By Sandra Sulser, Photo credits: Endre Horvat

Why did you become an entrepreneur?

Because it is so much more exciting when you feel you have your destiny in your hands!
My entrepreneurial mindset developed initially during the time I was doing my PhD, and afterwards when I worked (as an employee) at different startups. What drives me is to invent and develop new technology solutions that help solve the massive problem of counterfeiting, but at some point I realised the only way to push through my ideas and vision was to get in the driving seat and become an entrepreneur.

What’s your biggest (daily) challenge?

Our startup is driven by the vision that counterfeiting can be stopped by empowering consumers and the brand to verify a product’s authenticity with their smartphone. My biggest challenge is to ensure that everyone on the team, myself included, is doing everyday the right thing that will bring us closer to this ultimate objective.

What’s your most important message for the next generation of entrepreneurs?

Should I interpret this question as being already part of the old generation?
If you have a promising idea and business, tons of opportunities will appear along the way, and a number of people will come to you and offer their help. This is great as you cannot succeed alone, and a very encouraging validation of your idea in the beginning. However it is easy to be carried away, and the challenge is to not lose your focus and divert important resources by following too many opportunities at once, or opportunities for which you are not ready. This means that you will have to resist the temptations that appear along the way, and learn to say “no” more often than “yes”.

Tell me something I don’t know…

I started skateboarding one year ago. Like entrepreneurship, it is a risky (and sometimes painful) activity, but equally exciting and rewarding!