EP #540 - Moritz Futscher: Batteries Thinner Than Hair - The Breakthrough Behind Solid-State Energy
JAN 18, 202630 MIN
EP #540 - Moritz Futscher: Batteries Thinner Than Hair - The Breakthrough Behind Solid-State Energy
JAN 18, 202630 MIN
Description
<p><strong>Timestamps:</strong></p><p>11:09 - Use-cases for BTRYs technology </p><p>15:57 - Challenges in scaling production</p><p>20:43 - The Swiss startup ecossystem</p><p>23:11 - Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs</p><p><br />This episode was co-produced with <a href="startupdays.ch" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Swiss Startup Days</a>, the leading Swiss deep-tech catalyst event for startups, investors, enablers, and corporates.<br />Checkout Newcomers - the ultimate pitching format for pre-seed and seed startups in Switzerland. Applications open in December 2025. <br /></p><p><strong>Episode description</strong></p><p><br /></p><p>In this episode, we sit down with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/futscher/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Moritz Futscher</a>, CEO and Co-Founder of <a href="https://btry.ch/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">BTRY</a>, a Swiss-based deep tech startup building ultra-thin solid-state batteries. After years in academic research in multiple countries, Moritz transitioned from the lab into entrepreneurship to bring battery technology out of research and into real-world applications. He holds a PhD in Physics from Universiteit van Amsterdam. </p><p><br /></p><p>Moritz shares what it really takes to scale hardware startups in Switzerland, from navigating early incubators and public funding programs to raising capital during a difficult period for battery companies across Europe. We discuss the strengths and gaps of the Swiss startup ecosystem, why early-stage support is strong but scale-up infrastructure remains limited, and how partnerships with European, US, and Asian players are becoming essential for global competitiveness.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mortiz also goes deeper into the realities of deep tech execution: finding the first real customer use cases, choosing scaling partners, managing complex manufacturing processes, and building a high-performance team culture focused on psychological safety, ownership, and empowerment. He also reflects on the personal leap from academia to startup life, balancing family and leadership, and what success really means when building physical technology that aims to enable entirely new applications.</p><p><br /></p><p>The cover portrait was edited by<a href="http://www.smartportrait.io/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">www.smartportrait.io</a>.</p><p></p><p>Don’t forget to give us a follow on<a href="https://x.com/swisspreneur" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong> </strong></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/swisspreneur/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong>Instagram</strong></a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/swisspreneur" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong></strong></a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/swisspreneur" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong>Linkedin</strong></a>,<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@swisspreneur" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong> TikTok</strong></a>, and<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Swisspreneur" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong> Youtube </strong></a>so you can always stay up to date with our latest initiatives. That way, there’s no excuse for missing out on live shows, weekly giveaways or founders' dinners.</p><p><br /><br /></p>