Meet Yova CEO Tillmann Lang and discover why saying no is an integral part of success

09.11.2020 08:25, Isabelle Mitchell

Venture Leader Fintech Tillmann Lang co-founded Yova, a startup that makes it easy for everyone—even beginners—to invest in a sustainable and responsible future without compromising their returns. Learn more about Tillmann’s expectations for the Venture Leader Fintech experience, why he avoids procrastinating difficult tasks, and how his children prepare him for investor meetings.

The Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 will accelerate their international expansion and build a business network through meetings 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 four questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life.

Name: Tillmann Lang 
Job title: CEO of Yova
Location: Zurich
Nationality: German
Graduated from: ETH Zurich 
Number of employees: 25
First touchpoint with Venturelab: Venture Leaders Fintech 2020

“Yova offers impact investments that combine sustainability impacts with attractive returns—everything is digital, easy to understand, and transparent.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
Right here in Zurich. Distilled from years of wondering about finance, sustainability, and how the industry neglects retail consumers.

What do you expect from the Venture Leaders program, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
Scrutiny. We want to stress-test our scale-up roadmap and a number of opportunities through engaged discussions with the people in the program. And of course, we want to build our network for Yova's international scale-up.

What is your favorite productivity hack? 
Remembering that being successful needs focus, and focus means saying no. If you don't say no to many great ideas, you'll never make the one that matters work.

How and where do you clear your mind? 
I have two small kids who clear my mind daily. Whether I want them to or not. I try to live up to their expectations. Their judgment can be much harder than that of our investors. It's a healthy reminder of what matters in life and what doesn't.

What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder? 
Long-term thinking pays off. It may seem like the whole world pushes you to focus only on the next months. Don't give in. Keep in mind what matters most, and make that the guiding principle for all decisions.

What is the best advice you have ever received? 
Always swallow the bitter pill first. If you need to do something that makes you feel awkward, do it right away. Don't walk away from difficult actions. Everything else will make your days miserable. At some point, you may explode. So put out fires before they burn you. 

What is your favorite TV show?
Rick and Morty. I can't even say why. I just really enjoy it.

What is your favorite book? 
23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang. An eye-opener for anyone who received a conventional education.

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 Yova and the Venture Leaders Fintech, follow the Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 team with #VleadersFintech on social media or subscribe to our newsletter.