ruWe are pleased to announce the official opening of the new ICLUB Global office in Zurich, Switzerland. The Swiss cell was headed by Serhii Moliboh, who had the honor to develop the culture of angel investing in the heart of Europe. Serhii has over 20 years of experience in international consulting, law, and taxation. He pays special attention to the protection of assets, which is handy in the venture business.
“Switzerland is a country with perhaps the highest level of wealth in the world. The population is financially literate and tends to spend money wisely, including savings. And yet, the high level of income harms interest rates. The average Swiss can count on 2-3% per annum. In exceptional cases, the interest rate can reach 10%, but with a lot of risk and other trade-offs. Investments in startups, in turn, offer substantially higher profitability even in conservative deals,” Serhii commented on the club's launch. He added that investing in startups represents a novelty that local businessmen are eager to learn about. “We have already received several dozen applications from people who want to join the club.”
During the launch event, participants got to know each other for the first time. They discussed the latest news of ICLUB and were primarily interested in the successful exits and networking, which will help them understand venture investments. CEO of ICLUB Global Yuri Romaniukha noted that startups were a real discovery for many guests. “Switzerland is traditionally associated with banks, so it is not surprising that there are many bankers among the club participants. Consulting and asset management specialists come right after them in terms of numbers,” he added.
And since we are talking about successful cases, Antonio Borgonov and Markus Fuhrmann spoke at the event about their personal experiences. Antonio is CEO & Co-founder of the young startup YELDO, which has been part of the club's portfolio since 2019. The company helps invest in real estate, just as we help invest in startups. The guests were especially interested to hear from the team since they also hail from Switzerland.
Markus Fuhrmann is the former Co-founder of the German startup Delivery Hero, which operates in over 50 countries. The company's capitalization has long crossed the billion-dollar mark, which means visitors could chit-chat with the unicorn startup. At a time, TA Ventures invested in Delivery Hero, which was able to discern its promise. Markus also established the Gropyus project and co-founded OneUkraine initiative.
We wish success to our Swiss colleagues! Photos from the event are available on our Facebook page at this link.
