The people behind HYT

Patrick Berdoz, business angel and strategic partner from the get go, provided the initial funding and continued contributing in each subsequent financing round. His specialty? Patrick Berdoz is a serial entrepreneur with a wealth of experience that he makes available to his team. He has developed companies in the Medical field, managed steep organic growth over years and has a strong build-up and integration experience as well. Patrick also has contributed to the filing of over one hundred patents during his career. Aside from other feats, as CEO and President of the medical prosthetics specialist Precimed, he took the company from 17 to 750 employees on three continents in fourteen years. Besides HYT, he’s know leading various companies active in the Medtech, Cosmetic, Biotech and Real Estate fields. He’s also President of FOR Foundation, providing education and professional coaching.

He runs HYT’s finances. Holder of an MBA from the Berkeley University of California, Emmanuel initially embarked on a career in the United States and Europe in the realm of mergers and acquisitions for prestigious institutions. Back in Switzerland, he worked for high potential high-tech start-ups in the field of deal-making and fund-raising. In 15 years, he has participated in 20-odd transactions totaling some CHF 60 billion in capitalization and accompanied a good ten Swiss high-tech enterprises in their start-up and development.

Lucien is the inventor of the groundbreaking fluid technology used by horological luxury brand HYT, that combines fluids and mechanics in a wrist watch to indicate the time. He was also the driver behind the creation of HYT attracting the brand’s founding members. Lucien is an engineer by training, an owner and co-owner of multiple businesses and the chairman of the Ganydar foundation which creates opportunities for vulnerable youngsters in Latin America.

He is a well-known figure in the watch industry. He successfully directed Technomarine (2 years) and Concord (3 years) as CEO. Before that, he was the worldwide marketing director at Audemars Piguet and later at the Swatch Group, directly reporting to Mr. N. G. Hayek.

Hans Thomas Gross, strategic investor, joined HYT as an anchor shareholder in the startup phase and continued contributing in each subsequent financing round. His specialty? Hans Thomas Gross is a successful entrepreneur and the sole owner of the private equity firm HTG Ventures AG, through which he holds several interests on selected start-up companies with innovative technologies and the potential to change traditional industry sectors. As an active shareholder he supports some of his investments as a non-executive Board member.

Beat Burkhardt is president and CEO of Tetral S.A., a company active in the investment management business. He joined HYT as a shareholder during the last C-Financing HYT organised to fund a new proprietary technological launch. Beat began his career in corporate banking with trade finance and corporate finance for Swiss based corporate and institutional clients. He continued to expand to capital markets and new issues, focused on treasury products and financial derivatives. Beat created various products, among which public investment funds with predetermined maximum downside risk limitation and the first public fund of hedge funds for RBC where he held the position of Chief Investment Strategist amongst other roles. On a voluntary basis, Beat acted as an expert member of the finance committee of the Leenaards Foundation as well as an external advisor to Nestlé Capital and a member of the board of Longbow Finances SA.