Meet SwissBorg CEO Cyrus Fazel and find out what he wished he had known about being a founder

20.11.2020 08:15, Isabelle Mitchell

Venture Leader Fintech Cyrus Fazel co-founded SwissBorg, a startup that helps people become better crypto investors and control their wealth by providing a trusted and accessible wealth management ecosystem powered by blockchain technology. Learn more about Cyrus’s expectations for the Venture Leader Fintech experience, how he balances obsession and insanity, and what role The Matrix plays in his entrepreneurial journey.

The Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 will accelerate their international expansion and build a business network through meetings with top-notch investors and industry leaders. From November 2 to 6, the Swiss National Startup team represented Switzerland's innovative fintech force at the first-ever virtual edition of the Hong Kong Fintech Week 2020. To introduce you to the members of the Swiss National Startup Team, we asked each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose six questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life.
 
Name: Cyrus Fazel
Job title: CEO of SwissBorg
Location: Lausanne
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: EDHEC Business School
Number of employees: 78
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In 2019, I was a Venturelab Coach.

“We help people understand how to put digital assets to use and manage their crypto wealth.”   

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup? 
After working in the wealth management industry for over a decade, I realized that I was focusing on only 0.1% of the planet. After discovering blockchain technology, we realized that we could potentially reach 99% of the population and reduce the wealth gap by creating a new financial era that is fair, fun, and community-centric. Our ICO attracted 24K contributors around the world. We are now a diverse team of 78 and have developed two apps: a gamified Bitcoin prediction and a crypto management app. Our community is growing as we add more utilities to our CHSB token. 

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders program, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
VL has a solid track record of connecting Switzerland’s best startups to leading investors. Thanks to its prestigious network, we have already met several potential collaborators and partners with whom we hope to be able to team up. We believe that in a pioneering field like ours, and when you dream as big as we do, you can only achieve your goals through the constant and sincere exchange of ideas, challenges, and goals. Venturelab facilitates this exchange between us dreamers and achievers. 

What are your favorite productivity tools? 
YouTube videos, Twitter, and Discord allow us to effectively foster and communicate with our community, especially for those who are heavily involved.   

What is the most challenging aspect of being a founder? 
Obsession and insanity are what every founder needs, but at the same time, it can be dangerous. I have T-shirts, pendants, bracelets, hoodies, shirts, stickers, and graffiti of SwissBorg that remind me every second what my goal is: bringing Swiss wealth management to the world. At times, everyone around you has to understand what you are doing and share a bit of your passion. 

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a founder? 
Self-realization is one of the best things in the world. When you dream about something, and then you are able to see it grow and scale—it is a priceless moment. 
Some time ago, I was sitting on the plane, and someone came over and asked, “Do you know SwissBorg?” (I was wearing a cap and hoodie), and I replied, “Yes I work there.” Then this guy and his friend talked about how cool our project was. None of them realized that I was the founder, and it reminded me why I am so dedicated. 

What is something you wish you had known about being a founder? 

• Start with just one simple idea, then scale it. 
• Hire right away the best CTO and a top recruiter. 
• If you have co-founders, live with them for some time. Anthony and I did this for two years, and this was the best experience I have ever had. 
• Test your ideas before production, and try to get the best feedback. Once you get confirmation from your future users, only then develop your product. 

What is your favorite movie?
Akira and The Matrix. Both movies portray the future with CyBorgs (SwissBorg) and how humans could potentially win or lose everything. I strongly believe that technology with good intentions can enable planet Earth and humans to be well connected. 
 
What are you most proud of? 
Finding my own purpose and hopefully inspiring others to do this same job. 

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