Burn Rate - The Venture Insider Podcast [AI-Translated]

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi review the Swiss and European venture market in May 2026, discuss the SpaceX IPO and address why so many exits are communicated far too positively.

In the news segment, they cover the W.A. de Vigier Award 2026 with five winning startups across healthcare, dental robotics, nano-semiconductors and energy. They then analyze a new Dealroom study on the Swiss startup landscape: internationally relevant and highly productive, but with a clear scaling problem. Finally, they discuss Merantix Capital's new EUR 103M fund and its "customers before...

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi discuss Swiss startup sentiment, the shift from SaaS to Physical AI and the new Swiss Startup Agenda.

In the news segment, they cover the new Swiss Startup Days sentiment barometer showing slightly improved optimism, the Technology Fund's 13 new portfolio companies as an example of growth financing beyond equity, and the structural VC shift from software to hardware, chips, robotics and Physical AI – with global investments rising from USD 4.2B to USD 26B between 2019 and 2025.

In the focus topic, Michael Stucki,...

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi discuss the state of the Swiss ecosystem, Nvidia's role as an AI financier and the biggest fundraising mistakes founders make.

In the news segment, they cover the Swiss Startup Days 2026 in Bern with 1,500 attendees and the question of how accessible the Swiss startup ecosystem really is. They then look at two new deep-tech investments from the HSG START Accelerator: Aithon Robotics and Surface Cleantech. Finally, they analyze Nvidia's massive venture engagement of USD 18.6 billion in a single quarter and whether it's...

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi discuss mega seed rounds, fast follow-on financings and whether Legal AI still has a future.

In the news segment, they cover five Swiss scale-ups awarded the SEF.Growth High Potential Label, the recovery of the Swiss crowdfunding market to CHF 629 million in 2025, and the phenomenon of billion-dollar seed rounds in the AI sector.

In the focus topic, they analyze fast follow-on financing rounds. What used to take 12 to 18 months now happens in weeks. They discuss the drivers, the signaling effects on...