SEF.Growth Event with UBS 

Overcoming the hurdles of growth beyond Röstigraben 

Finally, SEF.Growth overcame the hurdle called "Röstigraben": For the first time, a SEF.Growth event took place in the Romandie, a step that Alain Conte, Head of Corporate & Institutional Clients UBS Switzerland, advocated. This first edition in French-speaking Switzerland assembled almost 100 entrepreneurs to learn about overcoming the hurdles of growth in the cases of Jean-Marc Tassetto from Coorpacademy SA and Dr. Marcin Pietrzyk from Unit8 SA.

"It's just a polite way of saying that we will talk about difficulties, cash shortages, sleepless nights, etc. And that eventually we got to positive outcomes like an exit", Jean-Marc Tasseto, Co-Founder of Coorpacademy SA, makes fun of the event title. With that said, he has already captured the audience, eagerly waiting to get insights into the growth journey he went through with his startup. The following is some of Jean-Marc’s and Marcin’s gained wisdom to take with you.

Find a great startup-environment

He started his storytelling pitch with some crucial milestones beginning on day one. "It took me one day to found my startup," he said. From talking to his professor to the Head of Innovation Park in Lausanne, he was set to start within one working day. This is one of several times when he mentioned the importance of being in the right ecosystem.

Be prepared not to be prepared

But as he started his journey, he realized it was comparable to what Magellan experienced: "You have an idea with a global intention, and once you leave the land, things sometimes happen uncontrollably. And you need to be prepared for what cannot be prepared," Jean-Marc says. And what rarely gets said: "Luck is also important on the journey."

Team is everything

Nobody will be surprised to hear how vital a driven, diversely skilled team is. The team also includes investors, advisors, and even private family! Jean-Marc is strict about this: they all need to have your back and support your vision. Be strict about that when you choose your investors: They give you cash, often become Board Members, too, and bring seniority, experience, network, and know-how into your team.

Execution is key

"Execute, execute, execute. You're not a CEO at a large corporation. You can't only be concerned about strategic planning but mostly about operational tasks." says Jean-Marc, adding an example from Steve Jobs, who checks product development results to find details that need to be adapted for the success of the iPhone.

You need ego and storytelling to sell your startup

We are not talking about the exit here but selling to investors, media, and customers. "We had a headline saying that we were the Netflix of education to explain our gamification approach. You need to feel confident to do this, but it will get you there. Probably the only situation where gambling high is not recommended is the valuation of your startup when you go into the next financing round."

Transparency builds trust

The communication to investors should always be open – especially with bad news. This is crucial to building trust. "Everyone is happy to share good information, but only those who also share bad news – as early as possible – will be trusted and credited for that transparency. As mentioned in the team section, the investors might even be able to help get over the bad news with their know-how.

It's about the vision, not the exit

The potential exit of your startup should be something other than your focus. If you focus on the vision and the purpose and stay persistent, the exit is a consequence.

Text by Alyssia Kugler