Meet GenLots co-founder and co-CEO Arnaud and find out what he considers to be the backbone of a startup's vision

08.07.2020 11:31, Isabelle Mitchell

Venture Leader Technology Arnaud co-founded GenLots, a company that brings machine learning to supply chains to optimize order processes and unlock untapped value. Learn more about what Arnaud expects to get out of the roadtrip to the United States, what he is mindful of, and what is the best advice he has ever received.

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 five questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life: 

Name: Arnaud
Job title: co-CEO of GenLots
Location: Lausanne
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: HEC Lausanne (The Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne) and London School of Economics  
Number of employees: 8 (as of 07/2020)
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In January 2020 for the Venture Leaders competition

“GenLots optimizes the way large industrial companies purchase their inbound materials.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
A Swiss pharmaceutical company sensed tensions in their purchasing organization between the strategic procurement teams, which were tasked with negotiating with suppliers, and the operational replenishment teams, which were tasked with planning orders and passing them on. The company approached the department of Management & Technology of ETHZ to help them come up with an innovative solution. My co-founder Simon, who was a master student there at the time, undertook the task, and this is how he was initially exposed to loopholes in order planning.
 
What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
We expect:

• The possibility to sharpen our vision for our expansion by discussing it with and being challenged on it by curious minds
• The possibility to have an “insider look” at an advanced innovation ecosystem with its particular pros and cons
• The possibility to make connections for potential partnerships or meet potential clients
• The possibility to meet, or strengthen existing connections with, investors

What is something you wish you had known about being a founder? 
Being mindful of limiting beliefs. Our own self-perception—for example, when we tell ourselves that we are more “technical” or more “creative”—is often driven by perceptions others project on us. This can act as an unnecessary cap on the range of activities we put our minds to.

What is the best advice you have ever received and from whom?
I have heard several times from various advisors the famous quote, “Plans are nothing; planning is everything,” which I think is appropriate for a startup. Otherwise, the good, basic advice “Business before pleasure,” given by my father, retains all its relevance.

What is your greatest professional failure, and what did you learn from it? 
In my previous venture, my business partner and I failed to recognize the flaws in our business model and margin structure early enough, which, if identified properly in time, could have prevented some downfalls. The business model is the typical Achille’s heel of many startups: They consider it last, assuming it is a foregone thing that one simply builds up once the activity is launched and the product is active, when, in fact, a business model is the backbone of the vision.

What is your favorite movie?
I would say the Big Sleep by Howard Hawks, for the technical mastery, the photography, the charisma of Bogart and Bacall, and especially the complex scenario full of ellipses, which totally immerses the spectator—as the title could suggest—into the spiraling underground world depicted.

What is your favorite book? 
A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle that shaped the Middle East comes to mind. It is an insightful depiction of Middle-Eastern conflicts in the first half of the 20th century, particularly between French and English powers, which contributed to the damaging situation we witness today.

Last but not least, can you show us your workspace? 


For more information and updates on GenLots 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.