#SummerSeries: 5 questions for André Borschberg—entrepreneur, explorer, speaker

19.08.2020 07:30, Isabelle Mitchell

During the summer months, we ask people who inspire the Swiss startup ecosystem to provide the Venturelab community with food for thought, inspiration, and recommendations for summer 2020—and beyond. Even though summer is winding down, we are not slacking off: Answering our questions next is André Borschberg, one of two pilots who alternated flying Solar Impulse around the world. André is a world-record breaker who pushes boundaries in both technology and human endeavors to show us the potential of sustainable energy, human ingenuity, and stamina.

Most people know André Borschberg as the CEO, co-founder, and pilot of Solar Impulse, the enterprise that built the first airplane that was able to fly day and night without any fuel. Piloted by André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse completed the round-the-world journey in 2015. During that journey, André—an engineer and graduate in management science, a fighter pilot and a professional airplane and helicopter pilot—broke the world record for the longest solo flight in an airplane of any kind: 117 hours and 52 minutes. In 2017, he co-founded H55, a technological spin-off of Solar Impulse, which develops and sells electric propulsion technologies to aircraft manufacturers. André is also a mentor, coach, and public speaker, whose mission is to drive economic, environmental, and spiritual growth. 



André, how will you spend your summer this year? 
This summer is not very different from previous summers. I am currently in Turkey, which is my second country: It is the country of my wife, so we try to spend the summer here and see family and friends. It is always a pleasure to be back. The situation with COVID-19 here is similar to Switzerland, so it is pretty well under control—people wear masks, and we do not go out much. It is a mix of enjoying the sea and working. The only thing that changed about my summer plans were the dates, with all the borders opening and closing. So, we adapted and made our stay a little shorter as I have to be back in Switzerland by the end of August. 

I think we have learned from the pandemic that we can work from home. On one side you gain a lot of time, which allows you to do other things, on the other side, coordination with others is more difficult and takes more time and effort. Our startup, H55, which is a technology spin-off of Solar Impulse, commercializes electric propulsion systems for aircraft, to allow the development of new concepts and solutions such as flying taxis or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. As we are starting to sell our products, we have to connect with more people. When you sell, you can do some of the work via Zoom, but you also need to bring people in, show them the product, and let them test it. That is why I will return to Switzerland sooner. We are currently also doing a financing round, which is not as easy as it used to be but looks feasible. It is the typical life of a startup: As soon as you close a financing round, you think about the next one. Of course, you are always happy about the money that you just raised, but you soon feel the pressure to start thinking about the next round. It is a very short honeymoon.

Reflecting on the year so far, what do you see as the most critical challenges and opportunities for entrepreneurs? 
There are very different situations. Some industries are in line with what is currently happening: If you are in the virtual world, if you focus on e-commerce, or if you deal with the technology that people need when working from home, you can catch a fantastic wave and surf on it. If this is not the case, the situation might be a bit more difficult. Of course, it all depends on which part of the life cycle you are in. I think for people who are selling and distributing a product, things have slowed down, and they lost a few months of effort. People had to be creative to find new ways to cope with the slow-down. If you are still cashflow negative, as we are, it is important to optimize spending and make sure that you have enough cash to continue. It can be difficult to attract investors at the moment. I know from friends and acquaintances that there are very different situations: Some people are very happy and never had better numbers in sales volume. Others are facing tougher challenges, but this is what is interesting as an entrepreneur: You constantly face new situations, and you need to think of different ways and new solutions. 

What is the essential principle for mastering challenges as an entrepreneur? 
A positive mindset. When you develop a new project, you can be sure that, despite the fact that you have a strategy and plans, it will progress in a different way. An entrepreneur has to be ready to face change and difficulties and transform these difficulties into opportunities. When you face an obstacle, the situation is changing, and you have the choice: You either can complain about the obstacle and difficulty or you can, and I think this is what the entrepreneur should do, take enough distance from the problem to thoroughly analyze the new situation, and see where the benefits could be. This ability to transform—and not just accept—a new reality is what makes a good entrepreneur and helps him move forward faster, stronger, and with new skills. 

What book would you recommend founders and entrepreneurs to read this summer – and why?
I would recommend not to read books about what you do in your professional life; this helps expand your thinking. I am currently reading Vertige du Cosmos by astrophysicist and professor of astronomy Trinh Xuan Thuan, and I strongly recommend it. The book offers a fascinating view of our universe, and it makes me think about questions that are further away from my day-to-day preoccupations. As an entrepreneur, it is important to enlarge your own cosmos.

What can startup founders learn from you when they follow you on social media? 
I try to be pretty transparent on social media. So, anyone who follows us will see that I share a lot about our learnings and challenges. I try to be pretty open about what we do and how we do it. Looking at how someone overcomes obstacles and difficulties is always beneficial. I communicate through videos, and I strongly recommend this channel. I am not saying that we are the best at it, but it is a great way to reach people. Once a week, I usually share a video about what we do. It is quite short, but I think it is what people like to see. 

Learn more about André Borschberg on his website, and follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn. H55's videos can also be found on Instagram. 

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