Meet Teylor CEO Patrick Stäuble and learn more about the challenges of “founder FOMO”

28.10.2020 07:01, Isabelle Mitchell

Venture Leader Fintech Patrick Stäuble founded Teylor, a startup that revolutionizes lending to small businesses and builds technology that allows business owners to get financing tailored to their needs. Learn more about Patrick’s expectations for the Venture Leader Fintech experience and his love for dairy, science fiction, and early mornings at the office.

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 will represent 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 four questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life.

Name: Patrick Stäuble 
Job title: CEO of Teylor
Location: Zurich
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: University of Zurich 
Number of employees: 30 
First touchpoint with Venturelab: The startup we share an office with, Orca AG, was selected for last year’s Venture Leaders Fintech program. Orca CEO Tomas Hurcik came back from the trip to Hong Kong and was excited about the experience. Venturelab is a well-known initiative in the Swiss startup ecosystem, but hearing how great it was for our colleagues really motivated us to participate. 

“Teylor is a technology company that has automated and digitized the entire SME credit process and provides this technology to banks as Software-as-a-Service product while also marketing its own loans through the Teylor Loan Platform.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
In my previous job, I was a product manager and later the head of business development at a mobile banking startup. During this time, I dealt with many different banks on a daily basis and got insights into their technology and challenges. That was when I realized that the lack of automation and digitalization is an enormous problem for both banks and borrowers and that this problem is especially felt in the SME lending sector. It was absolutely clear to me that a technology to solve this challenge would become a huge success story. 

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders program, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
Two things: First, I believe one of the key success factors for young companies is to exchange ideas with other startups. The outside-in perspective of other founders who solve similar challenges is one of the greatest support methods you can get for your business. Second, Venturelab provides us with a way to get in touch and network with international investors who might be of help for our international expansion plans. We aim to become the leading European SME lending technology provider within the next three years and are already planning to expand globally. We will certainly need support from investors for this roadmap.

Where and when are you most productive?
Generally, I am the most productive early in the mornings or late at night. I usually try to be in the office about an hour before anyone else, as that is when I can use my most productive hours to get some work done before the day starts.

What is the most challenging aspect of being a founder? 
I think the most difficult thing overall is deciding where to focus your energy. There are always so many things you could be doing, people you could be talking to, events you could be participating in. So deciding what really matters and what you need to do to move your mission forward is something you have to focus on constantly.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder? 
The idea of going back to a stable job and salary is always appealing. That is why the most important thing as a founder is to be persistent but also not to try to do everything by yourself. It is essential to have people around you to share the burden with, which makes it easier to keep fighting and not give up.

What is your favorite book and why? 
My favorite book is probably one of the Commonwealth Saga books by Peter F. Hamilton. I love science fiction because I really enjoy reading about how the world and mankind could develop in the next hundreds of years.

What is always in your fridge? 
Milk and cheese! I am Swiss, so I could not live without either.

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



This year’s Venture Leaders Fintech is organized in collaboration with swissnex China and supported by EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Immomig, PostFinance, TX Group, Walder Wyss, and the Canton of Zurich.

For more information and updates on Teylor and the Venture Leaders Fintech, follow the Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 team with #VleadersFintech on social media or subscribe to our newsletter.