First Steps

Hi, my name is Damian and I grew up in central Switzerland in a small town well-known for its chocolate, cheese, hiking, skiing and the one and only Swiss Army Knife!

My parents and my time in Boy and Girl Scouts taught me to respect mother nature and every person,  regardless of their background.

“To help people at all times” – BiPi, Founder Scout Movement

As a teenager I spent most of my time building and tweaking computers and playing video games all night long. At one point I ran my own company providing computer support and creating websites.

Transparency and Honesty

After graduating from a business high-school, I had the chance to learn the ins and outs of banking, but I realized that I am not interested in traditional investment banking. Instead of “selling” some kind of structured investment product I firmly believe that transparency and honesty will achieve higher customer satisfaction and returns in the long run.

For this reason, I decided to go back to school and get a degree in Accounting and Controlling, which is another term for managerial accounting, at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences.

Exploring the World

Instead of taking the traditional path of becoming a CPA (Chartered Public Accountant) I had a strong desire to explore the world and improve my English language skills. I was fortunate to find a finance internship at the largest privately owned food importer in the U.S.  Hurricane Sandy hit the warehouse and the office building shortly after I started, and I ended up cleaning up soaked rice bags and saving non-moldy cheese. A couple of weeks later the family running the business offered me a full-time job and sponsored me a work permit.  I ended up managing $15 million of sales importing food from Peru, Chile, Italy, France and Spain.

Working with small business owners around the world helped me realize that I have a passion for sharing my experience and network with startups and entrepreneurs to help them thrive. While serving as a Director of Business Development North America for a Swiss LED light startup in my free time, I got in contact with the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York and its Swiss Business Hub USA, which support Swiss companies entering the U.S. market.

Serving the Country

The connection proved fortuitous, as soon after I was hired as a Trade Commissioner for the Swiss Consulate and worked on the 30th floor on 40th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. It was a dream come true! In this role I had the privilege to organize a Swiss Promotion in collaboration with a regional retail chain and bringing 17 unique Swiss brands to New York.

After one year I transferred to the San Francisco office and helped Swiss startups get accustomed in the Silicon Valley culture. I supported the entrepreneurs with market research, pitch decks, fundraising or simple networking. Together with UC Berkeley I launched the first Venture Capital Academy in Switzerland, providing Swiss investors and entrepreneurs  a first class education.

I even had the honor to share my daily life with the Swiss audience in a short TV report.

Supporting Entrepreneurs

In my free time I have supported and mentored several startups from different industries like food, street wear fashion, renewable energy, and tech. I love to see early stage startups grow. In addition, I have been consulting companies and organizations to help them achieve their next milestone.

For the last two years I have spent more time educating myself, writing and reflecting on privilege, diversity, racism, sustainability and impact investing.

I gained my MBA from Babson College, which has been ranked Nr. 1 in Entrepreneurship by U.S. News for 26th year in a row.