Rudolf Ball

🚀 Not only the world's top tech companies are coming to Zurich (see map). Since 2014, 900 startups have been founded in the canton. An insightful study shows strengths and weaknesses. Zurich’s financial sector plays a crucial role in driving innovation and economic growth. A newly released study, “Financial Center Zurich 2025/2026”, highlights the vital contributions of Private Equity and Venture Capital firms, Family Offices, and Foundations in funding startups and shaping the region’s innovation ecosystem. 🔹 Key insights from the study: ✅ 208 Private Equity & Venture Capital firms, employing 3,800 professionals ✅ Over 900 startups founded in Zurich between 2014-2024 ✅ CHF 9.6 billion raised—half of all startup funding in Switzerland ✅ One-third of startup funding comes from regional investors 💡 Bridging the Growth-Stage Funding Gap: While Zurich is a stronghold for startup financing, the study identifies a critical funding gap in the growth phase - posing a risk of startups relocating abroad. Expanding investment opportunities at this stage is crucial to keeping high-potential companies in the region. 🏆 New Initiative to Strengthen Zurich as an Investment Hub: In response, the Canton of Zurich has launched the "Innovation Hub 2030" initiative to enhance conditions for venture capital investors and further boost startup financing. Through targeted measures and stakeholder collaboration, Zurich aims to solidify its position as a top-tier global innovation hub. However, we have to be careful. To remain a global innovation leader, we have to close the financing gap from Series A rounds upwards. I am trying to do my part to make the Canton of Zurich and thus Switzerland fit for the future. I empower leaders and entrepreneurs to tell their stories more boldly. There are so many hidden champions and even more than 50 unicorns in Switzerland. We should not hide them, we must tell their stories.  Carmen Walker Späh, Innovation Zurich, Greater Zurich Area, Deep Tech Nation Switzerland, ETH Zürich, ETH AI Center, TECHNOPARK® Zürich, Büro Züri, ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Rahel Kindermann Leuthard, FRZ Flughafenregion Zürich - Wirtschaftsnetzwerk & Standortentwicklung, Technopark Winterthur AG, Home of Innovation, Raphael Tobler, Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich #Zurich #Innovation #Startups #VentureCapital #PrivateEquity #Investment #EconomicGrowth

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How to go from founder-led sales to a fully operational sales army 🪖 Two months ago I hosted a live webinar with three startup veterans who successfully scaled their sales teams:   🔹 Tobias Häckermann (CEO & Co-Founder of SHERPANY, acquired by Datasite)  🔹Lars Mangelsdorf (CCO & Co-Founder of Yokoy, acquired by TravelPerk)  🔹Laurent Decrue (CFO & Co-CEO of Holycode™, ex-CEO of bexio AG) We dove deep into scaling sales, covering:  ✔️ KPIs that matter early on: AE efficiency & balancing deal size vs. sales cycles  ✔️ Pricing strategies: Why discounts can backfire & how to add value instead   ✔️ Hiring dilemmas: Sales vs. marketing first? (Spoiler: Our guests had very different takes!) ✔️ Proactive talent acquisition: Why you should start hiring "in your head" way before you need to One of my favorite insights came from Laurent, who shared a golden rule on pricing: "Instead of lowering prices with discounts, add more value for the same price." And Lars made a strong case for starting with lower pricing in competitive markets and gradually increasing it. Because trust pays off! Listen now: https://lnkd.in/dUkeCMfS - #swisspreneur #startup #entrepreneur #podcast #sales #scaling #startups #B2B #team #hiring #salesteam #ae #accountexecutive #cso #cco #headofsales

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// #ventureclienting #study #impact Venture clienting describes a structured cooperation between emerging startups and established corporates who test and purchase their solutions as early customers or partners. This asset-light approach is often seen as a smart way to efficiently integrate external innovation. However, there has been a lack of data - until now. A new, data-driven study by GlassDollar has analysed over 60,000 (!) corporate-startup relationships and for the first time provides reliable insights into the impact of venture clienting: Key findings: ✔️ Venture clienting significantly increases the implementation rate of startup solutions ✔️ VCL is particularly effective with clearly defined processes & ownership in the organisation ✔️ More economical than VC or M&A paths - with higher innovation output 📊 This makes venture clienting a strategic option for corporate innovation. 🔍 Link to study: [https://lnkd.in/e4Q7Aw-z] 📬For #german speakers, subscribe to the newsletter from venture.idea to get such insights straight into your inbox: [https://lnkd.in/e7bVtDta]

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✨ How to Engage Better at #Nullcon Berlin ✨ Attending a conf is one of the best opportunities to learn, connect and grow. Some tips to keep in mind ✅ Don’t be shy – Everyone’s here for the same reason: to connect. ✅ Share your “why” – Whether you’re job hunting, exploring talks, seeking business opportunities, or giving back to the community. ✅ Join side activities – Play the Live Bug Bounty or CTF. If you’re solo, it’s a perfect opportunity to team up with someone sitting next to you. ✅ Connect digitally – Business cards are usually forgotten —LinkedIn is your best friend. (remember to have an updated LinkedIn profile) ✅ Talk to sponsors – Exhibitor tables are great conversation starters. Chances are, you’ll run into them again over coffee or lunch. ✅ Social Media – Follow conf hashtags, reshare, or click a few photos and post. You might just start a trend yourself! See you at #NullconBerlin 🚀

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Founders/Sales leaders, “Sell To” vs. “Sell Through” vs. “Sell With” - Are you structuring your B2B sales the right way? Recently, while consulting a client on B2B complex selling, I noticed something that felt obvious to seasoned sales pros - but not to the most. Many in the room believed they were selling to their customers. But in reality? Their success depended on how well they could sell through them. Meaning, how well their partners could resell or co-sell their product. Here’s a simple breakdown: ▶️ Sell To – You sell directly to the buyer.  → Value is realized by the buyer.  → Example: Selling software to a company’s IT team for their usage. ▶️ Sell Through – You sell to a distributor, channel partner, or System Integrator.    → End user is another entity.   → Your success depends on how well your sell-through partners resell your offering.  → Example: Selling equipment to a distributor who sells to hospitals.Or an SI includes your solution in a larger outsourcing contract. ▶️ Sell With – You co-sell with a partner to a common customer.  → You bring complementary capabilities.  → Example: SaaS + Cloud partner selling together to a CXO. Why this distinction matters: Your GTM strategy, sales enablement approach, and even KPIs must evolve based on this distinction. Each model demands a different approach: → Different enablement. → Different team structure. → Different success metrics. For example: In Sell Through”, enabling your partner’s sales capability becomes important as your own. A lot of B2B companies default to a "Sell To" mindset, even when their business model needs a "Sell Through" or "Sell With" lens. Ask yourself (and your team): → Who are we really selling to? → Who are we selling through? → Where can we co-create value by selling with? Knowing where your major accounts or partners fall changes how you structure teams, sales pitches, and enablement approaches. Best Practices by Approach: ✅ Sell To (Direct) Use opportunity scorecards + value-based selling frameworks Train reps to: → Navigate multiple decision-makers → Elevate conversations to value/ROI → Handle objections + internal politics Use tools like IDENTIFY for deal qualification and forecast accuracy. ✅ Sell Through (Channel / SI) Treat partners as your primary customers. Focus on: → A/B/C-tier partner segmentation → Joint business planning → Enablement playbooks and battle cards → Pipeline visibility and deal registration Opportunity management should include: → Partner motivation (Do they see enough value in supporting your solution?) → Partner capability (Can they sell/position your product?) → Partner bandwidth (Will they prioritize your solution?) So, should sales leaders have a differentiated enablement strategy? I think, yes. Sales leaders: if you're still using a one-size-fits-all enablement strategy, you're leaving money on the table. Different sales motions need different playbooks.

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They Push, We Grow — What It's Like Working with Tech-Smart German Clients Working with German clients is more than a project — it’s a masterclass in precision, planning, and high expectations. And honestly? We love it. Their tech standards are high, their timelines are sharp, and their feedback is laser-focused. Here’s how partnering with German clients has helped us grow sharper, faster, and better 👇 🧭 Step 1: Adapting to a Culture of Precision Before anything, we had to understand what excellence means in their world: • Every sprint has clear goals — no fluff • Documentation is clean, organized, and purposeful • Meetings are brief but packed with value We learned to prep harder, think clearer, and speak with intention. 🛠️ Step 2: Leveling Up Our Technical Game To match their pace and depth, we doubled down on: • Deep tech audits before every delivery • Automation to reduce room for human error • Smarter testing and QA workflows Not because they asked us to — because we wanted to keep up. 💬 Step 3: Embracing Clear, Direct Feedback German clients don’t sugarcoat — and we appreciate that: • We always know where we stand • Issues get addressed early • Wins get acknowledged directly It’s not just feedback, it’s a fast track to growth. 🌱 What We’ve Learned: • Precision is a language — and we’ve become fluent • Great clients don’t just expect more — they bring out the best in you • Growth doesn’t always come from comfort zones If you ever get the chance to work with tech-smart German clients, take it. ➡️ They’ll push you — but if you’re open to it, you’ll grow faster than you ever expected. 👇 Got experience working with German clients? Drop a comment — I’d love to hear how it shaped your work. #GermanClients #TechPartnerships #GrowthMindset #B2BLeadership #ClientSuccess #GlobalCollaboration #EngineeringExcellence #TeamGrowth

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FemWealth Issue 217 highlights 💌 In the Spotlight 💸 Co-founded by Franziska Meyer and Irene Klemm (Rentrop), Edurino is an educational gaming platform for pre-school and primary school children. The Munich, Germany-based startup raised €17M in Series B funding Startup News: - Co-founded and led by Murvah Iqbal, HIVED, a London-based startup providing an AI-powered parcel delivery solution, secured $42M in Series B - Co-founded and led by Mackenzie Burnett, Ambrook, a New York startup providing bookkeeping, invoicing, and payment tools for agricultural businesses, closed a $26.1M Series A - Co-founded by Dorit Aharonov, QEDMA, an Israeli startup developing software for quantum error suppression and mitigation, raised $26M in Series A - Led by Linda Black, DVM, PhD, Gallant, a San Diego-based biotech startup developing off-the-shelf stem cell therapies for pets, secured $18M in Series B - Co-founded and led by Laure Crémieux, Solarock, a French startup that provides residential and SME solar solutions, raised €7M - Co-founded by Linda Zandt-Sloot, Tibo Energy Management Software, a Dutch energy management platform that helps businesses unlock additional energy capacity from their existing infrastructure, announced €6M in Seed funding - Led by Dr. Edit Goldberg, Escala Medical, an Israeli company that provides an FDA-approved medical device for pelvic organ prolapse, announced a $4.5M funding round - Co-founded by Laura Huguenin, cosma, a Nice, France-based startup that creates detailed, 3D maps of the ocean floor for marine researchers, environmental agencies, offshore construction firms, and regulators, raised €2.5M  - Co-founded by Rima Suppan and Morgan Mixon, PEACHIES, a London-based premium nappy brand, closed an oversubscribed £2.1M round - Co-founded by Wynter Karo and Alice Parmiter, Pimentae Drinks, a UK drinks company, raised a £1.5M round - Co-founded by Jatta Nemeth, Spacent, a Finnish startup providing access to flexible workspaces to support hybrid work models, raised an undisclosed funding round VC News: - Founded and led by Samara Mejia Hernandez, Chicago-based Chingona Ventures is raising $50M for its third fund, per an SEC filing - Co-founded and led by Milette Gillow and Sedinam Simpson, UK-based The Tech Bros, an all-female accelerator, will host 20 “technical founders” from all over the world in a “hacker house” in Norway Read & subscribe (link in comments)

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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻? How about reimagining how we capture and relive #memories? Now we can time travel with #Extended #Reality! And its beautiful... Have you ever wished you could do more than simply look at an old photo or watch a video—actually step back into those important moments? With today’s advances in extended reality and holograms, we’re making that possible. Now, you can truly immerse yourself in the past, just like the futuristic scenes from “#Star #Trek” or “#Minority #Report.” What’s new and exciting? Reliving memories isn’t just about perfect visuals. @Alexandre Devaux’s latest demo proves how powerful the experience can be—even in your browser. By turning regular videos into 3D #holograms, we can surround ourselves with our favorite stories as shimmering particle clouds, using video depth data to make them interactive and alive. What experiences does this technology unlock? 👁️ Walk through moments from your past, feeling truly present. 👁️ Reconnect with loved ones and places as if you’re there again. 👁️ Share immersive, interactive memories with others. 👁️ Transform ordinary photos and videos into living, memorable stories. What a beautiful application of Extended Reality! #MixedReality #ComputerVision #XR #holgrams

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How to manage your prices in a custom software development company… You think T&M and price competition are the only options? Well, it’s not. At Valueships we mostly focus on SaaS pricing in our communication... ...but we also work with other digital businesses like custom software and e-commerce. Lately, in the custom development space, pricing has become much more important: - The market is shrinking - Costs are not really decreasing So we end up in a situation where, to grow or even sustain profit, you need to work on your pricing. How? 1️⃣ Value-based pricing 2️⃣ Index-based pricing 3️⃣ A pricing process with a regular price increase cadence Want to know more? Today at 7 PM, together with Krzysztof Pawlak, we’ll discuss exactly how to do it! Join us and learn how to get your pricing strategy right.

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