E94 [AI-Translated] Live at Bea | Founder Interview with Sebastian Beetschen, CEO Realwear

In this special episode of Burn Rate – The VC Insider Podcast – we record live for the first time: at the BEA Expo in Bern, as part of the KMU-Impulsprogramm. Guy Giuffredi talks with Sebastian Betschen, founder of Almer Technologies and now CEO of Realwear, about building a hardware startup from Bern that reached global relevance. Almer was founded in 2021 and developed lightweight augmented reality glasses for industrial applications. In early 2025, Almer was acquired by Realwear, a global leader in industrial AR and wearable technology. Shortly after, Sebastian took over as CEO of the combined company. The conversation covers what it takes to build a technically demanding company from Switzerland: from early prototypes assembled on the train and held together with tape, through customer development with pilot clients, to the acquisition and integration into a global business. Sebastian speaks openly about founding out of necessity, about being shaped by farm machinery and Lego Technic, about the energy gap between China and Switzerland, about negotiating as David against Goliath, and about the cultural work required after an acquisition. A conversation about invention, focus, risk, team cohesion, and why Switzerland needs a new Gotthard Tunnel moment.