EP #542 - Laurent Decrue & Sophie Lamparter: Do Swiss Startups Need the US to Win Big?
January 26, 2026
Co-produced by
Co-produced by
10:37 - Liquidity in the Swiss market without IPOs
23:12 - What areas are attracting funding in Switzerland
36:55 - Europe vs US
45:22 - The guests predictions for 2026
This episode was co-produced with Swiss Startup Days, the leading Swiss deep-tech catalyst event for startups, investors, enablers, and corporates.Checkout Newcomers - the ultimate pitching format for pre-seed and seed startups in Switzerland. Applications open in December 2025.
Episode description:
In this first Swisspreneur Briefing, we go live with Sophie Lamparter (Founder & Managing Partner at VitaminºC) and Laurent Decrue (Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Holycode) to break down what’s moving and shaking in the Swiss startup ecosystem in the last months - from funding and liquidity to what founders should read between the headlines.
Together with Silvan, they unpack three big themes: why Switzerland is finally getting more attention globally for local talent in AI, robotics and drones - yet still hasn’t cracked true scale; why liquidity in Switzerland often looks more like private equity or strategic moves than local IPOs; and how gaps in the capital structure (from growth rounds to public markets) shape where Swiss companies build and ultimately exit.
They then unpack the trade-off founders face between an early life-changing exit and the ecosystem’s need for bigger compounding outcomes; why secondaries could unlock more ambitious journeys but are still culturally harder in Switzerland; and what a “Europe build / US fundraise & go-to-market” playbook can look like.
The cover portrait was edited by www.smartportrait.io.
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