Startup Nights 2025

6–7 Nov 2025 | Winterthur, Switzerland

Friday, 7 November 2025 | 14:05 - 14:30

Built here, made to scale – The challenges of building global players from Switzerland

Location:Main Stage "Unicorn" (Hall 1)Track:Fireside Chat

What does it take to build a startup in Switzerland that’s ready for the global stage? In this fireside chat, Antonia Unger, founder of the newly launched deep-tech startup Arqh, and investor Adrian Locher from Merantix explore the very real tension between local opportunity and global ambition. They’ll share unfiltered insights from both sides of the table: the founder building from scratch, and the investor backing bold bets. Expect a candid discussion about the advantages and paradoxes of launching in Switzerland, how funding relationships are formed and tested, and why it takes more than just good ideas to build startups that scale.

Antonia Unger, Co-Founder & CEO @ Arqh
Founder of Arqh, ETH CS alumna, former ETH juniors president & entrepreneur since 15. Kitesurfer, diver, and backgammon nerd - now building AI to turn complex logistics chaos into clarity.

Adrian Locher, Founder @ Merantix
Adrian Locher is Co-founder and General Partner of Berlin-based Merantix Capital, an early-stage AI investor and venture studio currently investing out of its second, €100M fund.

2 speakers