Futurae CEO Sandra Tobler: ‘Listen to feedback from people who have done it before or have done it better than you’

08.03.2022 10:05, Isabelle Mitchell

Futurae Technologies co-founder and CEO Sandra Tobler is one of Switzerland’s most inspiring entrepreneurs. Today, she shares some insights into her personal and professional life with us and tells us about Futurae’s mission to increase both the security and seamless experience of users online. The Zurich-based startup, founded in 2016, provides companies with a user-centric authentication and transaction confirmation platform that combines trustworthiness and usability. Futurae’s machine-learning-based authentication platform complies with the strictest regulatory and security guidelines while providing fraud prevention, customer insights, and real-time decision-making.

Switzerland boasts countless world-class startups, and our series puts the spotlight on some of the best and most inspiring entrepreneurs and founders to find out what motivates them, what they have learned, and what they do when they are not transforming the world with their innovations. To get this behind-the-scenes perspective, we ask each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose at least ten questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life. This week, we want to learn more about Sandra Tobler, the co-founder and CEO of Futurae Technologies. Sandra’s startup was a Venture Kick winner and Venture Leader Fintech in 2017 and one of the TOP 100 Swiss Startups from 2018 to 2021. Futurae recently won the Red Herring Award Europe 2021.

Name: Sandra Tobler
Location: Zurich
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: MA from the University of Geneva (Graduate Institute)
Job title: CEO of Futurae Technologies
Number of employees: fast growing, >40
Money raised: > USD 7 million
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In 2017 for Venture Leaders Fintech and Venture Kick I, II and III

“Every month, millions of users of over 100 banks and other organizations across the globe rely on Futurae to secure their logins and transactions in a seamless and privacy-preserving way.”

What is one thing people do not know about you?
I am visually impaired and have around 40% to 50% of blind spots.

Among your friends or your team, what are you known for?
Being very persistent and very loyal if something or someone matters to me.

What are you most proud of?
We help millions of people across the world every month with seamless security for their online services. And of the diverse and driven team we are building at Futurae.

What are you most excited about at this time in your startup?
Making the life of so many people easier and more secure online—every day when using web or mobile services. I am also excited that we also help the visually impaired or people who do not feel so comfortable online.

What does your perfect vacation look like?
Observing whales in the North Pole or on an island in Hawaii.

How did you come up with the name for your startup?
We are building seamless security for people for today and tomorrow. In security, you always need to be a step ahead of criminals. At Futurae, we rethink how security is done and shape how the future will look like.

What is your favorite part about being an entrepreneur?
Building something that has an impact on so many people. But also to constantly learn and grow and to be able to shape the environment and culture I am working in.

What is your least favorite part about being an entrepreneur?
The constant guilty conscience about not achieving enough every day.

What does success look like to you? 
Having an impact with what we do at Futurae. Providing great user experience for people with high expectations toward digital services but also making life easier for those who do not feel very comfortable online.

What is the best advice you have ever received?
Listen to feedback from people who have done it before or have done it better than you.