Venture Leaders Technology 2024: Team Captain’s blog by Zoundream CEO Roberto Iannone

18.04.2024 10:00, Rita Longobardi

In early April, the Swiss National Technology Startup Team 2024 traveled to San Francisco to connect with and learn from investors and experts in Silicon Valley. We asked Venture Leaders Technology Team Captain Roberto Iannone to share his experience and take us behind the scenes of the week-long roadshow.

The adventure started a few weeks before the actual trip when we all met in Zurich for a full-day kick-off event. In that one day, I managed to exchange with the full group of travellers for the first time, including the nine startups and the sponsors that would have left with us. Little I knew at the time that I would soon become so familiar with everyone in that crowd.

During the kick-off, we spent the day sharing information about our companies and ourselves, and learning about the program ahead, with specific sessions about fundraising, how to pitch in the US, and the overall Silicon Valley ecosystem.

The journey started on Sunday, April 7th, when most of us met in Zurich airport, for our direct flight to San Francisco; some other folks had already travelled to SF separately, so we met them directly there. After an 11-hour flight, with basically no sleep (as usual), there we were finally: In the most successful and innovative corner of the planet, the Mecca of any tech entrepreneur, the Neverland where unicorns do really exist and new ones get created every year... Silicon Valley.

It wasn’t my first time in the Valley. But no matter how many times, it’s always a very special feeling to get there. Things simply move at a different pace and you really feel like anything could happen, at any time.

Monday
The first day started with two very valuable sessions, on how different is to pitch in the US, and how we should consider pricing for our startup. After the two sessions, we then divided into two groups. Some of us went to Samsung Next, in their San Carlos base, while the second group met with Intel Capital, nearby.

This was the first of a long series of pitches. The format was pretty much always the same: 3 minutes pitch, jumping straight to the point, and looking for potential follow-up meetings or calls. Practice, practice, practice. It's interesting how our 3-minute pitches evolved with each repetition, finely tuned through feedback from both our audience and fellow group members. Afterwards, we attended the Swiss Consul's Residency in San Francisco, where we engaged in networking and enjoyed Swiss wine tasting, mingling with members of the Swiss ecosystem.

Tuesday
The second day kicked off with pitches. At Tenacity VC in Athertone, Ben Narasin, a renowned expert, provided direct and invaluable feedback, cutting through the chase. Next, at Google in Mountain View, we met Adrian Stalder, a former ETH Swiss now at Google. Adrian shared insights into Google's culture, history, and more. And, of course, we couldn't miss the classic team picture in front of the dinosaur statue during the campus tour.

Fun fact: The statue is not a real skeleton of a dinosaur, it’s made of metal. So I couldn’t miss realizing that in the Zoundream office, located inside Novartis Campus in Basel, we do have a similar statue, but ours happens to be an actual skeleton, not a metal duplicate. So for the rest of the day, I’ve been left wondering if Google employees shouldn’t start visiting us in our office, rather than the other way around.



The day concluded with a pitch event at Swisscom Outpost in Palo Alto, followed by a BBQ and networking at the same spot.

Wednesday
On Wednesday, we gathered at Pier17, the base of Swissnex in San Francisco, situated directly on the bay. Fond memories and reconnecting with friends from last year's Swissnex SF campus made the location special. We listened to pitches from Fyrfly Ventures and Amazon Fund, followed by insightful experiences shared by Gabor Cselle, a former ETH member with successful startup ventures. The openness of everyone we met was remarkable. In the afternoon, we attended the Berkeley Skydeck demo, witnessing 20 startups pitching for investors, and experiencing the energy and passion firsthand.

Thursday
The day was filled with pitching sessions from Partech Partners, True Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and DN Capital. Throughout the week, we all improved our pitches significantly, making them more direct, fluid, and relevant for Silicon Valley investors. Despite our companies remaining unchanged, our ability to convey their essence in just three minutes vastly improved. Additionally, on Thursday evening we had a memorable Korean dinner filled with laughter and enjoyment, lasting roughly two hours.

Friday
On the last day, we squeezed in a quick biking trip from Fisherman’s Wharf to the Golden Gate before heading to the airport. It was a brief but enjoyable break after a busy week, allowing us to unwind and chat about our future plans. After lunch, we split up and headed to the airport, where we spent a few hours catching up on emails before our 11-hour flight home.

"Quite impressive to realize that it was all happening in just one week! I strongly recommend the Venture Leaders program to any Swiss startup that wants to GO BIG and that wants to bring a little bit of Switzerland in the Silicon Valley and vice-versa".

Discover the highlights of the weeklong roadhsow.