You studied natural sciences. Why?
I always wanted to find out how things work and was very curious, especially when it comes to the biological world. Later I saw two main roads I could take: Science or history, which I also liked a lot. In the end, I decided to study science because I thought that history I can still pursue as a hobby.

Before you joined Verve Ventures in 2018, you were working in Lausanne as an intrapreneur for a Japanese industrial company. What does an intrapreneur do?
An intrapreneur’s job is comparable to the CEO of a startup but inside a large company. You look for a major problem your company’s customers have and try to identify a solution, a technology, and check if there is a market for it. I had to pitch my ideas to an investment committee in Japan to get funding. There were two projects I worked on, one medical device and one project in AgriTech.

Afterward, you joined Verve Ventures. Why didn’t you start your own company instead?
I wanted to join a VC and have the ability to work on many different, changing and challenging topics, not just focus on one specific topic. And in my position, I get to meet many people who have an immense passion for what they do and also have an impact on the business world.

How would you describe the contact you have with the entrepreneurs?
Trust is the basis of these relationships. Entrepreneurs should be open and not try to hide anything. I try to meet them very early and establish a regular contact, even if they’re in a phase that is still too early for us. I try to help them as much as possible to bring them forward. When a VC decides to work with a startup, this is the beginning of a very long journey. That’s why it’s also very important to have good personal chemistry.

How do you get in contact with startups? 
We usually have them on the radar because we’re systematically screening startup hotspots in Europe. But then again, we might get contacted directly by the startups or by VCs from our network.

What kind of companies are you looking at?
Companies that have a unique and defensible solution for an important problem addressing a large market. If you’re asking about the stage they’re in, the answer largely depends on the industry. For Medtech, they need to have a proof of concept, for digital cases, we want to see traction or sales. In general, we’re open to different stages.

Do you sometimes get a really bad impression looking at startups?
You might get a bad first impression because some people just aren’t great at sales and aren’t the best at pitching their idea. Nevertheless, they might have a clear vision and conviction. So it is worth it to stay humble and challenge your first impressions and preconceived ideas. Nonetheless, the first impression matters and I’m highly critical when I see a pitch deck that is just buzzwords and no facts or numbers.

How do you work together with your colleagues in the investment team?
We come from different backgrounds, science, business, law, and that creates engaging conversations because we all think differently. The great thing about our team is that you can bring a case to the discussion no matter what your level is, and you can have the satisfaction to see it through the process. The mindset is that you should trust your ability and do things, even if you don’t have 10 years of experience.

What are the deals you’ve worked on?
Since I’m the point of contact for Swiss Post, one of our corporate clients, I am looking at a wide range of deals. I naturally lean towards life sciences since I have experience there. This helps if you have to read a preclinical report of 100 pages like I did for a recent case. But sometimes the questions of the investment committee are mostly on the business side. When you switch from one case to another as we do, you have to be up to speed on the details of the case.

How do you substantiate your analysis of a startup?
I do a lot of calls with experts in the field. The important thing is to ask for facts, not opinions. If you just ask how do you like this idea, this isn’t helpful. People tend to be positive in general and don’t want to kill off ideas like that. So you need to dig to get to the facts you can rely on.

What skills are most important in your role as an analyst?
Social skills are very important. You need to gauge the character of entrepreneurs quickly. Some of them like to get challenged, so you need to give them pushback, others less so. This goes together with a very critical mindset you need as an analyst. But my job is to adapt to the vibe of the entrepreneur, not the other way around.

So your work is mostly analytical? 
Yes, but it is more than that. You also need curiosity and creative thinking. We finance innovation that will impact our lives in a decade or two. To imagine the avenues of future development, to think about how a possible exit could look like, this requires a broad understanding of the world and creativity.

How do you explain what you do to your family and friends?
It’s not too difficult actually. They might not know the word VC but if you say you invest in startups, everybody thinks this must be a cool job. And it is.