Pioneering spirit at its best -
From greengrocer to digital visionary
Entrepreneur, adventurer, pioneer: The journey of Rafael Bettio
Born in 1979 in a picturesque suburb of Zurich, I stumbled through life as the third-generation descendant of a family of Italian-born greengrocers and restaurateurs. Having grown up monolingual, I now juggle six languages, some of which are in dire need of improvement.
My professional odyssey began in the strict halls of the Zurich Cantonal Bank. A solid education? Certainly. Mine? Hardly! After a tough banking apprenticeship and military service as a tank driver (yes, really, a tank driver!), I fled to Greenwich to brush up on my school English. That was the beginning of my lifelong passion for languages, travel, people and cultures.
My professional odyssey began in the strict halls of the Zurich Cantonal Bank. A solid education? Certainly. Mine? Hardly! After a tough banking apprenticeship and military service as a tank driver (yes, really, a tank driver!), I fled to Greenwich to brush up on my school English. That was the beginning of my lifelong passion for languages, travel, people and cultures.
My professional odyssey began in the austere halls of Zürcher Kantonalbank. A solid education? Certainly. Mine? Hardly! After enduring the rigors of banking apprenticeship and military service as a tank driver (yes, really, a tank driver!), I fled to Greenwich to polish my school English. That marked the beginning of my lifelong passion for languages, travel, people, and cultures.
Back home, I swapped tank steel for fruits and vegetables, spending formative moments picking strawberries in Italy—so much bending that I could barely stand upright. After this agricultural boot camp, I moved to Valencia, where I not only improved my Spanish but also deepened my knowledge of the fresh produce wholesale business.
When Zurich called me home again, I traded fruits for mobile phones and became a marketing consultant at Nokia—a real giant back then (over 80% market share, where did they all go?). After this tech world detour and successful escape from the monotony of bits and bytes, I returned to wine. But not to drink it; rather, to reinvent an old wine import business. It was there I also completed my training as a wine expert.
Then came 2008, and with the banking crisis, I unwittingly became a poker king. I secured the first federal license for private poker tournaments outside of casinos (much to their dismay). Everything was running smoothly until I was dragged to court by the Swiss Casino Association as a test case. Won the first round, lost spectacularly in the second, and the final showdown at the Federal Court was a knockout. Result: Everything gone, debts over my head, and just skin and bones left (58 kg at 180 cm).
After several months on friends’ couches, I found myself—like a prodigal son—in the kitchen near my old vocational school, where I turned necessity into a bar and later took over the adjoining restaurant and inn. Without any formal culinary training, I stood as the head chef and manager from day one. It cost me blood, tears, burns, and sweat, but also countless laughs and memories marked those seven years (7 years of successful cooking). Wow, looking back, I keep wondering, how did I manage that?
As the gastronomic chapter was drawing to a close, I found myself back in the fruit and vegetable business, this time as the COO of a trading group. The leap into self-employment soon followed, and after digitizing these companies and launching an ordering app, I dove deeper and more intensely into the world of artificial intelligence and social media.
About three months ago, then came the brainwave: After a meal at Bimi (my favorite Japanese restaurant in Switzerland), I decided to go all in and founded OpinStar. My goal? To create a Win-Win-Win situation: more customers and revenue for SMEs, a voice for (hopefully) happy customers. Because when everyone wins, I win too. The Triple-Win world was created—and I pursue my dream to work and live a few months by the sea each year (does it have internet? Otherwise, unfortunately not).
My life? A wild mix of ups and downs, learning, and laughter. Proof that you can reach your destination by detours and that it’s never too late to take a chance. As long as it helps others and me, I’m always in! Let’s rock OpinStar – Triple Win!
Thank you for your attention.
Rafael Bettio
Back home, I swapped tank steel for fruits and vegetables, spending formative moments picking strawberries in Italy—so much bending that I could barely stand upright. After this agricultural boot camp, I moved to Valencia, where I not only improved my Spanish but also deepened my knowledge of the fresh produce wholesale business.
When Zurich called me home again, I traded fruits for mobile phones and became a marketing consultant at Nokia—a real giant back then (over 80% market share, where did they all go?). After this tech world detour and successful escape from the monotony of bits and bytes, I returned to wine. But not to drink it; rather, to reinvent an old wine import business. It was there I also completed my training as a wine expert.
Then came 2008, and with the banking crisis, I unwittingly became a poker king. I secured the first federal license for private poker tournaments outside of casinos (much to their dismay). Everything was running smoothly until I was dragged to court by the Swiss Casino Association as a test case. Won the first round, lost spectacularly in the second, and the final showdown at the Federal Court was a knockout. Result: Everything gone, debts over my head, and just skin and bones left (58 kg at 180 cm).
After several months on friends’ couches, I found myself—like a prodigal son—in the kitchen near my old vocational school, where I turned necessity into a bar and later took over the adjoining restaurant and inn. Without any formal culinary training, I stood as the head chef and manager from day one. It cost me blood, tears, burns, and sweat, but also countless laughs and memories marked those seven years (7 years of successful cooking). Wow, looking back, I keep wondering, how did I manage that?
As the gastronomic chapter was drawing to a close, I found myself back in the fruit and vegetable business, this time as the COO of a trading group. The leap into self-employment soon followed, and after digitizing these companies and launching an ordering app, I dove deeper and more intensely into the world of artificial intelligence and social media.
About three months ago, then came the brainwave: After a meal at Bimi (my favorite Japanese restaurant in Switzerland), I decided to go all in and founded OpinStar. My goal? To create a Win-Win-Win situation: more customers and revenue for SMEs, a voice for (hopefully) happy customers. Because when everyone wins, I win too. The Triple-Win world was created—and I pursue my dream to work and live a few months by the sea each year (does it have internet? Otherwise, unfortunately not).
My life? A wild mix of ups and downs, learning, and laughter. Proof that you can reach your destination by detours and that it’s never too late to take a chance. As long as it helps others and me, I’m always in! Let’s rock OpinStar – Triple Win!
Thank you for your attention.
Rafael Bettio
