Two brothers, fully charged
© ETH Foundation / Valeriano Di Domenico
Standing still isn’t in Matteo and Sandro Berchier’s nature. The brothers enjoy complex problems, smart solutions, and are always looking for their next challenge. Today, they are giving back some of what the ETH Excellence Scholarship made possible for them.
You grew up in Poschiavo in the Canton of Grisons. What brought you to Zurich?
SANDRO – I knew early on that I wanted to study something technical and ETH for me was always the place where you could really push yourself. That’s what attracted me. ETH also runs in our family: our father studied Forestry Engineering at ETH, then came Matteo, followed by our sister, and then finally me.
MATTEO – Our physics and mathematics teacher in high school also had a big influence on us. He had a particular gift for explaining even complex topics in a logical and accessible way. His enthusiasm and passion were infectious.
Sandro, did it help that your siblings already knew ETH so well?
SANDRO – Definitely. Matteo had already been through a lot of the exams. Just knowing that he had managed it gave me the feeling: if he can do it, so can I.
MATTEO – Our degree programmes were different – I studied Civil Engineering, while Sandro studied Mechanical Engineering – but especially at the start, we covered many of the same fundamentals. We even attended a seminar on financial market risks together.
What has stayed with you from your time at ETH?
SANDRO – Above all, a solid technical understanding and the ability to think critically. Tools change fast; the fundamentals remain. The theory at ETH is demanding and not always fun, but you benefit from it for the rest of your life.
MATTEO – The ability to get to grips with difficult topics independently. To break a problem down, understand the logic behind it and build on that. I notice this particularly today in my work as an artificial intelligence consultant. If all you do is use ready-made AI models, there’s a risk you just feed in data and hope for a good result. You need to be able to judge whether a model is reliable, which data is relevant and where errors can arise.
© ETH Foundation / Valeriano Di Domenico
“Learning, building and giving back don’t need to be separate phases of life. So why wait?”
What advice would you give ETH students today?
SANDRO – Do more projects. Try things out, test your ideas, and allow yourself to make plenty of mistakes. In Switzerland, we struggle with failure, but if you only ever do what you already know will work and don’t push yourself, very little gets created that is new.
MATTEO – Exactly. Looking back, I wish I had made more use of opportunities such as the Student Project House, which unfortunately didn’t exist at the time. And just reach out to people who inspire you. If someone is where you would like to be professionally, get in touch. A lot of experienced people are genuinely happy to talk to motivated students. Maybe because it reminds them of when they were starting out themselves.
You were both supported through ETH’s Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme (ESOP). What did that support mean to you?
MATTEO – First of all, it gave us the financial freedom to focus entirely on our studies and our own research interests. Equally valuable were the network and the encounters with people whose experience we could learn a great deal from. During a visit to Avaloq, for example, founder and then CEO Francisco Fernandez made time for us and told us how he had built the company. Conversations like that stay with you.
SANDRO – Another important aspect is the recognition attached to the scholarship itself. It can open doors to internships and other opportunities that might otherwise be harder to access.
The programme’s name puts ‘Excellence’ and ‘Opportunity’ side by side. Which matters more to you?
SANDRO – For me, they are two faces of the same coin. When you try to do something exceptionally well, new opportunities somehow arise. And those opportunities, in turn, allow you to learn new things and to continue to grow.
MATTEO – Exactly. Grades do play a role in the selection process. But excellence cannot be measured by exam results alone. The real impact of the scholarship might only become clear years later, through what someone does with the opportunities they were given. Whether they advance research, start a company or contribute something positive to society in some other way.
Why is it important to you to start giving back now?
MATTEO – Because it’s less about the amount and more about the principle. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture or a huge sum. I’m excited by what’s being built at ETH. If I support something, I want it to be a place where positive, forward-looking ideas are being developed.
SANDRO – For me, it’s also about actions rather than words. It’s easy only to say that ETH should continue to attract the best talent from around the world, or we can make a contribution ourselves. Learning, building and giving back don’t need to be separate phases of life. So why wait?
Matteo and Sandro
Matteo Berchier studied Civil Engineering at ETH Zurich and was awarded an Excellence Scholarship in 2014. During his Master’s studies, he worked extensively on statistics and machine learning. Today, as CEO of Sassalbo Ventures, he advises companies on developing and implementing their AI strategy.
Sandro Berchier studied Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zurich and received an Excellence Scholarship for his Master’s degree in Robotics in 2017. Today, he leads the operations team at fintech startup Ledgy and explores the use of AI for business processes.