The Venture Leaders Technology expert jury had their work cut out for them this year: They had to look through 180 applications to choose the 10 members of the Swiss National Startup team that will travel to Silicon Valley in April. Before the 10 entrepreneurs meet with international investors and industry leaders to strengthen their business network and advance their globalization, we want to introduce you to each of the 10 Venture Leaders Technology 2022: Meet John Jost, the co-founder and co-CEO of Enlightra.
Enlightra (formerly known as MicroR Systems) develops cost- and energy-efficient multicolor lasers for high-capacity data transmission and optical computing. The startup’s lasers are based on “micrcomb” technology, which is more effective and efficient than existing solutions: Enlightra’s optical micrcombs can replace hundreds of high-quality lasers used in today’s optical communications while being up to 10 times more energy-efficient and allowing 30 times higher data transmission rates at the same device size.
Name: John Jost
Location: Lausanne
Nationality: American
Graduated from: University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado, USA, with a PhD in Atomic and Quantum Physics, 2010
Job title: Co-CEO of Enlightra
Number of employees: 4
Money raised: More than CHF 2 million in non-dilutive funding; currently no equity investment
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In 2018—I started attending some of the great workshops and meetings organized by Venturelab.
“Enlightra develops lasers to transmit data for data centers: Our lasers are 100x faster and up to 10x more energy-efficient than today’s solutions.”
How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
I moved to Switzerland from the US to do postdoctoral research at EPFL. The research we were working on is the basis of our company. My co-founder, Maxim Karpov, and I were motivated to see the technology go from the lab to the real product.
What do you expect from the Venture Leaders Technology roadshow, and how will it help you achieve your vision?
As a high-tech B2B company, growing our professional network is critical for us to reach key decision-makers and get our technology designed into their products.
What is one thing not many people know about you?
Well, I have been a salsa dancer for 20 years and used to be on a performance salsa dancing team. There are some videos hidden deep on the internet. 🙂
What would be the title of your biography?
Too many hobbies and too little time.
What do you do when you are creatively stuck?
Some of my best ideas come when I am taking a shower.
How and where do you clear your mind?
Exercise always helps, and recently, I have been trying meditation, which seems to work well for me.
What is something you wish you had known about being a founder?
How much of an emotional rollercoaster being a founder would be.
What is the most important lesson you have learned as a founder?
Having a team to share the load is perhaps the most important thing.
For more information and updates on Enlightra and the Venture Leaders Technology 2022, follow #VLeadersTech on social media and on www.venture-leaders.ch/technology.
The Venture Leaders Technology 2022 program is organized by Venturelab and supported by dpd Switzerland, EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Kellerhals Carrard, Rothschild & Co, and the Canton of Vaud.
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