«Anyone can become an entrepreneur»

The evening event Tuesday by the Schweizer Monat and Le Regard Libre was centered on entrepreneurship. The goal: to spark the younger generation’s interest in entrepreneurship.

The event organized yesterday in Bern by the Schweizer Monat and Le Regard Libre focused on the two most important things in life: money and love, as moderator Lukas Leuzinger humorously pointed out. His guests were young entrepreneur Laura Matter, from the dating app Noii, and Julian Liniger, a Bitcoin entrepreneur at Relai.

Visit Schweizer Monat and Le Regard Libre In particular, they hope to spark an interest in liberal ideas and entrepreneurship among young people in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. To that end, they have launched the «Entrepreneurial Spirit» project, supported by the Bonny Foundation and the PEMOL-Baumann Foundation.

After an introduction by Jonas Follonier, editor-in-chief of Regard Libre, Lukas Leuzinger, editor-in-chief of Schweizer Monat, asked her guests what they considered to be the best aspect of entrepreneurship. For Laura—in the startup world, people are on a first-name basis—the appeal lies in building something and improving people’s lives—or, as she puts it: «making an impact.» For Julian, it’s the learning curve that matters most: «No school teaches you as much as entrepreneurship does.» He’s less focused on numbers, marketing, or technology—areas in which there’s also a lot to learn—and more on human relationships. After all, convincing people is one of the main tasks of entrepreneurs.

From Online to Offline

The path to achieving that often begins with nothing more than an idea. «At first, I had nothing but an idea and a pitch deck». Armed with this brief presentation of his business idea, the next step is to seek out the right partners, collaborators, and investors—and to convince them. As an entrepreneur, you’re always short on time and money. Driven by the desire to make the greatest possible impact, he has inevitably learned to use his time and energy efficiently. «That’s not something you learn at SBB or Swiss Post,» Julian says with a smile in the federal capital.

Laura also emphasizes the importance of the environment in which people need to be motivated. «In my daily life, about a third of things go as I planned. A third don’t go as well, and a third go better.» Through her company, she creates in-person events where singles can fall in love in real life. In doing so, she offers an alternative to online dating, where her company also has its roots. When it was founded four years ago, Noii was still focused on digital matchmaking and video speed dating. Today, Laura focuses entirely on in-person events for her approximately 70,000 users and organizes about 15 events per month. Noii now employs 12 people and has an office in Zurich. The technology comes from Ukraine.

Perseverance in the Pursuit of Money

The question of financing – or fundraising, —as they say in entrepreneurial jargon—has also been the subject of much discussion. After all, what good is the best idea if you lack seed capital or can’t raise funds? On this point, Laura and Julian agree. A lack of money shouldn’t be a reason to give up on your entrepreneurial dreams. Because beyond banks—which are generally reluctant to finance startups—there are many alternatives. Among these are the business angels (private investors), the crowdfunding, They may be friends and family, professional venture capitalists (such as venture capital funds) or partners such as the pioneering Migros fund.

At first, Julian didn’t have any money either—and deliberately refused to accept any from others. Looking back, he even describes it as a mental block. «Six years ago, I didn’t even know what a venture capital fund was. Today, we’ve raised 20 million francs,» he says. He now knows that entrepreneurs have no reason to be ashamed of borrowing money. After all, professional investors put money into a large number of startups. If just one of them manages to break through, the risk is worth it. Julian is thus implicitly referring to the flip side of entrepreneurship: only a fraction of all startups actually succeed.

Read also | Venture capital: it's not the money that's lacking, it's the will

Fundraising is a challenge in many ways. It’s not just about building a strong network and convincing it of the merit of her idea, but also about demonstrating perseverance, «because raising new capital is a never-ending process,» as Laura puts it. To date, she has raised about 1.5 million francs, largely thanks to the support of small investors who each contributed 500 francs. Noii now has more than 400 co-owners.

«Not having money shouldn't be a reason not to pursue your entrepreneurial dreams.»

«Being flexible and stubborn»

Finding one or more co-founders is also key to success. Laura advises working together for a few months before committing. She believes that starting a business when you’re young is a huge advantage. «Speed is key,» agrees Julian, who adds, «You have to hold fast to your vision, but be flexible and quick to act.» It’s essential that a co-founder shares this vision while bringing complementary skills to the table. They agree on one thing: you don’t become an entrepreneur because of some innate gene. Entrepreneurship can be learned and is, in principle, accessible to everyone.

Regarding areas where conditions could be improved, Laura specifically mentioned the strict restrictions imposed on events in Lausanne. The city also levies taxes on tickets, which doesn’t exactly make it easier to expand in French-speaking Switzerland. Julian laments that wealthy Switzerland has very little venture capital. His hope is for better incentives, such as a tax exemption for venture capital. «In the United Kingdom, I can claim a tax deduction for venture capital investments. In Switzerland, it’s the opposite. The more I invest, the more taxes I pay.» In the United States, pension funds are also allowed to invest in venture capital funds. As a result, sooner or later, many promising startups end up setting up shop there.

Read also | Fostering entrepreneurial spirit

Among the fifty or so participants, there was an impressive number of young people. It was inspiring to see how many of them were drawn to entrepreneurship and talked about their own projects, which were at various stages of development. From the water bottle and cell phone pouch they designed themselves to their own real estate management company. And don’t forget: if the «functional gummy candies» with stimulating mate—whose effect is comparable to that of caffeine—ever become a real hit, you’ll have read about it first in the Schweizer Monat.

You have just read an open-access article from our operation «Entrepreneurial spirit». The original version, by Fabian Gull, was published in German. in the Schweizer Monat.