Cédric Lüscher

**Stepping Back to Move Forward** Myself and Nick (co-founder) recently sold the majority stake in Vollē Golf and we are no longer steering the company’s future. The decision to step back wasn’t a matter of doubting Volle’s potential—it was simply a recognition of the time, resources, and focus required to take it further, and a personal acknowledgment of our own limits. The journey with Vollē has been an incredible experience, and we’ve learned invaluable lessons along the way. Building a brand from scratch has taught us about resilience, adaptability, and the reality of balancing a side hustle alongside full-time work and family. Bringing a premium golf ball to market has been challenging and rewarding in equal measure, and these insights are ones I’ll carry forward. Adjusting to a different role and letting go of day-to-day decisions has been a unique transition, but I’m optimistic about Vollē’s potential with the right support now in place. As a product person at heart, some of the most rewarding parts of this journey have been bringing new ideas to life. We had some exciting products in the pipeline, and while I can’t say for certain whether they’ll reach the market, I’m hopeful they will. Thank you to everyone who’s been part of Vollē’s story and supported us along the way. I’m grateful for the journey and excited for what lies ahead. This is a photo of Nick and me from the very first shoot we did for Vollē. You’d think owning a golf company would mean plenty of time to play, but it was quite the opposite. Balancing a full-time job and a growing side hustle meant time for golf became less and less. Now, I’m looking forward to getting back out on the course a bit more—and letting my mind wander about what might come next..

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🤡 Business Insider headline on Aleph Alpha in year 5: "Aleph Alpha: Exploding costs and increasing losses" Google: 3 years to profitability Amazon: 6 years to first profitability NVIDIA: 7 years to profitability Tesla: 10 years to profitability Netflix: 10+ years to profitability Private Investment into AI in 2022: US: ca. $44Bn China: ca. $12Bn Germany: ca. $2Bn The problem locally is not that we invest too much. But that we invest too little in future tech and look way too early onto profitability - and that our "Expert Media" do not understand structured finance rounds and venture capital. <3

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SNB intervention? The Swiss National Bank can intervene in currency markets if required and stands ready to lower interest rates again, according to new President Martin Schlegel. “Our main instrument is the policy rate — but we’re not excluding to be active on FX markets,” he said in his first speech as SNB chief on Tuesday. The central bank last week reduced borrowing costs for a third straight meeting and signaled that more easing may follow. While not pre-committing to further cuts, Schlegel had told Bloomberg Television that such moves are “likely.” Meanwhile, the franc has been rallying and some analysts believe it may reach the strongest level in almost a decade. Schlegel said that the “for the competitiveness of Switzerland the real exchange rate is relevant, not the nominal one.” #snb #switzerlanch #chf #swissfrancs #rates #economy source : bloomberg

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🖌 🖌 🖌 Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) Poised to Enter the Digital Assets Market: A Major Signal for the Swiss Banking Sector. See also below article by Crypto Valley Journal 🖌 🖌 🖌 🖌 ZKB, one of Switzerland's largest banks and the preeminent cantonal bank, is preparing to offer trading services for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). This move signals a significant shift in the financial landscape, both within Switzerland and internationally, as banks increasingly embrace digital assets. 🖌 Over the past six months, the Swiss Cantonal Banks Zuger Kantonalbank, St. Galler Kantonalbank AG, and Luzerner Kantonalbank have successfully introduced cryptocurrency services, meeting strong customer demand. ZKB's potential entry into this space would be great, given its substantial traditional assets totaling 200 billion Swiss francs (CHF). 🖌 Recent updates in the ZKB mobile app, which now displays historical price data for BTC and ETH, suggest that the bank is nearing the launch of its crypto trading services. While ZKB has not officially confirmed these plans, sources indicate that the bank is seriously considering expanding its product offerings to include digital assets. 🖌 The trend among Swiss cantonal banks to adopt cryptocurrency services is accelerating. Following Zuger Kantonalbank's groundbreaking move in October 2023, St. Gallen and Lucerne quickly followed. Industry insiders anticipate that up to ten state banks (Cantonal Banks) may soon offer their own crypto products. And it is really high time this offering moved ahead. Digital Assets are on the road to main stream and growing quickly. 🖌 This development is part of a broader trend in the Swiss financial sector, with institutions like PostFinance and Swissquote already offering crypto services to retain customers. While banks like UBS remain cautious, the rapid progress of pilot projects and initiatives like the CBDC project "Helvetia III" by Swiss National Bank indicate growing interest and investment in digital assets respectively also use of wholesale CBDC between banks. 🖌 🖌 🖌 ZKB's potential foray into the crypto market underscores the growing importance of digital assets in banking. As the largest cantonal bank, ZKB's move would not only reinforce the trend but also catalyze further adoption of cryptocurrencies among financial institutions in Switzerland and beyond. Way to go. 🖌 🖌 🖌 https://lnkd.in/gxqY9nWx #web3 #digitalassets

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#OverMyShoulder 107 Forget about crypto. Forget about short selling. Forget about the tips in your favourite newspaper. Simply invest in the shares of the world’s best-performing companies at a reasonable price. Then, do nothing for years and let time do its work. That’s "quality investing”. That are the first lines on the cover of the highly readable book “The art of quality investing” a collaboration between Luc Kroeze and Compounding Quality. In this book the author shares its checklist for success. He offers 13 criteria that help you find the companies that consistently perform well. These criteria include qualitative factors such as growth potential, sustainable competitive advantages, market leadership and strong management. They also include quantitative factors such as solid revenue growth, high returns on capital, and balance sheet strength. The method, the way of looking at the world makes me think of a combination between on the one hand Warren Buffett and Charly Munger and on the other hand William O’Neil. Two of these 3 giants of investments have unfortunately passed away recently. But the ideas and the tradition live on. It is touching that a new generation takes over the baton, carries the torch. Or to use the words of Charly Munger: ”Forget what you know about buying fair businesses at wonderful prices; instead, buy wonderful businesses at fair prices.” This book includes figures, stories, and tips to help you carefully build and maintain your stock portfolio. An instant classic. #ReadingTime #Investing

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#Switzerland's #banking sector’s assets amounted to around CHF 3,400bn at the end of 2023, equivalent to around 430% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), and the sector employs around 110,000 people. Key Propositions: 🔰 Margins in retail banking will continue to fall incrementally in the long term. 🔰 Innovative technologies will lead to greater competition in the medium term. 🔰 Pressure on retail banks from regulators and society remains high. 🔰 ESG is not producing any material-added financial value for retail banks. 🔰 Traditional retail banking business models are not a guarantor of success. 🔰 New ways of delivering customer advice are needed. 🔰 Retail banks must transform themselves into integrated financial services. 🔰 Rising CX expectations in all channels are increasing costs for retail banks. 9. 🔰 Retail banks will increasingly have different levels of vertical integration. 🔰 Today’s employee profiles are inadequate to meet future requirements. EY & University of St.Gallen - MT: Bugge Holm Hansen #retailbanks #challengerbanks #neobanks #fintech #financialservices #digitaldisruption #digitaltransformation #businessmodelinnovation #CX #AI #assetmanagement #wealthmanagement FYI Efi Pylarinou Birgul COTELLI, Ph. D. Dr. Martha Boeckenfeld

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We are setting the course for a digital European capital market: As part of Europäische Zentralbank’s tests, we have tested the settlement of exchange transactions with blockchain-based securities against central bank money for the first time. Our comprehensive tests included a large number of transactions with five tokenized securities – including bonds, funds and a share. We were able to show that the settlement process can be mapped automatically, step by step and directly between the trading participants – efficiently, securely and without counterparty risk. The settlement time was reduced from two days to just a few minutes – this underpins the benefits of tokenization for market participants. We see blockchain technology as a game changer for the digitalization of the European capital market. With the successful ECB blockchain tests, we have made significant progress in the EU. In Switzerland, our exchange for tokenized securities BX Digital is even set to launch in 2024. Thank you to our partners Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bank, DZ BANK AG, LBBW, Bankhaus Metzler, V-Bank AG and Deutsche Bundesbank. Together, we will shape the digital market infrastructure of the future.

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📣 Exciting news! Our newest benchmarking study on online and mobile banking functionalities is now available! Discover the latest insights from our analysis of Swiss retail banks and selected neobanks in 2024.   🤝 Our benchmarking study, conducted by Institut für Finanzdienstleistungen Zug IFZ and e.foresight - Digital Banking Trendscout, continues to establish its reputation among Swiss banks. Exclusive access to raw data is available to e.foresight clients, ensuring you get the most comprehensive insights.   📈 Our key findings highlight a significant discrepancy in service provision across banks. The "Website & General Service" sector has emerged as the leader, with a 42% penetration rate, surpassing #eBanking at 37%. Meanwhile, #mBanking trails slightly at 31%.   🎯 Leverage our long-term data series to track the evolution of mobile banking and e-banking, supporting your strategic decision-making. As an e.foresight client, you gain a competitive edge with access to exclusive raw data, empowering you to optimize your mobile and e-banking offerings.   💼 Looking for tailored advice on 'Digital Retail Banking'? We're just a message away! Exclusive access to raw data is available to e.foresight clients.   #DigitalBanking #benchmarking2024 #onlinebanking #mobilebanking

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08.07.2024 - Investoren Plattform News: Private Equity GPs are cooking up a PE exit recovery We’re still waiting for the long-anticipated PE exit recovery, but deal advisers tell me GPs are busy cooking up plans to offload their fully baked assets as pressure mounts to return capital to LPs. Market chatter at the start of the year indicated the pipeline of exits was filling up, there were more assets up […] und mehr als 8.200 weitere Artikel finden Sie unter: https://lnkd.in/e7C_eC-8

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🔔 Last Call to Join the Forefront of relevant Financial Innovation – Spots Almost Gone! 🔔 Here are some aspects why I am so excited about the upcoming Point Zero Forum: 🗣 Hear It from the Horse’s Mouth: Engage directly with relevant people driving real change. 🌐 40 Central Banks and Regulators: Direct engagement, not secondary discussions. 🏢 C-Level Access: Dialogue with decision-makers, with the ones who really drive the development and make the difference! 🌍 Global Stage: Insights from a global perspective, not limited to regional views. 📰 Creators of News: AT PZF, we make the headlines, we don't just read them. 🛠️ Meet the Architects of Tomorrow: Connect with those actually building the future, not merely talking about it. 🌎 Be a Part of a Global Community: Join a network of leaders and innovators from around the world. This is your last opportunity to secure a place where the future of finance is being shaped. Don’t miss out! REGISTER AND COME: https://lnkd.in/eaFUDzBk #PointZeroForum #FinancialInnovation #GlobalFinance #Leadership #LastCall #GlobalCommunity Thanks for all your support making that happen: Elevandi Singapore FinTech Festival Financial Times Bloomberg News Goldman Sachs Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Binance Circle iCapital Paxos Ripple Ant International Bybit Cardano Foundation Chainlink Labs Fireblocks Fidelity Digital Assets zeb consulting Emotional Banking Giesecke+Devrient Banking Circle Crypto.com Sygnum Bank Global Ledger and many many more!

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🚀 The Benefits of IT Financing in Switzerland: A Key to Digital Transformation!💻 In an era where digital technologies are advancing rapidly, IT financing has become a crucial factor for companies to remain competitive. Here are some reasons why IT financing is particularly attractive in Switzerland: 🚀  Flexibility and Liquidity 💡: IT financing allows companies to conserve liquidity while investing in the latest technology. Instead of making large one-time payments, costs can be spread over longer periods. 🚀  Technological Currency 🔄: IT financing enables companies to regularly update their hardware and software. This ensures they stay at the cutting edge of technology, working efficiently and securely. 🚀  Tax Advantages 📊: In Switzerland, leasing and financing models often come with tax benefits. Lease payments can typically be deducted as business expenses, reducing the overall tax burden. 🚀  Scalability 📈: Companies can flexibly adjust their IT infrastructure to meet current needs. This is particularly important for growing businesses that need to respond quickly to market changes. 🚀  Risk Management 🔐: With IT financing, the risk of depreciation and obsolescence often lies with the financing or leasing company. Businesses benefit from secure planning and can focus on their core operations. 🚀  Innovation Promotion 🌟: Access to the latest technology allows companies to implement innovative projects more quickly, strengthening their market position. In Switzerland, a country renowned for its innovation and economic stability, IT financing offers an excellent opportunity to drive digital transformation and achieve long-term success. Let’s embrace the opportunities of IT financing and shape the future together! 🚀💼 #ITFinancing #DigitalTransformation #Switzerland #Innovation #Technology #Economy

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💳 Finally a Swiss bank with the best exchange rates!      Do markups and transaction fees on credit and debit cards annoy you during holidays or when paying abroad too? Then the radicant debit card is just right for you. Benefit from 0% fees with the radicant debit card whenever you pay in a currency other than Swiss Francs (CHF). No markups, no transaction fees, nothing!    And this is also shown in the latest study conducted by Handelszeitung on the 31st of May 2024: radicant offers by far the cheapest exchange rate. Learn more in the Handelszeitung article: https://lnkd.in/dh82RyEU    Open your radicant account now in just 5 minutes using the radicant app. CHF 0 monthly base fee – sounds good, right?    Legal disclaimer:  This post contains advertisement and is intended exclusively for residents in Switzerland. 

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In the context of development and certification of bank client advisors, Fintelligence runs regularly assessments and tests in our exam centres located in Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano, and Zurich. In Zurich, tests take place on a weekly basis. In addition, many of our client banks prefer to run the certification tests for their employees in their own premises and at their preferred time slots. Over the last few years, we have also started to run assessments remotely with a software that allows to precisely monitor and report the process of each test. Thus, our client banks and their employees may now choose to run the tests at any time and any location at their own discretion. Many thanks to everyone that supports us with preparing and conducting of tests and the evaluation thereafter. You do a wonderful job. #financialeducation #learninganddevelopment #edtech #digitallearning #elearning #FinancialLiteracy #FinancialServices #ProfessionalDevelopment

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In our latest #FTMoralMoneyForum report, our advisory partner Vontobel highlights how fatigue and resistance can catalyse transformative change in DEI efforts. Dive into the report to explore how leading companies navigate challenges to build more inclusive workplaces: https://lnkd.in/g5a4K-c8 🌍📈 #diversity #inclusion #DEI #FTMoralMoney #leadership

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💡 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐂𝐬 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝟐𝐁 𝐒𝐚𝐚𝐒? 🤔 👇 ✍ During our 𝙊𝒇𝙛𝒊𝙘𝒆 𝑯𝙤𝒖𝙧𝒔 with The Blueprint VC, one question kept coming up: "𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝑽𝑪𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒔𝒐 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑩2𝑩 𝑺𝒂𝒂𝑺 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔?" S̳p̳o̳i̳l̳e̳r̳:̳ It's 𝒏𝒐𝒕 (𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕) 𝒂 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅 😉. What truly attracts investors are the solid 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 🧮 behind this model: 🔁 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙨: financial stability 📈 💸 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨: huge profit potential 🚀 📊 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮: rapid growth without skyrocketing costs 🌱 🤝 𝘾𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙮: strong retention and low churn 🔒 🔄 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨: upsells & cross-sells to maximize value 💡 📈 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨: lucrative exits via acquisitions or IPOs 🏦 VCs aren't in love with B2B SaaS itself, but with what it represents in terms of growth and return on investment 💼. This 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐬. Any sector can be attractive if you understand investor expectations and highlight the strengths of your business model. For entrepreneurs, 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈. 👉 Want to know more about why VCs love SaaS and how to boost your funding chances? 𝐑e𝐚d t𝐡e f𝐮l𝐥 𝐚r𝐭i𝐜l𝐞 (link in the comments) 📩 #VC #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #Startup #Investment #Scalability

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26.07.2024 - Investoren Plattform News: Liquide Alternatives Hedge fund assets rise to record high amid uncertainties Hedge fund assets reached a new high in 2Q24, surpassing $4.3 trillion as managers brace for upcoming elections and geopolitical uncertainties, data has shown. According to hedge fund research firm HFR, this marks the seventh consecutive quarter of asset growth, driven by performance gains and strategic asset inflows into relative value arbitrage (RVA) and macro […] und mehr als 8.500 weitere Artikel finden Sie unter: https://lnkd.in/eWa-y2Mh

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While most of us are familiar with the world’s major central banks, how they control interest rates, inflation, and the economy might be a little less clear. In Julius Baer's How to Invest series journalist Hannah Wise explains how central banks can both cool and heat up the economy, the role they play in inflation and why the US Federal Reserve has so much importance globally. ➡️ Watch the video and read the article: https://ow.ly/iKaW30sCs48 #HowtoInvest

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20.04.2024 - Investoren Plattform News: Private Equity Private Credit and Traditional Banks Forge a New Path As direct lending becomes a more popular financing option for middle-market and large U.S. companies, banks are increasingly seeking new ways to leverage their existing customer networks to participate in the direct lending market. However, because traditional banks have been largely circumscribed by regulators in their ability to participate directly in the leveraged loan market, […] und mehr als 7.100 weitere Artikel finden Sie unter: https://lnkd.in/eYzxGH5k 

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Xetra welcomes four new ETNs from Leonteq 🥁: Leonteq's new ETNs give investors access to overnight lending rates for overnight loans in Switzerland and the United States. The Leonteq CHF Overnight Return Index ETP represents the performance of the reference interest rate for overnight loan transactions in Switzerland, the Swiss Average Rate Overnight Interest Rate (SARON). The Leonteq USD Overnight Return Index ETP tracks the performance of the United States Secured Overnight Financing Rate (US-SOFR). Both ETNs are also available in a currency-hedged version against the euro. https://lnkd.in/ee6SA3gA #etns #xetratrading

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