The Founders Peak Podcast

Welcome to Season 13 of The Founders Peak Podcast - recorded live from the Point Zero Forum 2025 in Zurich. This special edition hits different. Over two soulful hours on stage, six remarkable founders shared sharp, usable wisdom drawn from real-world building. From Silicon Valley’s shifting ethos to learning how to let go, from grief as entrepreneurial fuel to the raw truths behind leadership - these stories are deeply human, fiercely honest, and refreshingly unfiltered. If you’re done with startup hype and hungry for startup truth...you’re in the right place. Tune in!

Theremin player, horror film composer, and Tradeshift co-founder Gert Sylvest reflects on the Silicon Valley ethos that shaped him - and why it may be heading off course. In this powerful talk, he asks the question every founder must face: Where are we really going? A thought-provoking episode on tech, trust, and finding your true compass.

Dr. Lidia Kurt built her first computer with a screwdriver - and later built Switzerland’s first DLT trading system. In this bold, reflective talk, she shares the hard truths of letting go, rewriting the rules of global finance, and becoming a builder in uncharted territory. Grit, reinvention, and real talk.

What happens when the people who believe in you - your family, friends, mentors - also back your startup? CrowdSports co-founder Leroy Bächtold opens up about the guilt, pressure, and unexpected leadership lessons that come with raising money from your closest circle. A heartfelt and brutally honest listen.

At 18, he dreamed of windsurfing. Now, he’s leading two companies fighting financial crime. But it was one in-flight conversation that changed Joel Winteregg’s leadership forever. This is his candid journey of delegation, ego, and growth - and a lesson in what happens when holding on starts holding you back.