A year ago, we interviewed the former unibz student, for the #unibzcareers column. At that time he was working at Venturelab, one of the most renowned startup support organizations in Switzerland. Since then, his career has taken an unexpected turn. Hard to say now where it will lead him. What is certain though, is that Gianmaria, having entered AWS, the branch of Amazon that provides Cloud Computing services to other companies, will have a privileged vantage point to understand - and partly influence - the trends and developments of global entrepreneurship. A professional experience that many - not just the students of the master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation – could only dream of. Gianmaria agreed to talk to us about his new professional life at AWS. 

Here in Zurich, where I've been living for a few years now, I'm working as Startup Business Development Manager and I am responsible for the early-stage startup market initiatives and activities. Basically, my role is to unlock business and tech opportunities for the founders, create meaningful connections with investors, enterprises and facilitate the market entry of innovative companies.

It’s all about connecting the dots and be a trusted and helpful resource for the partners and startups in the ecosystem. I am in contact with founders, universities, accelerators, and investors on a daily basis. For instance, it ranges from Robotic to Medtech companies, from business angels to professional VCs. My goal is really to understand the startups’ needs and provide them with the resources needed, both internally and externally, to overcome current challenges, reach the next milestone, and/or go to market faster. The founders I talked to on a daily basis are amongst worldwide experts in their specific field and my responsibility is to educate them on the benefits and opportunities made possible by cloud technologies. In fact, we’re in the midst of a titanic shift to the cloud, and many startup unicorns like AirBnB, Coinbase, Lyft, Stripe, Slack (…and many more) already build on AWS. 

I was hired as a Startup Business Development Manager and, as such, I'm part of a global team that is active in more than 20 startups ecosystems worldwide. We work on two fronts: in Switzerland and globally, depending on the kind of company. We really have very different ones: from Biotech to Fintech, from IoT to SportsTech. Our goal is to bring these companies to the cloud and accelerate them in their innovation processes through specific startup programs, teams, and resources.

The work I did previously, at Venturelab, undoubtedly helped me because it gave me an in-depth knowledge of the Swiss startup market. Therefore, having worked with many partners and startups in the past has made the transition easier. Right now, both my colleagues and I are still working from home, so I miss working closely together, but I am looking forward to going back to the office in the near future. What I appreciate most is the entrepreneurial and builder mindset within the company. If there is no risk, it is impossible to innovate. I feel lucky to be part of the Global Startup BD Team, where I learn every day from former founders, investors, and industry experts. 

I applied after reading the job description on LinkedIn and the selection process took about one month. Right after submitting the application, I started the actual preparation. Luckily there are a lot of resources available on the web - e.g. on the 14 Principles of Leadership - to help you get through interviews at Amazon, one of the most sought-after companies for young talents. 

Let's say that, compared to my previous job, my outlook has now changed. Being part of AWS gives me a global perspective on my career and growth opportunities. But I am grateful for the experiences that led me to my current role and the managers/mentors that supported me in this journey – from the Cleantech startup Waterjade in Trento, passing via STARTPLATZ in Cologne and Venturelab in Zurich. 

Yes, of course. In fact, I will do it very soon: tomorrow, April 20, I will give a guest lecture during Prof. Alessandro Narduzzo's course. It will be titled "How to break into 3 startup ecosystems: a personal story". On that occasion, I will tell anecdotes about my work experience in Switzerland and now in Amazon. Herewith I’m happy to take the chance to invite my younger colleagues: do not miss the presentation, see you there!

(zil)