Ramona Furter
See the case
Application · Monster Energy · New Markets

I open new markets from zero.

For nine years I've taken products into markets that had no playbook, built the business case, set the route to market, and run the cross-functional launch. This is my application for Business Manager, New Markets across Africa and the Middle East. I'm planning a move to Dubai, so this seat is exactly where I want to be.

See a market-entry case I'd run Read the CV
0 → 10built a venture to 10 locations & 23 people
CHF 100M+e-commerce P&L owned, reporting to C-level
2 roundsraised as founding team
9 yrsmarket entry, growth & venture building
Portrait of Ramona Furter
Why I fit

What this role needs, and where I've done it

This role is about spotting an opportunity, building the case, designing the route to market, and pulling many functions through to launch. That's been the core of my work for nine years. Here's how it lines up with what you're after, including where I'm honest about the gap.

01

Market entry and route-to-market from scratch

My best work has been standing up something new where there was no playbook: validating demand, choosing the model, and getting the first version live in market.

Proof: founding team of two ventures from zero; ran market pilots for new products (Smide, XperCheck, Lizzy) from MVP to launch inside Die Mobiliar.

02

Commercial and financial acumen, business cases

I build the business case and the model behind a decision, then own the P&L levers, not just the pitch. I'm comfortable putting numbers on an opportunity before anyone commits.

Proof: owned the e-commerce strategy and KPIs for a CHF 100M+ business at ifolor; closed two funding rounds on the strength of the model and the market case.

03

Leading cross-functional project teams

Market launches live or die on getting Supply Chain, Legal, Finance, Marketing and Commercial moving together. Running that mix from concept to launch is what I do.

Proof: ran cross-functional launches end to end at Swiss Post and ifolor, across product, tech, data, legal and commercial; led teams and external agencies on budget.

04

Third-party commercial partners and influence

I've owned the relationship where someone else holds the distribution, aligning their commercial goals with ours and getting both sides to deliver. The partner type differs from bottlers, but the job is the same.

Proof: owned the UBS and Baloise partnerships at Brixel as the bridge between senior partner stakeholders and the delivery team.

05

Self-starting, built for opportunity hunting

I don't wait for the brief. I find the opportunity, size it, and bring a recommendation. I still build and run my own ventures on the side because spotting and launching is what I love.

Proof: founded and run Pedal Peak and smedium today; lead AI business-model development at Swiss Post, from sizing the opportunity to launch.

06

Honest gap: beverages and FMCG years

I haven't worked inside a beverage or FMCG business, so I'd be learning the category, the bottling model and the trade. What I bring is the consumer and commercial muscle to apply fast, and I've already done the homework, see the case below.

Closest experience: consumer e-commerce at CHF 100M+ scale, consumer ventures built from zero, and a worked Monster market-entry case I built for this application.

Curriculum vitae

Ramona Furter

Venture builder, commercial and growth leader in Zurich, planning a move to Dubai. I turn an opportunity into a business case, a route to market and a launch that ships. German and Swiss German native, English fluent, French conversational.

Jan 2026 to present

AI Project Lead, Business Development

Swiss Post, Advertising · Zurich

  • Lead new AI-driven business models for Swiss Post Advertising, from sizing the opportunity to building and running the roadmap.
  • Turn ideas into go-to-market plans and new revenue, tracked with clear KPIs.
  • Run cross-functional work from concept to launch across product, tech, data and commercial teams.

Oct 2024 to Jul 2025

Senior Product Manager, Lead E-Commerce

Ifolor Group · Zurich

  • Owned the e-commerce ecosystem and strategy for a CHF 100M+ consumer business, reporting to C-level.
  • Lifted conversion 9% and the checkout step rate 15% through research, A/B testing and analytics.
  • Led a cross-functional team and external agencies, owning budget, resourcing and KPIs.

Jun 2023 to Sep 2024

Lead Project Manager

Brixel · Zurich

  • Owned the commercial partnerships with major institutions, UBS and Baloise, that drove growth.
  • Was the main bridge between senior partner stakeholders and the internal delivery team.

Mar 2020 to May 2023

Marketing & Growth Lead, Founding Team

WePractice · Sparrow Ventures (Migros Group) · Zurich

  • Founding team of a healthcare venture. Closed two funding rounds and grew it to 10 locations, 23 people and 170+ partners.
  • Generated 1000+ client matches in year one and built the full go-to-market on a hypothesis-and-data approach.
  • Built and led the marketing and sales team after Series B, owning budget, KPIs and growth.

Sep 2019 to Sep 2022

Growth & Venture Builder

Sparrow Ventures · Zurich

  • Built and ran growth and go-to-market for several internal startups, from early validation to scale-up.
  • Used research and experimentation to improve conversion, lower acquisition cost and raise customer lifetime value.

Jan 2017 to Aug 2019

Intrapreneur, Innovation

Die Mobiliar · Bern

  • Ran market pilots for new products (Smide, now BOND Mobility, plus XperCheck and Lizzy) from MVP to launch, inside one of Switzerland's largest insurers.
  • Coached cross-functional teams and explored new data and partnerships.
A worked example

A market-entry case I'd run for Monster

Not theory. The new-market question worked the way the role works: scan and select the market, build the business case, design the route to market with a bottling partner, then plan the launch. Illustrative figures, but this is the shape of the analysis I'd build. Click the tabs, and pick a market to score.

Working example · illustrative figures

Scan the region, score on a clear framework

Five candidate markets, scored on category headroom, demographics, route-to-market feasibility and risk. Click a market to see the read. The top of the list is where I'd build the first case.

From day one

My first 90 days

Here's roughly how I'd spend my first three months, from learning the category and the bottling model to bringing a first real market case to the VP.

Phase 1 Days 1 to 30

Learn the category & the model

  • Get deep on the energy-drink category, the bottling model and how Monster makes money in the region.
  • Meet the VP, the bottler-development team and the functions a launch depends on.
  • Walk the trade in one priority market, kiosks, coolers and distributors, not just slides.
Phase 2 Days 31 to 60

Own a market opportunity

  • Take one target market and build the assessment, competitor and pricing read independently.
  • Draft the business case and financial model, and pressure-test the route to market.
  • Map the bottling and distribution options and the regulatory path.
Phase 3 Days 61 to 90

Bring a recommendation

  • Bring a sharp market-entry recommendation to the VP and stand behind it.
  • Turn it into a phased launch plan with the functions and the partner aligned.
  • Set the KPIs and the first milestones so we can move from plan to action.