People - 20.03.2025 - 15:45
Since its founding in 2018, Léa Miggiano's team has made Carvolution a market leader thanks to millions of dollars in investment. Today, the company is considered one of the 100 most promising startups in Switzerland. Miggiano, who built the brand as CMO, has already received several awards, including being named one of the "Top 100 Women in Business" and an entrepreneur in the "Forbes 30 under 30 DACH". The University of St.Gallen congratulates its graduate on this honour. The Dr Werner Jackstädt Foundation Award, worth CHF 10,000, was presented at the START Summit in St.Gallen on Thursday, 20 March.
After completing her bachelor's degree at HSG in 2018, Léa Miggiano didn't have a master plan to start a company, as she explained at the START Summit in St.Gallen. “Becoming an entrepreneur was never my big dream – but sometimes things just fall into place. My studies at HSG gave me the business understanding and self-confidence to successfully build a company on my own.” At the award ceremony, she explained that starting the company was a catalyst for her personality.
Looking back, Miggiano is glad she started Carvolution so early: At the beginning of my 20s, I was determined, relaxed and without any external pressure to succeed when I entered the startup rollercoaster. I live in a share apartment and don't have a family to support – that takes a lot of the pressure off. She quickly realised that the world doesn't wait for a startup and that building a business requires a lot of stamina: "Starting a business is just the beginning of an intense endurance race," she says. Miggiano has also found the transition from doer to careful manager of teams and businesses to be an exciting process in which she has learnt a lot about herself and about entrepreneurship. Her experience as an avid show jumper was of great benefit. “I found it helpful to think that every hurdle is part of the journey to your goal and that every change brings new experiences.” For Miggiano, she originally used cars only to get to remote places. She was never crazy about cars and driving. This also helped her to rethink the traditional use of the car. “It takes a lot of drive and perseverance to prove yourself as an entrepreneur. Even though the automotive industry is considered male-dominated, my goal is still to give it my all with the Carvolution team,” says the 30-year-old founder.
The following people and companies received the award in previous years:
2024: Pascal Bieri from "Planted"
2023: Melanie Gabriel from "Yokoy"
2022: Raffael Wohlgesinger of "Formo"
2021: Dorina Bührle from "Piavita"
2020: Julian Teicke from "Wefox"
2019: Kilian Wagner, founder of "VIU"
2018: Valentin Stalf, founder of the smartphone bank "N26"
2017: Lea von Bidder, inventor of the "Ava" fertility bracelet
2016: "on" running shoe inventor Caspar Coppetti
2015: Laura Behrens Wu, founder of the shipping software company "Shippo"
2014: Alexander Graubner-Müller, founder of the mini-loan platform "Kreditech".
2013: "Soma Analytics" founder Johann Huber with his anti-stress app
2012: "DeinDeal.ch" founder Adrian Locher
2011: Dr. Alexander Ilic, founder of the company "Dacuda"
Image: Hannes Thalmann
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