An Interview with Ivo Ronner

Ivo Ronner

VC & Advisor - Growth Partner at Ronner Ventures Ltd.

Key Topics:Venture Capital, Digital Transformation (Fintech, AI, Blockchain)

Location:Switzerland

Bio:

Ivo Ronner is the founder and president of Ronner Ventures Ltd, a Swiss-based VC and growth advisory company collaborating with passionate founders to build out and grow their international business faster and more efficiently. He also enjoys lecturing for Swiss Universities and Accelerators on topics of Innovation Management, Venture Capital, Lean Startup, and Design Thinking.

Experienced global VC & Growth specialist with several years of global VC experience, starting in Silicon Valley. He supported and advised numerous startups in the investment and growth process successfully.

He is experienced in building up and running a corporate VC Arm with a focus on early-stage startups, an independent Accelerator, and an Innovation Lab.

How did you get to become an expert in your key topics?

I was always fascinated by technology, but it really started for me, as I joined an early-stage VC company in Silicon Valley. I got the bug when learning from the source about Venture Capital and how to hands-on support best the management teams of portfolio companies in their development.

Since then, I am constantly screening tech startups around the globe in different industries. Back in Switzerland, I joined the SIX Group on building up and running the Innovation Lab. In different innovation roles, I got confronted with many of the different innovation challenges of a bigger corporate. The list got longer and longer as new challenges popped up when some seemed to be solved. So it never got boring.

Additionally, I also got the trust to design and start the F10 Incubator & Accelerator. Running the first hosted-startup program helped me tremendously to analyze, where a startup in the earliest days needs the most support. Furthermore, as Deputy-Head of the Accelerator, or when building up and running the corporate VC arm, I screened more than a thousand global tech startups, got an insight about more than a hundred startups running through the Accelerator: how they learned, adapted, developed, and/or failed.

What sub-topics are you most passionate about?

I am interested in technologies like Ai, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, etc., and how we can best make use of it. I am fascinated about how to build, and scale new products and services enabled through these technologies, no matter if as a new or an established company.

Who influences you within these topics?

Of course, I am influenced by people closer around me. In addition, I try to learn and adapt as much from other industries or topics if possible. However, in the Innovation and VC space, it would be for example Eric Ries, Christensen Raynor, or Jason Calacanis.

What challenges are brands facing in this space?

The challenges are changing during the growth process. As a young company, you will have it easier to embrace changes and new technology because otherwise, you will run out of business. On the other side, you might have a harder time onboard the right people and customers without a brand. Next to that a young company often struggles with structural, financial, process (and the many other) challenges during the growth phase.

Bigger corporates have overcome many of these challenges already. Among other things with implementing a clearer structure, processes responsibilities. These fundamentals lead to a loss of traction when it comes to the adaption of new technologies or the transformation of the existing business and processes. To disrupt the steady revenue of existing cash cows through new products with possibly lower margins is hard, especially in a system with short time management incentives.

What do you think the future holds in this space?

We will see technology adoption in all the different industries (Fintech, InsureTech, Proptech, etc.). As new companies are still adapting much faster and specialist to these technologies, we will see many new startups created and growing with a focused product. In addition, we will see the shift of some challengers, growing into big powerful corporates.

What brands are leading the way in this space?

I think Alphabet, Tencent, or SanDisk/Western Digital for example are doing a pretty good job when it comes to the adaption of technology or transformation. All with different approaches which makes it interesting. But this can change pretty fast as Nokia was everybody’s favorite example in the past.

If a brand wanted to work with you, which activities would you be most interested in collaborating on?

I work hands-on with different startups as an advisor in the growth stage. On the other hand, I also advise corporates in the field of technology adoption, business transformation, and innovation. (How to adapt to new market developments and technologies? How to make use of such technologies or how to collaborate with startups or high-growth companies.) Collaboration through speaking opportunities, interviews, or panel discussions would also be possible.

What are your passions outside of work?

I enjoy hiking in the mountains or exploring new territories.

What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?

By Email or LinkedIn.

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