Celebrating 5 Years of Visium: A Journey Through Innovation, Impact, and Teamwork

by Constanta Hornet

Content & Creative Lead

5 min. read

Our Origin Story - How and Why Visium was Created

“What you can plan is too small for you to live.” - David Whyte

Some businesses start in garages; some at hackathons; others by chance.

Ours started with a conversation back in 2017 about how the world could benefit from AI / ML done well and with care. The gap between AI/ML advancements in academia and what companies across industries experienced was growing by the day, but it didn’t have to.

We had a vision and in just a few months a name that embodied it: Visium.

By the summer of 2018, Visium’s founders, Timon Zimmermann, Alen Arslanagic Chova, and Matteo Togninalli were well on their way to their first clients. They put together a team of people that set out to change the way organizations use data and Machine Learning.

The team grew until it could fit into two freshly opened offices; one in Lausanne and one in Zurich a year later.

“When we founded Visium, our aim was to empower organizations to leverage the full potential of their data and AI. The journey, however, wasn't without its surprises. We found that our clients craved not just technical expertise but also a partner who could understand their unique business contexts and steer them through the complexity of AI and data strategies, aligning them closely with business objectives for the best outcomes.

This was a pivotal moment that shaped our approach - instead of offering merely technical solutions, we committed to delivering end-to-end, user-centric, and business ROI-focused services.”

- Timon Zimmermann, Co-Founder and CTO at Visium

Between hundreds of collaborations, expanding in Europe with 3 more offices in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Spain, and numerous industry recognitions (such as Alen’s 30 under 30 or Visium’s TOP 100 Swiss Startups) we continued to deliver world-class AI solutions to a continuously growing number of clients.

Today, 5 years in, we’re counting a team of 60+ brilliant minds, 5 offices across Europe, over 50 top Swiss enterprises as our clients, and an unwavering vision: Ensure the future is powered by ethical and responsible AI.

The people behind Visium's success, at the forefront of AI

From day one, we've focused on pushing boundaries and expanding what’s possible in the field of AI.

And as we continued to refine our vision over time, we achieved incredible milestones – from developing sophisticated ML algorithms to launching revolutionary products and services – all thanks to our team’s commitment to innovation.

Our employees are the ones building bridges, walking miles in our customers' shoes, and learning new languages (sometimes literally). Their growth mindset and resourcefulness shape Visium's culture and enable our clients to lead the way in their respective industries.

“The company's growth brought about an incredible surprise—the spontaneous evolution of a culture rooted in excellence and unwavering dedication. By simply bringing together a team of talented and kind-hearted individuals, a virtuous cycle naturally took hold, consistently pushing the boundaries higher.”

- Matteo Togninalli, Co-founder and COO at Visium

We can't help but notice that celebrating anything really is somehow rooted in ownership. Owning our work, our relationships, and our mistakes helps us recognize the moments when we need to stop for a minute and celebrate, and when we need to push ourselves harder.

We’re fortunate to have a team that celebrates each other, holds each other accountable, and never loses sight of what truly drives AI: knowledge. They continuously learn about the latest advancements and technologies while developing a unique understanding of our customers' industries.

"My educational to-do list seems to expand daily, almost to the point of guilt. But all kidding aside, that's exactly why I chose Visium – to learn fast while solving real-world challenges.

The work environment here is incredibly dynamic, with continuous knowledge-sharing that not only benefits us professionally but personally too. Being in this fast-paced world of AI, Data, and ML, whenever I learn something new, I'm always asking myself, 'How can I apply this to my current projects?' or ‘Oh, that could be a great solution for the issue this stakeholder mentioned.' It's an exciting time to be in this field."

- Karthigan Sinnathamby, AI Project Manager

Celebrating our customers' success stories

Our customers trust us with their most complex AI and data needs. They have shared invaluable feedback that has enabled us to develop better products and services. Their commitment to embracing innovation and discovering and stretching the boundaries of what’s been done before with AI makes us confident that the future is in good hands.

Over the years we’ve accompanied Global 500 companies on their journey to conquering the data world, working towards providing better patient care and discovering new drugs, making more accurate predictions, and building more efficient teams.

  • Christophe GrassoInnovation Project Manager

    Visium is an exceptional startup in the field of Artificial Intelligence. As one of their earliest customers, their expertise in AI and computer vision proved invaluable in helping explore the vast potential of these technologies.

    Thanks to Visium's support, one of the world's leading timekeeper companies successfully created a minimum viable product that exceeded any expectations, paving the way for future growth and innovation.

We've been privileged to see our customers’ teams flourish, equipped with newfound technical skills and data capabilities; gain clarity and direction in their technology and data strategies, and grow their businesses in new and exciting ways by scaling their operations. Together, we've crafted tailored AI/ML solutions, turning challenges into growth opportunities.

Heck, we even developed with Firmenich the first AI-generated fragrance!

  • Philippe GlénatVP Digital Creation, R&D, and d-lab at dsm-firmenich

    Congratulations! With you, we made our dream a reality. Five years ago, we embarked on the AI road, and together we delivered key solutions for our business units, thanks to your vision, creativity, and collaboration. Bravo to the Visium leadership and team. Happy birthday!

So, today, we’re celebrating our customers' success stories, showing our gratitude for their loyalty and commitment, and recognizing their hard work.

Your success is the only way we measure ours.

A look into the future

As we celebrate 5 years of success in the AI industry as one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies, we look forward to continuing to pursue our mission at lightspeed by nurturing the micro-moments that drive our relentless pursuit of excellence.

We're planning to expand our presence, cultivate strategic partnerships, and develop innovative AI & Data products and services that help our customers build a future we can all be proud of.

“I am filled with an overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude for every one of our Visiumees who has contributed to our remarkable achievements. We have come so far!

When we embarked on this adventure five years ago, we shared a big vision in a small room, and it is awe-inspiring to see how that vision has become a thriving reality. We owe our success to our team's resilience and determination; they shaped Visium's identity and helped us become the leading Swiss AI & Data company in only five years. It's an honor to lead such an extraordinary group of people who consistently go above and beyond to deliver extraordinary results.”

- Alen Arslanagic, Co-founder and CEO at Visium

We live in an extraordinary era, so how can we aim for anything but the extraordinary?

To many more years of building the future together!

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