At FUSION, Switzerland’s fintech accelerator, the work with the ten selected startups has started in October. Since 1 December first-class mentors have joined. 60 people have applied to mentor the companies.
FUSION, launched in February this year, is the creation of Polytech Ventures, a venture capital firm based out of the Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne (EPFL). The project brings together a broad group of stakeholders: corporate members such Temenos, Notz Stucki and Swisscard, which provide sponsorship and mentoring; resource partners, such as Capco, Kudelski Security, Arcanys and Interactive Data, which provide technology consulting; law firm id est avocats, which provides corporate and technology law expertise, and academic partners, including IDIAP (independant research institute affiliated with EPFL), which provide access to cutting edge research and facilities.
FUSION’s unique multi-sector and multi-partner approach, which not only gives the opportunity for start-ups to be mentored by leading companies in their field, but also takes no upfront equity stake, has attracted a significant level of interest with more than 60 people applying to mentor the 10 startups selected by FUSION.
From successful fintech entrepreneurs like Simon Kalfon (Bottomline) or Michael Stemmle (additiv), from fintech executives like Christophe Bach (Swisscom) or Ben Robinson (Temenos), to senior bankers like Gérard Fischer (Swisscanto, Fischer Horizon) or Olivier Collombin (Lombard Odier) and investors such as Marc P. Bernegger, FUSION has gathered a unique set of various personalities to support its startups taking off.
To match startups with mentors, FUSION follows a unique approach of “speed-dating”, where startups book a dozen mentors for one-to-one sessions of 10minutes each. After the meetings, the entrepreneurs select the top 3 mentors they’d like to work with, and finally, mentors decide which startup(s) they will be mentoring.
Guillaume Dubray, Partner at Polytech Ventures, commented: “We are very happy to have been able to recruit such a good mix of personalities to mentor FUSION’s startups. We are very impressed by their commitment to support the startups we have selected. FUSION plays entirely its leading role of fostering the emergence of a lively, growing fintech ecosystem in Switzerland”.
For a complete description of the mentors, please visit www.fintechfusion.ch/community/mentors
(SK)
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