Fanny, AW’s Business Support, introduces you to a young and gifted Swiss entrepreneur in the digital world.

I first met David Delmi three years ago through a friend. I’ve been following the evolution of his career closely ever since. David is a young and gifted Swiss entrepreneur, famous for founding and leading a high-tech R&D startup. He is the youngest IMD Business School Executive Program Graduate and he is currently among the top 100 most influential Swiss person in the digital world. He is involved first hand in his growing business, but he knows how to remain humble and well-grounded, both qualities which will certainly take him very far.

His flagship project is called HARDAH and seeks to strengthen trust on the Internet, promote web neutrality, and fight against content poverty on social networks. The main aim of the high-tech start-up, founded by David Delmi in 2015 in Geneva, is to create a collaborative cloud via an easy all-in-one teamwork tool. In order to empower everyone’s digital life, the company provide two products. One is a social network powered by blockchain technology, HARDAH One; the other is called HARDAH Business and dubbed “the Swiss Army Knife of professional digital tools”.

According to the startup, HARDAH One is a fusion between pictures Social Network, like Instagram or Snapchat, and Search Engines like Google. For its part, HARDAH Business is the first Digital Office for organizations, the new generation of professional digital collaborative tools. Below, David Delmi shares his vision and thoughts on subjects like unusual career paths, building a successful talent pipeline and the future of the digital world.

An Interview with Humble and Hungry David Delmi

#1. Can you tell me few words about your company and what you do?

HARDAH is an R&D Swiss high-tech startup building digital trust solutions since 2015. We have developed a technology connecting every single physical product to the digital world thanks to our multi-layer and anti-fake-news platform. We can connect the packaging industry to the digital economy while qualifying information for example.

#2. Do you have any mentors or role models who inspired you? Maybe someone who helped you become what you are now?

Former French philosopher and writer Jean d’Ormesson was a true inspiration to me. I’ve had the chance to meet him twice and to exchange a few letters with him. His humility, “joie de vivre”, elegance and sagacity inspire me a lot.

#3. What would be your best recommendation for a young person who just started a career as an entrepreneur? What was most challenging for you?

One clear rule: we always overestimate what we could do in one year and underestimate what we could achieve in 5 years. The most challenging thing for me was to find the right employees. Don’t be too harsh on yourselves. It’s hard to find the right pick at the start. Don’t be afraid to make some mistakes and to learn from them.

#4. What does the future holds for the digital world in the coming years?

I hope the digital world will be more ethical with a broader approach, taking into account the impact of technologies on society. Digital is still a new business with less than 20 years of experience, but the industry is getting more mature, as we start to understand the power, threats, opportunities and limits of it.

#5. From your point of view, what are the digital innovations that are essential for companies nowadays?

Digital communication channels with consumers need to be stronger, more accurate and more innovative. In this context, e-commerce and digital experience marketing are key.