Are you a startup man/woman?
If you’re wondering about this, then this episode is for you! 🙂
You will hear the first part of the exchange between two visionaries and startup creators, Alain Veuve, our CEO, and Rik Krieger, Co-founder of HOPR Services AG.
These two people are the perfect example of what we call “startup guys”. But what exactly are “startup guys”? Discover it through their stories and experiences.
Guest of the day: Rik Krieger – Who is he? –
Rik Krieger was born in Germany but had been living in Switzerland since 22. He started his career at Gate Group International, developing products for various aviation companies. He then moved into a completely different world: comedy, co-founding a Swiss comedy production.
Two years later, he co-founded SONECT and then HOPR.
Some words about SONECT :
By creating SONECT, Rik Krieger has the ambition to replace ATMs. Could this be an indication of what a startup guy can be? (Ambitious – Visionary – Revolutionary)
SONECT allows users to withdraw money from smartphones in more than 2300 partner shops.
How does it work?
A user wants to withdraw CHF50 without going to an ATM. He goes to a partner shop like “kkiosk.” He shows the barcode on his phone, and the shopkeeper gives him 50CHF in cash.
It’s as simple as that, but it’s life-changing!
Save time, no withdrawal fees at ATMs, and free registration!
Some words about HOPR:
HOPR is a transport layer for data, ensuring everyone has control over their privacy. HOPR is the privacy provider for your internet – by adding a privacy layer on the existing infrastructure of your internet provider like Swisscom or T-Mobile.
How does it work?
Web 3 is less private than web 2.0. because the exposed metadata can be used to disrupt, exploit and censor users and services.
HOPR’s decentralized and incentivized mixnet obscures all metadata, including IP addresses, making it impossible to tell anything about who is communicating and what data they are sending.
Example:
Medical data is sensitive data. Even when encrypted, health sensors and applications metadata can expose information that must be legally kept private.
HOPR makes all data and metadata indistinguishable!
Now that we have all the information to understand this episode, let’s get to the heart of the matter.
What is a startup guy?
According to Rik Krieger, a startup guy is a person who revolutionizes by creating something that didn’t exist before. It’s usually an idea that seems logical, and people wonder why they didn’t think of it before.
He explains that you have to be a bit crazy to want and be able to transform an idea (something abstract) into something big and concrete.
But “Beware”, he says, “Just because there is a startup doesn’t mean there is a good idea. But just because a startup fails isn’t a bad idea either. It was probably the wrong time, the market was not ready, or the person himself was not ready.”
Both men agree that being a startup guy is also about multi-tasking, being able to do everything at once. But the success of a startup guy does not depend only on him. It is also to surround himself with the best people while adding a significant time factor: “He has to launch the idea at the right time.”
Finally, he must convince the investors, which is challenging, especially when the project is very innovative and goes beyond the limits of the current reality.
To have an idea and to materialize it is something beautiful and dreamy. But embarking on such an adventure is not without risk and requires some sacrifices. You must confront your project with the expertise of many people, weighing up the pros and cons, and not rush headlong into it, but don’t stop at the first negative criticism either.
In short, you must be optimistic, realistic, crazy, multi-tasking, ambitious, visionary, and convincing.
Discover in Part II how our guest expresses himself in all these forms through presenting his most recent idea, HOPR.
To understand in more detail each theme discussed in this podcast, I invite you to watch the entire video, Part I and Part II (with the video is always better, but listening to a podcast while driving is not bad as well 😊)
Thanks to Rik Krieger and Alain Veuve for sharing their experiences and ideas on the subject.
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