Entrepreneur case studies

LIVEKINDLY Collective, Girteka, Linet, CropX are private companies that have turned to Credit Suisse to help them transform their vision into a thriving business.

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Meet the entrepreneurs who are taking tomorrow

What can entrepreneurs learn from LIVEKINDLY Collective?

  • Know what you want and go for it

    Roger and Kee’s vision was always clear: address climate change. Their solution was to set about transforming the entire global food system to make it sustainable.

    “I do what I do because I want to give back to society,” says Kees.
  • Be at the forefront of something new

    LiveKindly has drawn on its collective experience to be at the forefront of nothing short of a revolution in our food system. It is building a new movement; it is leading the way.

    “Everybody talks about insights, but if you want to take tomorrow you need to act with foresight. Where is the next wave coming from?” says Kees.
  • Partner with those that trust and believe in you

    Even the most experienced entrepreneurs with the most-timely ideas can’t do it on their own. They need trusted partners not only to invest, but also to help them refine their strategy and challenge them to be the best they can.

    “Credit Suisse believed in our mission very early on and introduced us to amazing people,” says Kees.
  • Think global but adapt to local markets

    Climate change is a global problem that demands local solutions – nowhere more so than for the food we eat. The US market is quite different from that in the UK, Brazil or China. LiveKindly has combined global expertise with local relationships that have allowed it to adapt to individual markets fast and at scale.

    Credit Suisse believed in Roger and Kees right from the start as they connected with business partners around the world, knowing that together we can make a difference.

LIVEKINDLY Collective. Success built on trust.

The LIVEKINDLY Collective is the world’s largest plant-based food group by funding and the only one to own and operate its entire value chain. Yet five years ago its founder Roger Lienhard had just an idea – and people asked: “You have no money, you have no team, you have no products. How do you want to create a company like this?”

 

Roger, with its chief executive Kees Kruythoff, has now raised more than $550 million from investors. This has allowed him to support and buy up-and-coming innovative food companies in production, processing and logistics, putting the company well on the way to fulfilling its mission to take plant-based living mainstream.

 

Watch Roger and Kees share how they are revolutionizing our food system armed with a clear vision, the right timing and partners and a global approach to local opportunities.

What can entrepreneurs learn from Girteka?

  • Build a team that shares your values

    Edvardas’ concept of teamwork extends beyond his Girteka colleagues to embrace his customers and strategic partners, including his banks.

    “We have really common values with our colleagues, with our partners, with our clients. It’s a triangle. It’s sustainable, more long-term. In believing the same things, we are delivering our customers’ promises to their customers.”
  • The best way to grow is responsibly

    Girteka takes its responsibilities seriously, constantly improving its services, equipment and reach.

    “I’m happy my colleagues are happy when our customers are happy… We strive to not only be the best in the industry, but be the best for industry,” he says.

    The result is a safer working environment, better customer service and 25% annual growth.
  • Invest to be the best

    Being the best demands investment – of time, energy and money. Edvardas invests in training and state-of-the-art technology, so he can keep improving. But he also takes the time to share management’s vision for the company.

    “We have to double-check, triple-check that they [staff] are ready. We invest a lot in the education of our team to really have the best team possible for the next [move],” he says.

    Edvardas’ approach to investment at Girteka has enabled the company to double in size every three years, with Credit Suisse by his side.

Girteka. Driven to grow responsibly.

Girteka is Europe’s largest long-haul truck company by assets. Founded 25 years ago, it has doubled in size every three years so that today it leads a sector worth €100 billion a year and employs over 18,000 people.

According to Girteka CEO Edvardas Liachovičius, the company has been able to sustain such rapid growth because its management knows that with success comes responsibility – to its customers and its workforce. By constantly investing in new technology and training, Edvardas and his team are able to attract and retain reliable drivers, who deliver their customers’ cargos safely and on time. It’s a virtuous circle.

“We deliver our customers’ promises to their customers,” he says.

Watch Edvardas share how he has delivered high growth year in, year out, by behaving responsibly.

What can entrepreneurs learn from Linet?

  • Deliver solutions to real problems

    Zbyněk always understood that the right bed can make all the difference not only to a patient’s comfort and recovery but also how easily and well nurses can do their jobs. This meant creating a bed that patients and nurses would love. Comfort and ease-of-use were paramount. The best products always solve a real problem - it’s not about fancy features.
  • Make things that improve lives

    Being just one option among many was never enough for Zbyněk. He wanted to make beds everyone wants. And he’s succeeded. By solving real problems, he has ensured people want to work in environments that feature his beds.

    “Everything is about emotions,” he says. “For your product to become an object of desire you have to improve the lives of others.”
  • Continuously improve your products

    Without specialist knowledge, Zbyněk knew he had to learn from others to become the best. He set up the Academy of Productivity and Innovation, borrowing and applying knowledge from other sectors. This has allowed him to continuously improve his beds, propelling Linet forward.

    “If you have a good idea, go to the end of the world for it,” he says.
  • Pass on your values to the next generation

    Zbyněk announced on his 60th birthday that he would step aside aged 65. This provided plenty of time to plan a smooth transition and draft a family constitution with his values for future generations.

    “No matter where they go or what they do, if the next generation shares our values, I am not worried about them failing,” he says.

    Credit Suisse has been by his side during Zbyněk’s journey, and today, he can enjoy life knowing that Linet is well placed to continue to prosper.

Linet. Your values are your real legacy.

Linet is a leading manufacturer of hospital and nursing beds. It was founded 30 years ago by Zbyněk Frolík and has grown into a $400 million company, making it the fourth largest in the world in its sector.

 

From its humble origins in a Czech cowshed, Linet today is made up of some 20 subsidiaries and employs nearly 1,800 people. Zbyněk attributes his success to the quality of the beds, which help patients in more than 100 countries be more comfortable, speeding up their recovery times. He says that by learning from his own mistakes and from those of others he has been able to be better and grow faster.

 

Watch Zbyněk share his inspirational story and hear how he handed over his business with confidence when the time was right.

What can entrepreneurs learn from CropX?

  • Execution is gold

    Innovation helps CropX stay one step ahead. But Tomer believes that’s only part of the story.

    “Innovation is silver and execution is gold. If you build a strong team and execute properly, they will find their way and create a lot of value,” he says.
  • Grow to stay ahead of the field

    Tomer is just as happy to innovate in-house as he is to buy the right technology to help him take tomorrow.

    “Acquisition is a part of our growth strategy… When it makes sense we buy and integrate,” he says.
  • Find the right partners

    Tomer knows the value of working with talented people. He surrounds himself with those who understand what tomorrow will bring.

    “The relationship and network that Credit Suisse has was second to none. We were introduced to these amazing individuals that were so impactful for us. I think they were very professional in their understanding of what it is exactly I needed,” he says.
  • Never give up

    Tomer knows he’s made mistakes and that the right path can take a long time to find. But through perseverance, he’s built a global company.

    “You stand beneath a tree and keep shaking and shaking, and all you get are these bad apples until, eventually, one good apple falls at you. That’s something I continue to do. Never give up,” he says.

    Credit Suisse understood exactly what Tomer needed in terms of networks and relationships to grow CropX from one product into a global platform company, helping him take tomorrow.

CropX. Innovation is silver but execution is gold.

In just three years, 10,000 farmers in 50 countries have adopted the CropX farm management platform to help them make better, more sustainable decisions. Originally focused on water management, today it measures all inputs, from fertilizer to chemicals and more.

CEO Tomer Tzach says: “We started from the soil, bottom up. I say we’re scalable and soilable. In that respect, the world is moving in our direction.”

The cloud-based platform uses sensors to collect data about soil conditions so the farmer knows exactly where, when and how much to add of any input. Central to its success is that it is easy to implement and simple to use.

“The main issue with agriculture isn’t the technology, it’s about the simplicity of the technology,” Tomer says. “It’s about creating something simple that a farmer could adopt easily.”

Watch Tomer share how he has built his company into a world leader by innovation, looking beyond in-house success and never giving up.

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