I looked into the location selection of startups. At that time I came to the conclusion that Zurich was definitely not the right l...read more
22.06.2016Ukraine: The startup scene in OdessaEastern Europe is best known to us for the cost-effective outsourcing of development and less for its own startup scene. So I receive offers several ...read more
04.05.2016Impressions from the Bay Area and Silicon ValleyFor the last few days I've been traveling in the Bay Area, which includes San Francisco and Silicon Valley. Never before has a trip inspired me so mu...read more
29.03.2016Shanzhai: Chinese-Style InnovationI had my first contact with Shanzhai about seven years ago when I spontaneously ordered an "iPhone mini" online for a handful of dollars. Not that Ap...read more
16.03.2016Kickstart Accelerator: Things Are Heating UpOn the surface, everything is going well at the Kickstart Accelerator, which was launched under the umbrella of Digital Zurich 2025: it has just been...read more
04.02.2016Digital Festival 2016: Zurich will become the digital capital in autumnFor years in Switzerland there was a deadlock when it came to major events in the startup and tech scene. There were a few events for founders and te...read more26.01.2016Kickstart Accelerator: Are accelerators of any use?The Kickstart Accelerator will be launched in Zurich this evening, and last week the first batch of the Swiss Start Up Factory started with six proje...read more
14.01.2016Corporate startup relations: There is room for improvementWhile the wave of corporate accelerators and incubators has long since leveled off in Germany, in Switzerland it has only now become fashionable, wit...read more
26.10.2015Lean Day 2015: The Most Important LessonsLast Tuesday, Jean-Pierre Vuilleumier, Managing Director of CTI Invest, invited people to the first Lean Day. Thanks to Jean-Pierre, I had the opport...read more
12.10.2015Lessons from a Year of Startup ConsultingIn the past few months I have advised a number of startups on topics such as financing, growth strategies and operations. In this blog post I share m...read more
04.10.2015#hackzurich: Zurich as a vibrant tech cityAnyone who knows Zurich's somewhat sedate startup can hardly believe their eyes this weekend: day and night, developers are coding apps, brainstormin...read more
24.08.2015Spoiled for choice: the ideal startup nameEvery startup needs a name when you start talking about it with other people - but at the latest when the launch is approaching. Unlike a baby, the n...read more
29.07.2015Only idiots don't start businesses in Berlin?Last Saturday, the Tages-Anzeiger published a double page about startups in the economics department. The main article by Barnaby Skinner was entitle...read more
15.07.2015Why Watson is the most exciting Swiss media startupI recently came across an article in the SonntagsZeitung in which I was asked about my media usage behavior. At that time I mentioned that - in addit...read more
02.07.2015I'm looking forward to the first Swiss Lean Day!Generations of Swiss startups have learned how to successfully pitch and write financial plans from Jean-Pierre Vuilleumier, Managing Director of CTI...read more
16.06.2015My Top Five Startup Lessons from Running a MarathonAlmost exactly two years ago I ran a marathon alone. The long-term consequences of this marathon still concern me today, and I learned a lot about my...read more
10.06.2015When coaches give bullshit advice to software startupsOne thing in advance: I owe a lot to the venture business plan competition and was one of the winners in 2012. That's why I gave a talk on the market...read more
03.06.2015Between Startups: Regrouping for the Next VentureYesterday I went on a bike ride (my Facebook friends already know) and I'm writing this text in the sun at the outdoor pool. What else does an entrep...read more07.05.2015The most important ingredients for a startup are love and knowledge - both are available at the Swiss Start Up FactoryYesterday I was invited to the official kick-off event (motto: "Our Time Is Now") of the Swiss incubator Swiss Start Up Factory in their new premises...read more
21.04.2015HWZ Start-up on May 7, 2015 with Oliver Flueckiger, founder of RayneerOn May 7, 2015, I will give a lecture at the HZW in Zurich in the HWZ Start-up series on the topic of failure as a success factor: an insight report....read more
08.04.2015I wanted to call for a startup hub for Zurich - and the coworking space beat me to itIt has been bothering me for a long time that there is no real startup hub in Zurich: a place where very fresh startups can easily get a job, network...read more
03.04.2015Founders need confidence in their own abilitiesMany people have (business) ideas, but very few actually implement them. And even fewer people found a startup for their ideas because the risks are ...read more
28.03.2015The Swiss startup scene lacks a good online magazineUnfortunately, the Swiss startup scene is lacking in a number of things: There are not enough risk-taking investors in this country, there is a lack ...read more
26.03.2015Bootstrapping.me - Fabian WesterheideFabian Westerheide worked at early stage VC PointNine Capital and now has his own startup in Berlin. On his blog, Fabian shares valuable tips from hi...read more
26.03.2015Geeky business - Marcus KuhnMarcus Kuhn is an internet entrepreneur from Zurich and a good friend of mine. On his blog Geekybusiness he writes sporadically about technology, sta...read more