Startup Champions 2022: The Venture Leaders Technology pitch to an international audience

The Venture Leaders Technology 2022 made their first big public appearance: The entrepreneurs pitched their solutions via live-stream at the Startup Champions event. Thibaut Weise, a former Venture Leader and ETH Zurich alumnus, delivered the keynote speech and inspired the entrepreneurs and audience members. 

Thibau Weise delivered the evening’s keynote speech and inspired the audience with insights and anecdotes from his entrepreneurial career: Thibaut developed a facial tracking technology that led to the creation of the ETH spin-off Faceshift, which Apple acquired in 2015. Thibaut shared his expereinces from being a student at ETH to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Here are some highlights from his speech, edited for brevity and clarity: 

On startup life
“Startup life is a roller coaster. It has to be a passion, but you can have a life as well. Do not feel that it is just crazy.”

“When you found a startup, you can create something new, and you will learn so much. When you study, you focus on your subject matter, but when you have a startup, you will learn everything—from finance to managing people. It is so valuable. So, go for it. If you fail, you fail.”

“It is important to have people who push you. You might not really want to do it or like to do it, but you know you need it. It is so important to have these people.”

On diversity 
“We should have had more diversity. Our team was great, but it was a very computer-science-typical, all-male team in a certain age range. It would have been good to have more diversity. We should have been more conscious of that. I am not just talking about male and female, but also people with different backgrounds.”

On misconceptions 
“There is a misconception about protecting your ideas and not talking about them. Having an idea is easy, but doing it is hard, so get as much input as you can. Push forward. Tell everyone. Of course, big companies have more resources, but they also have their own plans, and it will take time to move and make decisions. You are agile. Do not be scared. The moment you create something amazing, the big companies will come knocking on your doors.”

Thibaut Weise demonstrating the Faceshift technology 

Pitching in front of a small screen and to a big audience 
After kicking off the international roadshow to Silicon Valley, the Venture Leaders had the opportunity to practice and polish their pitches in front of an international audience—via live-stream—at the Startup Champions event. 


Some of the Venture Leaders "in action": Lattice Flow (left), TYXIT (middle), and qiio (right)

During 90 seconds, the entrepreneur had to win over the audience, who then decided which startup had the most impressive pitch—and which entrepreneur would become team captain. For the first time in the Venture Leaders history, two startups received the same number of votes! Enlightra’s John Jost and xFarm’s Matteo Vanotti received the same number of votes and will the proverbial captain’s armband during the roadshow. 

In April, the Venture Leaders Technology 2022 will accelerate their global expansion and strengthen their business network through a weeklong roadshow: The Swiss National Startup Team will represent Swiss innovation abroad and meet with international investors and industry leaders in Silicon Valley. “I am impressed how the Swiss National Startup Team is getting stronger every year—in terms of technology and business acumen. I am excited to introduce these startups to American investors,” said Stefan Steiner, co-managing director at Venturelab.


The Venture Leaders Technology 2022 program is organized by Venturelab and supported by dpd Switzerland, EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Kellerhals Carrard, Rothschild & Co, and the Canton of Vaud.

Follow the entrepreneurs and the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow on social media using the hashtag #VLeadersTech or on www.venture-leaders.ch/technology. 


Learn more about the Venture Leaders Technology 2022: