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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...

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi discuss the Swiss and European venture market in April 2026.

In the news segment, they cover the ZKB Pionierpreis Technopark 2026, won by RTDT Laboratories with a sensor system for wind turbines, the bankruptcy of Farmy as a cautionary tale about pandemic booms and missing unit economics, and the launch of AcceleratorX, a new European AI accelerator focused on market access rather than coaching.

In the focus topic, they analyze the Burn Rate Market Snapshot for April 2026. Around CHF 222 million was invested...

In this special episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast – we record live for the first time: at the BEA Expo in Bern, as part of the KMU-Impulsprogramm.

Guy Giuffredi talks with Sebastian Betschen, founder of Almer Technologies and now CEO of Realwear, about building a hardware startup from Bern that reached global relevance. Almer was founded in 2021 and developed lightweight augmented reality glasses for industrial applications. In early 2025, Almer was acquired by Realwear, a global leader in industrial AR and wearable technology. Shortly after, Sebastian took over as CEO of the combined company.

The...

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi discuss Physical AI, a new Swiss unicorn and the question of how to become a great VC.

In the news segment, they cover the Sifted ranking of Europe's top Physical AI hubs – with Zurich ranking #2 by deal count – the unicorn status of vVARDIS following a strategic investment from Apollo, and the structural shift in the US seed market toward larger rounds and growing bifurcation.

In the main topic, Oliver Flückiger from Vibe VC joins the show. Together they discuss how early-stage...

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi discuss current developments in the Swiss startup and venture capital ecosystem.

In the news segment, they cover the Stanford AI Index 2026, where Switzerland ranks first globally for AI talent per capita, Swiss founders featured on the Forbes Europe 30 Under 30 list, and Goldman Sachs’ investment in BLP Digital. The focus is on AI talent, international visibility, and how Swiss AI scale-ups are building global relevance through enterprise process automation.

In the featured topic, they are joined by Mathias Ruch, founder and CEO...

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi discuss current developments in the Swiss and European venture capital landscape.

In the news segment, they cover the first closing of Herbert Fund I, the growing compute bottleneck in the AI market, and the latest Innosuisse certificates awarded to Swiss startups. The focus is on new fund models without follow-ons, the strategic importance of compute for AI adoption, and the breadth of substantial Swiss startups beyond short-term hype cycles.

In the featured topic, they analyze the current state of VC fundraising in Europe. While...

In this episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast, Max Meister and Guy Giuffredi discuss a structural shift in the venture capital market.

In the news segment, they cover the current shift from software to hardware, the new quantum partnership between ETH Zurich and IBM, and the ambitious potential SpaceX valuation ahead of a possible IPO. The discussion focuses on defensibility in the age of AI, Europe’s opportunities in strategic technologies, and the growing role of narrative-driven valuations in tech.

In the featured topic, they analyze the underappreciated shift in VC from spray-and-pray investing to a small number...