Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

What happens when a particle physicist walks away from one of the world’s most prestigious scientific institutions to build a privacy-first tech company that challenges Big Tech? For Andy Yen, founder of Proton, the answer lies in urgency, values, and a vision for sovereignty.

In this conversation, Andy reflects on his journey from CERN to founding Proton, a company now used by millions to reclaim their digital rights. He opens up about the identity shift from scientist to entrepreneur, the existential stakes of online privacy, and the strategic design behind Proton’s rare nonprofit hybrid structure. Exclusively for our newsletter subscribers, Andy has shared additional insights below.

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How to build when the odds are against you

What you will get out of this episode

In our conversation, Andy shares:

• How to navigate the transition from academia to entrepreneurship without losing your core mission

• Why long-term trust must be structurally baked into your company - not just promised in branding

• How to build a business that stands up to Big Tech monopolies and survives platform capture

• Why European tech needs bold policy, confident procurement, and a shift in societal mindset to thrive

• and much more!

Our main take away’s

1. Hard problems are worth pursuing, especially when they matter to society: Andy Yen’s leap from theoretical physics to building Proton wasn't driven by profit, but by a conviction that the future of the internet—and democracy itself—depended on reimagining digital infrastructure around privacy and user control.

2. Speed matters in startups, urgency is the founder’s core muscle: Coming from science, where discovery is patient and perpetual, Andy had to radically shift gears to survive in the startup world. What made it work? A “maniac sense of urgency” that not only fueled his own pace but inspired his team to embrace momentum as a source of joy, not stress.

3. Tech sovereignty is a prerequisite for real freedom: Through personal experience straddling Taiwan, the US, and Europe, Andy makes a compelling case that sovereignty today means controlling your tech stack. Without European alternatives to American and Chinese tools, the continent risks becoming a digital colony.

4. Founding without VCs can be your biggest strength: Proton’s early crowdfunding - 10,000 users backing a mission, not a monetization model - wasn’t just survival. It shaped the company’s long-term orientation, culminating in its bold move to place control in a Swiss foundation. That structure now protects the mission beyond any single founder or funding round.

5. Europe’s tech problem isn’t supply, it’s belief: The talent and tools exist. What’s missing is the confidence to invest in ourselves. Andy argues that Europe has to stop seeing tech as a cost and start treating it as the economic engine of the future. That begins with public procurement, a shift in work culture, and young founders refusing to play small.

6. Mission beats market, when it’s backed by structure, not slogans: Whether battling surveillance proposals in Switzerland or absorbing the financial cost of providing VPN access in authoritarian regimes, Proton puts mission over margin. But it’s not romantic idealism—it’s a deliberate design that fuses financial sustainability with legal obligations to serve the public good.

How to reach out to Andy

• Andy on LinkedIn

• Andy on X & Proton on X

• See all open positions at Proton

Exclusive from Andy

What’s a decision you made early at Proton that seemed irrational at the time but turned out to be foundational?

Avoiding venture financing seemed insane, but in the long run taught us efficiency and excellence in execution which became a core cultural competitive advantage over time.

You often talk about Europe’s lack of confidence. What’s one practical thing a founder can do tomorrow to build a more globally competitive mindset inside their team?

I think there’s no substitute for being exposed to American or Chinese founders, as it can really change your perspective of what is and isn’t possible.

If you could redesign one piece of Europe’s tech infrastructure or policy from scratch, what would it be and why?

I think Europe’s policymakers made the mistake of viewing tech as a cost to be optimized and consequently outsourced it to the lowest bidder (typically American or Chinese), instead of a strategic investment for the future. Undoing this mistake would have led to a very different economic outcome.

What’s a mistake you see European scale-ups repeatedly making that you wish someone had warned you about when you started Proton?

That to succeed, you have to go build your business in the US. This is not true and can even lead to worse outcomes.

What is success for you?

Delivering happiness to customers, that’s the key behind any successful business.

What books, podcasts, articles inspired you?

Amp It Up by Frank Slootman

What’s one advice, founders should actually ignore?

Everybody says you have to hire people from bigger companies who have “done it before”, but in reality, every business is unique and nobody has done before what you have to do to succeed.

What are habits, activities or rituals that keep you sane (while scaling your business)?

I generally only do meetings 3 days a week and reserve the other days for deep work.

What is one “growth hack” (be it business, health or personal-wise) that has a positive impact on you or the company?

Everybody can teach you something, don’t let ego get in the way of learning from everybody you meet.