Startup Champions Features EPFL Rising Stars and TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award Finalists: Flyability, Lunaphore and Bestmile

16.12.2019 16:00, Guillaume Tinsel

The year's Startup Champions, the flagship startup event co-organized by Venturelab and Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, was dedicated to the most-successful companies founded by EPFL alums. More than 120 guests packed the Montreux Jazz Café to hear the honest and informal conversation among the startup founders of EPFL rising-star startups Flyability, Lunaphore and Bestmile. Watch the broadcast below.

EPFL Enable's Isabel Casado opened the event thanking Venturelab and Venture Kick for their support given to EPFL's startups, before Venturelab Managing Partner Jordi Montserrat introduced the entrepreneur founders: Flyability CEO Patrick Thévoz; Lunaphore CEO Ata Tuna Ciftlik and CTO Diego Dupouy; and Bestmile's co-founders Raphaël Gindrat and Anne Mellano. Flyability ranked first at this year's TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award, with Lunaphore 2nd and Bestmile at #5. Montserrat also reminded the audience of the great courage required to start a new venture. More than 120 people enjoyed the panel discussion, hearing the founders' advice and experiences about entrepreneurship.

Lots of people here waiting for our #startupchampions event with @venturelab_ch to begin #innovation #technology pic.twitter.com/E52WjJe3YW

— EPFL_enable (@epfl_enable) 12. Dezember 2019

Asked about the skills gained from entrepreneurship that can't be learnt in a corporate job, Flyability's Thévoz said "Entrepreneurship forces you to understand yourself. You have to understand what you’re good at, and where you need help."

From deciding to launch a company to hiring people or raising funds, the founders shared their experience, giving tips and inspirational advice to encourage the audience to pursue entrepreneurial paths.

"Hiring is difficult. When we received our first CVs, it was like Chinese to us. Our advisors helped us a lot, and so did our investors."

Reflections on building a great team by @AnneKoymans, Co-Founder of @Bestmile, at #StartupChampions, @epfl_enable, @EPFL_en . pic.twitter.com/wS9lm64KKn

— Venturelab (@venturelab_ch) 12. Dezember 2019

The event closed on a networking apéro, enabling discussions to continue into the evening in an intimate and friendly atmosphere.

You can relive the event via our Facebook Livestream below.