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Antonia Albert, Principal at Founderful, Swisspreneur Podcast

Co-produced by

Co-produced by

EP #515 - Antonia Albert: What Makes a Startup Attractive to VCs?

Antonia Albert

August 28, 2025

Co-produced by

Co-produced by

Timestamps:

Timestamps:

2:30 - What makes a startup attractive to VCs?

7:44 - Why VC money isn’t for everyone

16:40 - What if the VC tells you no?

21:00 - What is “vibe coding”?

24:25 - When VCs decide to invest

This episode was originally a live conversation which took place at startup days 2025, in Bern. Check out⁠ startup days⁠ to learn about next year's event!

Click ⁠here⁠ to order your copy of “Swiss Startups” today.

About Antonia Albert:

Antonia Albert is the principal of Founderful, a pre-seed fund backing Switzerland's best tech entrepreneurs to become global market leaders. She holds a MSc in Strategic Management from the Rotterdam School of Management, and co-founded Careship, a startup providing in-home senior care, back in 2015. She joined Founderful in 2022. 

During her chat with Yokoy co-founder and startup investor Melanie Gabriel, Antonia shared some insights into the daily activities of a VC. She highlighted that VC money is not suitable for all cases, and that not all newly-founded businesses qualify as startups. Antonia encouraged founders to make sure at least 1 person in their team is fully dedicated to fundraising, and stressed the importance of talking to investors proactively and making the best use out of international travel.

The cover portrait was edited by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.smartportrait.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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