AMA: Alexander Curiger, co-founder of Curius

We love a startup that sets out to challenge the status quo. We talk to Alexander Curiger, co-founder of Curius, about breathing new life into the drinks business. 

Hi Alexander! Tell us a bit about your company.

Curius is a drinks producer determined to disrupt how drinks brands are created, managed and distributed across global markets. Driven by customer insights I gained from DRINKS.CH and DRINKS.DE.

How did the idea for Curius come about? 

I had been toying with the idea of developing our own brands for some time so that we can become more independent of our exclusive brands and at the same time incorporate our knowledge into the products.

I have been working with my co-founders Juan Carlos Maroto Jara and Mats Olsson for a long time for previous brands, and by chance, they were both about to change jobs and I took the opportunity to motivate them to do our own thing.

What’s your morning routine?

I always get up at 5:45 AM during the week and make a bircher muesli for my fiancée and me.

What motivates you?

I always want to learn more, which is why I'm always tackling new projects. This is usually every 6 months, otherwise, I get bored.

Can you share any practical tips or processes to help people work remotely? 

An important basis for us is mutual trust. We have known each other for years and know where everyone can contribute their expertise and where less.

This requires a regular exchange so that everyone is on the same level and, last but not least, of course, an IT infrastructure that favours this. We work exclusively with a cloud infrastructure.

How do you keep your team aligned?

Regular updates and status calls are key.

What is the biggest mistake you've made as an entrepreneur?

I made an opportunistic deal, which in retrospect turned out to be a financial disaster and an incredible stress test for the entire company. For this reason, I will never again pursue a business that I do not want to pursue in the long term.

What do you look for in a candidate when hiring new people?

Whether the person is a good fit for the team, and whether the person brings a quality that impresses me.

Give us an interesting fact about yourself that the business community doesn’t know.

I have the rank of captain in the Swiss Special Forces Command!

Wow! Thanks for your time Alexander, it's been great to find out more about you and Curius.