On 12 June 2025, nearly 100 members and partners of the Nordic Chambers and the University of St. Gallen (HSG) gathered at the light-filled SQUARE for an inspiring evening titled “Long Game: Creating Durable Enterprises.” The event invited participants to rethink startup success beyond unicorns, focusing instead on resilient, values-driven business models built for sustainable growth.

The evening opened with welcoming remarks from Dr. Yves Partschefeld, who introduced SQUARE and the speakers, and Michael Reiss von Filski LLM, who set the stage with reflections on generational entrepreneurship in the Nordics and Switzerland. Key insights followed from Prof. Dr. Dietmar Grichnik, who presented Entrepreneurship@HSG and its mission to empower founders to scale wisely, and Gerri Kodres, Founding Partner at Specialist VC, who shared his journey from founder to investor and highlighted the New Nordics’ growing impact on Europe’s tech landscape.

A dynamic panel discussion, expertly moderated by Dr. Maria Luisa Fuchs, explored themes such as durable versus blitz scaling, organisational culture, university-driven ecosystems, and long-term value creation. Panellists Charlotta Sirén, Nicole Lavrov, Hans Märtson, Gerri Kodres, and Prof. Dietmar Grichnik brought perspectives spanning academia, entrepreneurship, investment, and corporate leadership. The importance of strong chamber networks in supporting entrepreneurs over the long term was a recurring theme.

The evening concluded with reflections from Mirjam Loertscher, who emphasized the outsized impact of Nordic-Swiss collaboration in innovation and entrepreneurship, and the importance of continued ecosystem cooperation to keep Europe competitive and future-ready.

The event marked the first Nordic Chambers gathering hosted by the Estonian Chamber, and certainly not the last. Sincere thanks go to all speakers, panellists, partners, the University of St. Gallen, and Helen Ree-Imbach for beautifully capturing the spirit of the evening.

The photos are available here.