From Strategy to Speed: Peter Zwyssig’s 100-Day Venture Formula

In his early years in consulting, he identified a fundamental gap: strategies were sharp, but execution lagged. “The distance between ‘what could be’ and ‘what is’ was always too wide—and too slow,” he said. So, he set out to shrink the gap. The outcome? A career that was defined by momentum. Whether starting a venture in 100 days or evolving from advisor to co-founder, Zwyssig chased one thing: “Turning strategy into momentum.”

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After many boardroom meetings and repeatedly hearing the question “Why can’t we go faster?”, Peter decided to show, not tell. So, Axelra AG was born. Its premise: create ventures, companies, products, and revenue in only 100 days. 

More so, creating the solution wasn’t his only task, as Axelra went beyond theory. With only 45 ventures launched, they developed Boosters, a series of modular building blocks that can be reused across projects. There weren’t just tools; they merged into a community currency. “Every venture contributes, unless they’re in direct competition. It’s one of our strongest assets.”

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As the company matured, Axelra added an investment arm, co-financing select ventures. Since late 2024, the company has evolved into a focused Micro Tech VC, concentrating solely on its existing portfolio with a lean, hands-on model. 

Axelra earned a top spot in the Financial Times ranking, #1 in Switzerland and #32 in Europe. But this wasn’t just luck or marketing. It was more about “practice makes perfect.”. With each venture they have created or helped, the team has learned how to move faster and smarter. 

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More so, two formats led the charge: “Pre-MVP in 50 Days, MVP in 100 Days. Clear positioning. Ruthless execution. And yes, it’s intense—like building while sprinting marathons.” 

Axelra’s model doesn’t stop at advising. It also uses money, time, and reputation on the line, “true skin in the game”, as its founder puts it. This also changes “When everyone wins only if the startup wins, it becomes a shared mission, not client-vendor—co-builders.”. Lower rates, equity stakes, and even board seats shift behavior from transactional to transformational. As Zwyssig puts it, “It’s not unlike a marriage: shared upsides, shared struggles, and yes, plenty of learning moments.”.

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Building and scaling a business does not happen overnight; it takes time, practice, and numerous other resources that everyone needs to manage to propel the business forward and reach the next step.

When it comes to startups, it's worth noting that companies don’t need any other advisors. “No startup can afford CHC 3-4k/day consultations”, Zwyssig mentions. To scale and grow, startups need partners they can trust. They need a “partner who steps in when it counts”. 

In 2024, he launched AionVest GmbH, a venture and partner firm that targets what is missing in early-stage ecosystems and brings real execution power. AionVest lends sweat equity, strategic capital, and structured platforms, which are backed by experience in over 45 ventures. 

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When asked about how he maintains a balance between algorithms and human insights, Peter answered that, as Venture Capital is increasingly data-driven, it is not data-based. While VCs have approached Axelra for operational data to train their models. He also links it to jazz, considering it improvisational, human, messy, and deeply powerful. “Until algorithms understand founder psychology, team resilience, or market timing, you can’t ditch intuition. Data shows patterns. Intuition sees sparks,” Zwyssig mentions. 

His upcoming book, SYNERGY5 Ventures – From Tension to Traction, was written for those who are constantly building, funding, or guiding early-stage ventures, as well as employees and innovation leaders alike. 

If this book had a theme, it would be something in between Hans Zimmer’s “Interstellar” and Quincy Jones' Big Band Live. He describes the book as the place where “Structure meets soul. Bold, rhythmic, and built for momentum.”

“The book brings structure to the unseen tensions between founders, teams, customers, and investors. That mix of clarity and drive? It needs harmony that’s equally disciplined and bold. Brass, rhythm, and purpose,” he adds.

SYNERGY5 Ventures – From Tension to Traction uses five core lenses: founders, employees, customers, investors, and the problem-solution fit, offering practical tools for realignment. “The most common trap? Scaling too early without solving a real problem. No pitch, team, or funding can fix that.”

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One of its most impactful frameworks is the 5-way Win, especially crucial during mid-round fundraising tensions. Founders are also urged to zoom out: “Does this deal also work for the team, the customers, and the mission—or just for me and the investor?”.

In the book, he also addresses matters such as breaking down tension into reassuring friction points, including valuation vs. dilution, speed vs. control, and short-term funding logic vs. long-term company building. He also tries to help the founders understand whether or not “Is this deal only working for the investor and me, or also for the people we rely on to execute it?”.

What makes a pitch perfect? “It depends on who you’re pitching.” 

• VCs want scale and speed 
• Family Offices look for sustainability and fit
• Angels invest in people and belief 

Yet, across the board, four things matter: the team, the problem, the market, and the traction.  “But for all three: The Team, A real problem, a large market, and signs of traction and momentum. That’s non-negotiable.”

2023 was the year when Peter started exploring AI applications and ran his first AI Powerwee – 100 Hours Delivery Sprint together with Zürcher Kantonalbank, where they delivered working prototypes by using AI-enhanced workflows. 

Also worth noting is that Axelra and AionVest were early adopters of AI workflows. In 2023, they delivered real-world prototypes with AI Powerweek, long before the term became a buzzword. 

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Now he’s watching the transition from conversational AI to autonomous agents. But he cautions investors to dig deeper, saying, “Many startups today use tools like Claude.ai or Cursor.com to accelerate software development or integrate third-party APIs to make their products appear 'AI-enabled.” While these can improve efficiency, they often don’t represent deep tech—and rarely build defensible IP.”.

AI innovation to succeed needs to be resource-heavy, technically complex, and slow to mature. That’s why serious investors need to look deeper into the property core, into “who owns the models, logic layers, or agent frameworks”. And, let’s not forget about asking yourself, “Is there lasting differentiation when APIs commoditize and everyone gets access to the same models?

Zwyssig is no stranger to burnout, so as a means to avoid it, he took a trip around the world with his family. This time was intended to reconnect, return to his roots, and also have the opportunity to put his strategy in order. “Stepping back brings clarity. You remember why you started. Leadership requires space, not just speed.”.

For Zwyssig, staying close to his loved ones matters most to him. It helps you trace back your core values and see your vision more clearly.

Startup – Spark

Failure – Learning

Tension – Growth

Traction – Proof

Synergy – Synergy5 Goosebumps