PROUD: The Venture Leader Technology creating sustainable lab-grown diamonds

Meet Ligia Colina, CEO of PROUD. The ICT startup manufactures premium, eco-friendly diamonds using advanced technology, providing an ethical alternative to mined diamonds. Ligia and the other nine Swiss National Technology Team members will fly to Silicon Valley in April.

Name: Ligia Colina
Location: Lausanne
Nationality: Italian
Graduated from: Paris University and EPFL
Job title: CEO
Number of employees: 7
Money raised: CHF 100,000 (FITtech loan)
 

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Can you tell us who your product or solution helps, and how?
Our diamond cooling technology helps chip designers to design more efficient chips and Data center operators to reduce power consumption and carbon footprint.

What market are you addressing and what is the potential of your startup in that market?
Data centers market with a potential of 18 billion for Data center GPU.

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
Since my PhD, I knew that Diamond was the material of the future because of its outstanding physical properties but it was during my EMBA program that I came up with the idea for my startup.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders roadshow, and how do you think it will help you achieve your vision?
I expect to meet potential decision-makers from future US partners/customers (like Nvidia, Intel, Broadcom, Applied Materials, Advanced Micro-Devices) as well as future investors to get feedback and build collaborations for expanding PROUD’s business in the US.

What are your team’s key achievements to date?
1)  Building a production site from scratch;
2)  Signing supplier multi-million contract worth;
3)  Building a team of 7 people.

Is there a key principle or value that guides you as you build your company?
Perseverance and resilience.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
Exploring new horizons while staying on course.

What is your favorite productivity hack or tool and why?
Prioritize tasks and say no because as a startup founder, you must often multitask and can easily lose focus.

What was your dream job when you were a child?
When I was a child, my dream job was to become a manager.