Boris Manhart

Chief Executive Officer

I work with founders, CEOs and boards who are building what’s next – and need clarity to move faster.

My focus is product-market fit, growth strategy and innovation in moments of strategic complexity: scaling, pivots, portfolio decisions, or board-level alignment.

I don’t sell frameworks for the sake of frameworks. I help leadership teams make better decisions, faster – grounded in reality, not theory.

Typical work includes:
– PMF and growth strategy at founder and board level
– Strategic sparring for CEOs and leadership teams
– Innovation and portfolio decisions in scale-ups and SMEs
- Alignement and OKRs
– Board and advisory roles

Based in Zurich. Working internationally.

Startup Strategist

Career coaching to executive MBA students who want to enter an entrepreneurial career path.

4di2

2022-today: The ppl.Kickstarter is here 
⚒️ helping tech founders fix team chaos & scale culture without losing control or burning out
🤩 coaching and mentoring startups and scaleups directly or via Innosuisse, Impact Hub Zurich, Founder Institute, Kickstart Innovation, and VCs
🙌 because great ideas deserve to not die because of basic management mistakes

3 ways The ppl.Kickstarter can help you:
1️⃣ ppl.bytes: learn the basics in DIY, online, whenever you like in our mobile app
2️⃣ ppl.advice: work with me 1:1 and access all I've learned, tested, and proven over 2 decades
3️⃣ ppl.rampup: boutique workshop or project to solve your People & Culture challenges heads-on

Tune in to my mini Podcast "People & Culture Stories" (8 inspiring convos with founders)
👉 Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/r7s7nk2k 🎧 Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yc7htzrx


Pivoting to ⬆️

2019-2022: People Tech Startup 
building the 4di2 App, a powerful tool to help people find things faster, thus being more engaged, thus being high-performing while enjoying the experience. 
(A piece of "New Work"-guided workplace and people experience design.)

The 4di2 App was benched by the pandemic and then made obsolete by advancements in AI. So I shut it down eventually with a heavy heart but clarity on what matters more.

Founder & CEO

Kickstart Innovation

Advising Startups mainly in the New Work & Learning vertical on product, market, messaging (HR Tech) and People & Culture in general

Startup Advisor

Innosuisse

Accredited Special Coach for innosuisse startups and scaleups on HR, helping with People & Culture, Organisation, Efficiency, Team Performance, and Team Management.

Special Coach (HR)

QAI Ventures

Contributing as the mentor on People & Culture (Team, Culture, Leadership) to the QAI Ventures Startup Accelerator Program: a unique program tailored to support entrepreneurs and innovators in Quantum Technologies and Advanced AI with strategic startup investments and collaborative ecosystem building.

Startup Mentor on Team, Culture, Leadership

Founder Institute Switzerland

Mentoring early-stage founders by contributing a session to the curriculum and offering business hours for 1:1 sessions.

Startup Mentor on People & Culture

allygatr

Advising the Portfolio Startups as HR Expert

Advisor to Portfolio Startups & VC Investor

Impact Hub Zürich

Being part of the Business Helpdesk as HR-Expert, I support Startups with advisory on any HR-/people-related challenges, needs, or questions. Free for Impact Hub Members, for a fee also available for non-members.
Let's talk about your people challenges!

Advisor to Startups

Backpacker Trail

Advising the CEO, COO and Head of People & Culture on all things related to people strategy, people operations, company culture, and employer brand.

Advisory & Angel Investor

Willis Towers Watson

Project leader for merger of all local companies and harmonization of local employment practices and benefits for all national group companies within only 12 months, while at the same time building smooth internal HR operations with an international team focusing on decentralized process design, integration and efficiency, and introducing new HR programs (e.g. an onboarding program). 
All the while being Human Resources Partner for Switzerland (Zurich, Lausanne, Geneva), a total of up to approx. 130 employees, reporting to the Western Europe Region Head of Human Resources (in UK), global matrix organization with HR Shared Services model since mid-2017.
Really outdid myself here!

HR Partner Switzerland (FTC)

Quantum

Human Resources Manager for Switzerland, Germany, Russia and Emerging Markets, a total of approx. 140 employees; part of EMEA region; reporting directly to US HQ.
Driving change through pointed strategic initiatives on all things people, e.g. in organizational design, talent acquisition and development, and collaboration and communication; valued Business Partner to Management, and trusted go-to-person for employees; leading and participating in, international as well as local strategic projects on HR Analytics, Employer Branding, Employee Development, digitalization; managing employee relations, legal requirements, and day-to-day HR operations A-Z; ensuring compliance and managing external payroll.
Most of the time being a one-woman-show I really had to be efficient to survive - which drove me to perfecting my efficiency level. So I even on top of it all gave German lessons over lunch!

HR Manager - EMEA Central & Eastern Europe

Attention: tech founders scaling your startups

You want to scale without burning out - without culture chaos, hiring headaches, or endless management fires pulling you away from growth.

That’s how simple it is.

You need a team that moves fast, solves problems on its own, and scales with you almost effortlessly, right?

The first step?
Building a culture flywheel that drives momentum - without getting stuck in process bloat or leadership bottlenecks.

In the next 90 days, I help you turn your culture into a strategic growth driver so you can scale with confidence.

With The ppl.Kickstarter and hands-on guidance, together we:

🙌 Clarify what makes your company thrive so you attract the right people and keep them engaged.
🎯 Streamline how you hire, compensate, and operate *without* turning into a corporate machine.
🛠️ Give you plug-and-play tools so leading your team feels natural, not like an extra job.

A selection of the startups I’ve worked with:

1️⃣ LEDCity (HR & Culture Management): Structured their compensation approach to align with company growth.

2️⃣ AUGENTIC (People & Culture in International Expansion): Taught their leadership team how to hire and employ in Switzerland, embedding local culture into their People Management strategy.

3️⃣ Industrial Tech Startup (Scaling Culture): Transformed leadership alignment and internal communication to reduce friction in a growing team.

Send me a DM with the words "CULTURE KICKSTART" to get the details.

🚀


#people #culture #scaling #startups #startup #HR #growth #thepplkickstarter

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Boris Manhart

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