Meet Typewise co-founder David Eberle and find out how he revolutionizes typing on smartphones

25.05.2021 07:30, Isabelle Mitchell

David Eberle co-founded Typewise, a Venture Leader Mobile that develops the next-generation smartphone keyboard for iOS and Android. Typewise’s AI technology and honeycomb design are made for two-thumb typing on touchscreens: Using the Typewise keyboard results in four times fewer typos, allows typing in more than 40 languages, and ensures 100% privacy. Learn more about David’s expectations for the Venture Leaders Mobile experience, and find out which apps a smartphone-keyboard developer likes best.

The Venture Leaders Mobile 2021 will accelerate their expansion into the global market and strengthen their business network by attending the Mobile World Congress 2021 in Barcelona, Spain, to meet with top-notch investors and industry leaders. 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: David Eberle
Location: Basel
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: INSEAD, MBA in 2017
Your job title: CEO of Typewise
Number of employees: 12
Money raised: CHF 1 million
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In 2019, Innosuisse Start-up Training for Business Growth in ICT

“Typewise decodes human thoughts.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
Typewise was founded by two Swiss guys: Janis Berneker and me, David Eberle. We met at the age of 14 in high school and have always been two makers interested in the latest technology. In our later professions as a data scientist (Janis) and management consultant (David) we both had to write a lot on our smartphones, and both of us were annoyed by the bad usability.

The idea to develop an innovative keyboard for smartphones matured over time. One evening, Janis had a flash of inspiration, and within a few hours, a concept was developed and in my mailbox. After my early-morning answer—“Let’s do it!”—the project began. As a technology enthusiast, Janis devoted himself to product development, and I took care of the market strategy. The next step was to validate a prototype on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, where we exceeded our funding target by 50%. This validated that our solution would be useful also to others and that there’s a viable business model.

My background is in digital strategy. As a strategy consultant, I helped digitize international corporations across Europe and the US. As a student, I spent many years in Asia, which gave me a different perspective on languages and cultures. During my MBA, which I did at INSEAD in Singapore, I learned more about entrepreneurship, which motivated me to pursue this venture full-time eventually. The real driver behind going full-time was my co-founder Janis, whom I have known since high school, and who quit his job as well to pursue Typewise.
 
What do you expect from the Venture Leaders roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
The Venture Leaders roadshow will help us towards achieving our vision in two ways. First, the Mobile World Congress is the conference where decision-makers of the telco ecosystem meet. Since the keyboard is an integral part of any mobile device, this is where we can accelerate our partnership discussions with manufacturers, operators, and other players in the communication ecosystem, such as messengers. Furthermore, the conference is typically well covered in the media, which provides an ideal opportunity to tell the world about our vision, technology, and product. Second, the roadshow that’s organized by Venture Leaders will put us in front of relevant investors. This coincides well with our fundraising schedule, as we plan to close our next financing round in the second half of 2021.
 
What is the one talent you wish you had?
Being able to fly would be quite amazing.

What is your favorite movie or TV show?
The Wire. It was one of the most realistic crime dramas, with great acting and a captivating storyline, yet exploring a different social issue of Baltimore in each season.

What is always in your fridge?
Milk. The kids love it, and my morning latte needs it.

Where and when are you most productive?
When I have few distractions such as calls, so I'm trying to keep two to three hours every day to work without interruptions. 

What are your three favorite apps? 

• Asana: great for Kanban boards 
• Rocketreach: great to find email addresses
• Ally: great to manage and visualize objectives and key results in the team

How and where do you clear your mind?
Exercise helps me the most. The mind and body are very much connected, and a change in the body most often leads to a change in the state of mind.

Last but not least, could you show us your workspace? 
Sure. Here is the Typewise team in a virtual meeting: 




For more information and updates on Typewise and the Venture Leaders Mobile, follow the Venture Leaders Mobile 2021 team with #VleadersMobile on social media or subscribe to our newsletter. 
 
This year's Venture Leaders Mobile program is supported by Huawei, Swisscom, and VISCHER.