Paper Millionaire - When Valuation Grows Faster than Liquidity | Panel Discussion & Networking

Paper Millionaire – when valuation grows faster than liquidity

For many founders, company value exists on paper long before it becomes personal liquidity. As companies scale and valuations increase, questions around financing, shareholder structures, ESOPs, governance, taxes, succession and personal wealth planning become increasingly important—often during the most demanding phase of building a company. Yet these conversations frequently begin too late.

Hosted by Maerki Baumann & Co. Ltd. and the ETH AI Center in collaboration with the Swiss Startup Association and Follow the Gradient, the evening brings together founders, operators, investors and industry experts to explore the financial and structural decisions that arise as technology companies grow.

The evening will be opened by PD Dr Alexander Ilic, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the ETH AI Center, and Dr Stephan Zwahlen, CEO of Maerki Baumann & Co. Ltd. Together, they will set the context for why Switzerland is uniquely positioned as a global hub for technology entrepreneurship and why founders need the right partners throughout their entrepreneurial journey.

The program will feature a keynote by Simon Furer, CFO of Voliro, who will share practical lessons from helping scale one of Switzerland's leading deep-tech companies. Simon will then join Sandra Tobler, Co-Founder and Chairwoman of Futurae, and Dr Karim Maizar, Partner at Kellerhals Carrard, for an interactive panel discussion moderated by Christian Woese from Follow the Gradient. The discussion will explore: Scaling and strategic flexibility, financing and liquidity before an exit, ESOPs and shareholder structures, governance and legal considerations, wealth planning.

Agenda

17:30 Arrival and welcome drink

18:00 Welcome by PD Dr Alexander Ilic
Executive Director and Co-Founder, ETH AI Center

18:10 Opening remarks by Dr Stephan Zwahlen
CEO, Maerki Baumann & Co. Ltd.

18:20 Keynote by Simon Furer
CFO, Voliro

18:40 Panel discussion with:

Simon Furer, CFO, Voliro

Sandra Tobler, Co-Founder and Chairwoman, Futurae

Dr Karim Maizar, Partner, Kellerhals Carrard

Moderated by Christian Woese, Follow the Gradient

19:15 Networking apéro

Event Details

Date: Monday, 31 August 2026
Time: from 17:30
Location: ETH AI Center, Zurich-Oerlikon
Language: English
Audience: Selected founders, scale-up representatives and ecosystem participants
Format: Welcome, impulse session, panel discussion and networking apéro