Rethinking business matchmaking

Bernhard, where did the idea for swipecor come from – and Alexander, how did you get involved?

Bernhard Schindler:

The idea for swipecor actually didn’t start with AI. It came from a personal experience. I’ve been working in sales, entrepreneurship, investment and, above all, networking for more than 25 years. And I kept seeing the same problem: We have more contacts and more information available to us than ever before – and yet it is incredibly difficult to find the right person at the right time.

At some point, I asked myself: Why has almost everything in business become digital and intelligent – except finding the right business contacts?

That was the starting point for swipecor.

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

Bernhard and I already knew each other through his Schindler Circle. I had seen how he works with people, how he builds his network and, above all, how he brings people together. We immediately got along very well and our conversations became more and more intensive.

Through swipecor, we became even closer. Bernhard asked me: »Do you know a software team that has the power to build something like this?« At first, I thought: This is a really interesting platform idea. But the deeper we got into it, the more I understood what was actually behind it. And at some point I genuinely thought: »Wow. What are we getting ourselves into?« Because suddenly, this wasn’t just about building an app. It was about completely rethinking business matchmaking – with an intelligent layer behind it.

What is the actual problem you want the software to solve?

Bernhard Schindler:

The problem isn’t that we don’t have enough contacts. We have too many. When I need a new customer, supplier, investor or business partner, I often have to research myself, ask people, search platforms or attend events. The question that needs to be asked isn’t: »Who do I know?« It’s: »Who should I know right now?«

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

And that’s where it gets technically really interesting. We don’t want to build another database where I have to search through thousands of profiles myself.

We are building a structure in which swAIper can increasingly understand: What does this company do? What can it offer? What is it looking for? And what do I need right now? And from that, relevant recommendations can emerge.

That is the key difference for me: You don’t have to search anymore. You get relevant opportunities suggested to you.

Why do you need artificial intelligence for that?

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

Because business is not just about individual data points. It’s not enough to know that »Company A is a machine manufacturer and Company B is an IT provider.« It becomes interesting when swAIper understands that Company A is currently looking to digitalize its production and Company B has exactly the right solution for that.

Recognizing those connections – that is where the real intelligence of swipecor begins.

Bernhard Schindler:

And that’s the point where AI creates real economic value for me. AI shouldn’t simply look impressive. It should help me make better business decisions and find better business opportunities.

What is the difference between swipecor and swAIper?

Bernhard Schindler:

To put it simply: swipecor is the ecosystem. swAIper is the intelligence within it.

On swipecor, companies, employees, products, services and content can present themselves. That is where different business opportunities come together.

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

And swAIper is the intelligent layer on top of that. It is designed to understand what is relevant to me, recognize connections and suggest relevant companies, products, contacts or opportunities. That’s why I don’t see swAIper as just a chatbot in the long term. I see it as an AI business assistant.

Bernhard Schindler:

I like to put it this way: swAIper is for entrepreneurs what Siri or Alexa became for other areas of everyday life – only for business.

What makes swipecor differ from LinkedIn and other platforms?

Bernhard Schindler:

We don’t want to build another network where people simply collect as many contacts as possible. We want to create relevance. A network can tell me who I know. The new system should increasingly tell me who I should know – and why.

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

And we want to take that one step further.

We don’t just want to say: »This might be interesting.«

We want to say: »This is relevant to you. This is why. And this could potentially turn into a real business opportunity.« That combination of data, AI, matchmaking and business relevance is what makes swipecor so exciting to me.

Alexander, you are an entrepreneur and Managing Director, but also the Product Owner. What is your role at swipecor?

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

I come from two worlds. On the one hand, I am an entrepreneur and Managing Director myself. So I know the situation from the user's perspective – when I need a customer, a partner, a supplier or a specific solution.

At the same time, I have a strong technical understanding and can work very closely with our development team on the actual implementation. That combination is incredibly valuable to me.

I can ask: »What does an entrepreneur actually need? – and at the same time: How do we have to build it technically to make it work?« That is the connection I bring to the project as Product Owner.

What has been the biggest challenge during development?

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

The biggest challenge was actually our own vision. The deeper we got into it, the bigger the picture became. What started as a matchmaking idea developed into Spaces, Stages, Malls, swAIper, lead management, intelligent recommendations and our own economic layer with swipecoins. So the challenge wasn’t just implementing all of this technically.

The real challenge was: How do we build an extremely complex structure in the background while keeping the product incredibly simple for the user?

Bernhard Schindler:

Exactly. That has always been my ambition: The technology can be complex, the product must not be.

Why did you invest so much yourselves before the platform was even on the market?

Bernhard Schindler:

Because we didn’t want to create a presentation first and then convince people that our idea might work. We wanted to build it. So we invested early, built a strong development team and actually created the platform. For me, it was important that if we say we want to change the way business works, then at some point there has to be a real product that people can actually experience.

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

And I think that is exactly what allowed the idea to evolve. We didn’t just talk theoretically about AI, matchmaking and business. At some point, every single idea had to become a real feature. And that made swipecor more and more concrete.

Who is it actually designed for?

Bernhard Schindler:

Essentially, every business. Because sooner or later, every company is looking for something: customers, employees, suppliers, partners, investors, expertise, technology or new markets.

Business ultimately comes down to supply and demand. This platform brings those two sides together intelligently.

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

I find that particularly interesting for small and medium-sized businesses. Large corporations can afford dedicated research, sales or market-intelligence teams.

A mid-sized company often doesn’t have those resources. If swAIper can take over part of that work, it can create a real competitive advantage.

How will you measure success?

Bernhard Schindler:

Success for me isn’t about having as many registrations as possible. Success is when an entrepreneur eventually tells me:

»I found a customer through swipecor.«

Or:

»swAIper introduced me to a partner I would never have found myself.«

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

Exactly. Ultimately, we don’t want to measure how many likes we have.

We want to know: How many relevant contacts are created? How many conversations? How many partnerships? And how much real business is generated as a result?

And where do you want swipecor to go in the future?

Bernhard Schindler:

I want swipecor to eventually become the first business application an entrepreneur opens in the morning. Not because they have to, but because they want to know:

»What has swAIper found for me today?«

Dr. Alexander Chaloupka:

And that’s exactly where I see the journey going. Today, it’s about finding relevant companies, contacts and opportunities. But ultimately, swAIper should understand much more: What do I need right now? What can I offer? Who should I meet? Which opportunity should I not miss?

It shouldn’t only react when I ask it something. It should think ahead for me and become proactive.

And for me, that is the real game changer of swipecor.