We participated in the half-time event from MassChallenge Switzerland at their impressive office in Lausanne. We feel very fortunate to learn from the sharing of an impressive line-up of speakers. Also, very nice to meet other start-ups and the corporate partners to exchange ideas and initiate possible future collaborations.
Here you can find some take-outs of the different presentations and workshops which we attended.
“Fundraising for MedTech & Life Sciences Startups” – Pierre Morgon
* the team will determine go /no go for investors; investors are looking for people who are able to run a company
* investors, who are willing to meet you, want to hear more than what is publicly available; you want to have a conversation with investors, slides are there to support the conversation
* check the track record of investors, do you fit their portfolio
The 5 questions to unlock your marketing strategy – Anne-Sophie Megevand
* have 1 target and solve their problem really well, for example go-pro’s initial target customers: surfers; now: broad customer range
* be creative to create an experience
Negotiation for Startups, how to get good at it! – Oksana Bober
* active listening, incl. silence can help to turn around your conversation
* recognize your bias
* create joint value
Hacking Peak Performance For Busy Entrepreneurs – Augusto (Tuto) Marolla
* Instead of snacking, do some push-ups.
* Go outside to kick-start the day with some natural sunlight
Ask me Anything (Live discussion: startups ask – corporates answer)
* no go for corporates: lack of transparency
* there needs to be a good fit with the team
* be humble
* come with a sample if you can
Keynote Speaker: Raphael Cohen – He is a serial entrepreneur, professor and trusted advisor
* what are your assessment criteria? max. 12 key questions
* what are the remaining unknows at this stage?
Keynote Speaker: Mathias Tholey – He is the Co-Founder of The Nu Company
* people & mindset is essential in building a company
* clarify your working principles / core values, e.g. we win together, we lose together, extreme ownership
* be merciless if a person is missing a core value of your company
* first who, than what; if a great person knocks on your door, hire her/him, and then determine what she/he will do
Building a Meaningful Network – Kathleen O’Leary.
* Invite, Include, Inspire – add value to others first to build alignment and trust
* why, who, how, when
* end your email with a question to invite a response
How to Hire and Scale-Up the Right Team – Alexis Steinmann
* employees receive a large variable salary part dependent on their performance
Public Speaking, how to online and offline -Michael McKay
* Good practice makes perfect
* Be conscious about how your movement can add to the impact of your speech and presentation
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