Meet Sandro Zweig, Co-Founder and CEO at tiun

Please tell us about tiun.

tiun is an ETH startup that was founded by Christian Heiduschke, and myself in January 2023. We offer media and streaming businesses a way to monetize and convert the >96% of people who don’t subscribe to their service.

tiun enables users to log into a news website or streaming service with their tiun account and pay for the time they consume with one click – no registration , no passwords, no credit cards. This way users stay flexible without committing to a subscription.

What was the idea behind tiun?

The subscription economy in media and streaming is broken. Businesses have to spend more money on creating original content and marketing to win new users. On the other side, users have a limited share of wallet and don’t want to subscribe to each service just to watch a single show or read a single article (subscription fatigue).

Research shows that the younger generation is loyal to the content that interests them, not to the provider. The urge to stay flexible and consume content from different services without any strings attached is ever increasing. Tiun bridges that gap for both users and businesses.

tiun will enable these people to watch and pay for the time they want to watch. Businesses on the other side will earn money and generate new revenue streams that previously seemed inconceivable.

Tell us more about your plans for 2023/24? What is your long-term vision?

Our vision is to make high-quality content easily accessible and affordable for anyone.

This year, we launched a pilot with 30 magazines. We want to prove to them that tiun can contribute a meaningful amount to their bottom line sales. We aim to achieve this through higher conversions compared to traditional paywalls. 

In 2024 we are focusing on two more verticals, which are news and streaming. At the same time we are partnering with different mobile payment providers in Europe to make our solution even more accessible. This will fuel our growth. 

What has been the biggest success that you have achieved in your startup?

Many businesses had the thesis that tiun would cannibalise existing subscribers. I am proud to announce that not a single provider has reported signs of cannibalisation. It has become clear to us that us that we are targeting a different user group and demographic than they currently have. Today, we convert 4-6 times more flyby traffic than any publisher does with their current subscription paywall in Switzerland.

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? What are your biggest learnings?

It took time to understand who our customer is. Regardless of whether your company is a B2C, or B2B or B2B2C, you can only serve one master. You can only have one customer you focus on. In our case it is the business. We enable businesses to win more users and earn more money (B2B2C) – and for them we build the best checkout solution the world has seen, so that consumers who are interested in their content can stay and pay flexibly.

What motivates you to continue your business every day?

We solve a problem that a lot of people and a lot of businesses have in their daily lives. People want to read articles every day and can’t because they sit behind a paywall. We found a solution where users can pay and stay flexibly. At the same time, we offer businesses an opportunity to accelerate their growth in a rather stagnating market environment.

One piece of advice for someone who is just starting out with their startup?

The best ideas are painkillers, not vitamins. Vitamin pills are good for you, but they’re not essential. You can skip your morning vitamin for a day, or a month and never notice the difference. But you’ll notice real quick if you forget a painkiller. Painkillers eliminate something that’s constantly bothering you. And the best pain – so to speak – is one you experience in your own life.

What does it mean to you to be a member of the Swiss Startup Association? 

The entire team is proud to be a member of the Swiss Startup Association and is eager to push the boundaries to put Switzerland’s tech scene with all its brilliant minds on the map.

Would you recommend joining the Swiss Startup Association? If yes, why?

Yes, the SSA gives you all the necessary tools you need to get your startup off the ground. From learning materials, to startup deals, to investor lists. Use the resources that are given to you!

Have you ever visited the events of the Swiss Startup Association?

We were at the Startup Nights last year. This year will be the second time.

Connect with Sandro on LinkedIn

Find tiun’s Website here