Who we are

John Elbing and a strong network of experts

We have helped many companies and startups upgrade their business

We have helped over 100 companies and startups, low tech and high tech, in a wide range of industries, from retail, industrial and service companies to high tech startups.

We understand new technology and societal trends and how they can affect individual businesses and whole markets.

Half coach, we accompany you. Half consultant, we get things done.

You will work with real experts in their field.

We are experts in storytelling, business strategy, (digital) marketing, entrepreneurship, and innovation management. But to understand your business, we bring broader skills: IT, finance, business models, marketing, project, and change management.

And also, empathy, workshop facilitation, tools such as Design Thinking, teaching, availability, and efficiency.

Check out the “Your custom mission” page to see a sample of the methodologies and tools we can deploy for you.

John Elbing

CSO – Customer Standpoint Officer

Born in the US, raised in Switzerland, I am an extrovert with structure. And completely bilingual English-French.

I have an MS in Computer Science, an MBA in finance and several useful certifications.

I have worked in digital marketing, project and change management and launched two startups. I have coached over a hundred startups and companies.

I have built an expansive toolkit to help you future-proof your business, for example:

  • Design Thinking
  • Innovation Management
  • Business Storytelling
    (Storybrandâ„¢ certified)
  • Where To Playâ„¢ (certified practitioner)
  • Business Model Innovation
  • Value Proposition Design
  • Jobs-To-Be-Done
  • The Grid practitioner
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Reframing
  • Ideation
  • Workshop design & facilitation
  • Pitch Coaching
  • Slicing Pie

In addition to Standpoint, I coach startups for Innosuisse, Fongit, HES-SO, UNIL, Platinn and I teach Entrepreneurship, Business Models, Social Media Marketing, and Digital transformation for Singa, the Haute Ecole de Gestion, Innosuisse, Crea and other organisations.

Check out my LinkedIn profile.

Happy Clients

Entrepreneurship

Startup Coaching Organisations we collaborate with

Innosuisse is the Swiss Innovation Agency. Its role is to promote science-based innovation in the interest of the economy and society in Switzerland.

Switzerland’s premier innovation incubator. We specialize in tech innovation in Geneva and currently support over 100 ICT, Engineering, and Life Sciences startups. 

Platinn, the innovation platform of Western Switzerland, strengthens, through coaching, the innovation capacity and competitiveness of companies.

Support for innovative entrepreneurial projects
innovative projects of students, assistants, staff and alumni of the HES-SO Geneva schools.

The HUB supports UNIL students, researchers, alumni and collaborators in interdisciplinary projects with a societal and environmental impact.

Pro Bono teaching, coaching & mentorship

The business incubator for people with refugee and migrant backgrounds.

A 6-month online programme bringing you all the support you need to launch or grow your feminist or LGBTIQ+ project.

MassChallenge is the global network for innovators who are working to solve massive challenges. 

EQUALS-EU aims to build capacity in gender-inclusive innovation in Europe and partner countries worldwide.

Let’s work together

Customer needs, expectations, and behaviors are evolving rapidly. New technology and business models are disrupting entire industries. The notion of industry boundaries has become blurred, competitors can come from unexpected directions.

This is scary.

We help you truly understand your customer and build your story, which becomes the foundation for your marketing. We help you discover new high-potential opportunities to grow your business. We help you build a strong marketing foundation and level up your customer experience.

And we help implement strategically important internal processes to be ready for anything the world can throw at you.

We have packaged a series of workshops to future-proof your business.

We also are there, with you, to take on your biggest challenge. Tell us more.

Schedule a Mission so we can get started.

Some of our talented and reliable partners