Meet Distran co-founder and CEO Florian Perrodin and find out how he opens new worlds by making sounds visible

13.07.2020 07:47, Isabelle Mitchell

Venture Leader Technology Florian Perrodin co-founded Distran, a company that develops advanced acoustic sensors to help locate defects, such as leaks or discharges, while being at a safe distance. Learn more about Florian’s expectations for the Silicon Valley roadshow, why rivers can be superior to offices, and how (proverbial) fights can boost entrepreneurship.

In October, the Venture Leaders Technology 2020 will embark on their week-long roadshow to accelerate their expansion into the US market and build a business network through meetings with top-notch investors and industry leaders in Silicon Valley. To shorten the waiting time, we will introduce you to the members of the Swiss National Startup Team. We asked each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose four questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life: 

Name: Florian Perrodin
Job title: CEO of Distran
Location: Zurich
Nationality: French
Graduated from: ETH Zurich
Number of employees: 18 (as of 07/2020)
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In 2019, for the Venture Leaders program

“At Distran, we develop ultrasonic cameras for industrial inspection.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
By being able to see sounds through the world’s first ultrasonic camera, a new world opened to us. Through industrial partnerships, we discovered that we could help our partners find gas leaks and increase workers’ safety. We were, thus, satisfying two important goals for us: making scientific discoveries and having a meaningful impact – for the environment and for people’s safety.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
Groundbreaking discoveries require time to be accepted and recognized. Through the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow, we aim to present our technology in Silicon Valley for the first time and show how it will change inspection and diagnostics—from industry to construction—just as thermographic imaging did a few decades ago. We expect to meet decision-makers, be it investors or potential customers.

Where and when are you most productive?
Walking, especially near a river, is great for getting new ideas and making decisions. Execution tasks are best performed in a quiet environment.
 
What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder? 
Working for a project you believe in is the most important thing for me in my professional life. Being a founder gave me the opportunity to choose my “fights” and work toward what I believe in.
 
What is your favorite book and why? 
I am a fan of the Culture series by Scottish author Iain M. Banks. It presents a technological future that is not dystopian, which is quite rare these days.
 
What is always in your fridge? 
I always keep some French cheese—and some Swiss cheese as well.


For more information and updates on Distran and the Venture Leaders Technology, follow the Venture Leaders Technology 2020 team with #VleadersTech on social media or subscribe to our newsletter. 

This year’s Venture Leaders Technology roadshow to Silicon Valley is supported by DPD, Kellerhals Carrard, Rothschild & Co Bank, Canton de Vaud, EPF Lausanne, and ETH Zurich.