Nicolas Borgeaud is one of the co-founders of Adresta. Nicolas has been accompanying the project ever since its internal phase at Helvetia Insurance and is driven by his interest in blockchain, and in connecting the analog and digital world.

Being an industry outsider as a means to success

Nicolas wasn't very involved in the luxury industry or with luxury watches before getting engaged in the project at Helvetia. Why buy something expensive when you can build it yourself was his motto. A good example is his self-made clay pot grill, for which he took inspiration from a ceramic grill. However, one thing that changed with Adresta is his interest in luxury watches. The interaction of small parts in a tiny space and purely mechanically displaying the time or a calendar is fascinating - it is a work of art. Hence, it's no surprise that Nicolas' wish list has also grown over time.

However, thinking detached from watchmaking experience has always been an advantage for him. "I can focus completely on how I, as an outsider, would design a process, how it would be optimal for me as a customer", Nicolas summarizes. This allows him to put himself in the customer's shoes during product development, which helps him think about processes entirely customer-focused. His focus is primarily on digitizing existing processes and creating new experiences for customers. For example, using existing information from the service can be passed on to the customer in a new way.

From an internship to a permanent position directly into self-employment.

Before co-founding Adresta, Nicolas's professional experience consisted mainly of internships and student jobs. His path at Helvetia Insurance began with an internship in the market area of occupational pension plans, resulting in a permanent position.

The Adresta adventure was already in full swing at this point. "I still remember how I researched within Helvetia to find out who was taking responsibility for Blockchain. Ever since 2015, I have been fascinated by the topic. That's how I then came into contact with Mathew," recounts Nicolas. After initial meetings and discussions with the Adresta project team, Nicolas was then brought on board by Mathew, also a co-founder, in November 2018 and accompanied every following station. His daily work consisted of setting up a business case and talks with potential customers and end-users. Adresta started as a project but quickly became a spin-off company in December 2019. 

Weitere Interviews mit Nicolas:

Interview with Nicolas in Bodensee Startups (DE) / Interview with Nicolas in Helvetia Viva (FR)

Nicolas Borgeaud had a strong impact on the user-testings within the Watch Community at Adresta, which allowed the creation of our beautiful app: