Kaisin Food co-founder Andri Silberschmidt answered questions on why, how and when you should start a company in Zurich, and talked as well about Switzerland’s current political climate.

Questions asked:

2:33 – Where can I find some good templates to set up my company in Zurich?

3:30 – How do I hire someone in Zurich?

5:49 – What’s the most successful startup that was started in Zurich?

7:19 – Mistakes to avoid when starting a company in Zurich

10:14 – Living costs in Zurich

11:56 – Finding co-founders in Zurich

15:13 – Affordable office space in Zurich

17:48 – Looking for investment in Zurich

19:33 – How to get advisors on board

21:46 – Why start a business in Zurich?

25:08 – How startups can cooperate with universities in Zurich

26:41 – Does Zurich promote gender equality?

28:34 – Why are there so few politicians with real startup experience?

33:44 – How can we empower more startups in Zurich?

37:58 – Do cantonal taxes constitute an obstacle to new businesses?

40:20 – Can you be a political candidate and a business owner?

42:24 – How can startups reach out to politicians?

44:29 – What challenges does Andri face as a politician?

49:37 – What are Andri’s strengths?

Biography

Andri Silberschmidt is a politician, investment consultant and the co-founder of Kaisin. AG. After his apprenticeship at Swisscanto Invest, he became (and is still) responsible for the management of all quantitative equity funds that invest in developing countries. In 2017, together with friends, he founded the restaurant chain Kaisin AG, which currently operates three branches in Zurich and one in Basel. Andri Silberschmidt has been politically active since 2011 and President of the Young Liberals Party of Switzerland since 2016. In 2018, he was elected to the Parliament of the City of Zurich for the FDP (Swiss Liberal Party) and is now a candidate for the National Parliament on the list of the FDP Canton of Zurich. Andri holds a BSc in Business Administration and an MSc in Global Finance from Cass Business School.