Jasminka Roth had spent around 15 years working for several organisations in the pharma and medtech sectors before launching her first business, The Tao of Excellence, in Schaffhausen in 2015. She and her team provide support and consultancy services to companies in the pharma and medtech sectors. «We focus on three key areas: strategy, compliance and business efficiency», Roth explains. She studied biochemistry and biotechnology at the ETH Zurich, one of the world's leading technical and scientific universities. 

The business provides a wide range of advisory and support services. «We help companies to ensure their products are as closely tailored to the marketplace as possible, we do competitor analysis, we guide and support clients during the highly complex approval process for products which feature a medical or pharmaceutical component», Roth sets out. The products can be as diverse as plasters, hip joints, medical instruments, vaccinations and also software used in the field of medicine. The Tao of Excellence provides training programmes to enable clients to develop their in-house capability in these areas, offers coaching and also supports projects end-to-end as they move through the stages to successful completion. 

Whilst a large part of the client base is in Switzerland, the team is geared for international operations. «From the outset, we’ve always used digital tools such as Zoom and Teams, for example.», Roth comments. Prior to the Corona pandemic we also used to meet up with clients in Switzerland face-to-face. Now we’ve moved practically all communications and knowledge-sharing online. That generally works very well and clients value the benefits the move has brought. Nonetheless, she is also looking forward to the new normality when in person meetings will be more easily possible. 

«The location we opted for had to make sense for business reasons – and Schaffhausen ticks those boxes.»

Jasminka Roth, Founder

Schaffhausen’s appeal: location and strong medtech sector 

Roth’s transition to becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t originally part of her plans. «I wanted to develop my career towards a stronger focus on strategy and the interface of strategy and the regulatory environment. Very often, these considerations are neglected by businesses as operational issues dominate», she outlines. It was important to her to do something which makes a real difference. «That’s why I decided to provide the strategic dimension as a service provider and help our clients to tackle this.»

The reason she chose to base her business in the Canton of Schaffhausen wasn’t just down to the fact that she hails from there. «The location we opted for had to make sense for business reasons– and Schaffhausen ticks those boxes», she underlines. Geographically, the location is ideal due to its proximity to Basel, a major centre for the pharmaceutical sector, to Zurich, Switzerland’s economic powerhouse, and additionally to the sizeable medtech hubs just across the border in Southern Germany. That‘s all so close to hand. «On top of all that, there is a strong and long-established medtech presence in Schaffhausen itself», she adds. 

Roth particularly likes Schaffhausen’s location on the banks of the River Rhine with the promenade serving as an al fresco office. «There are some calls and meetings I like to handle whilst walking along the banks of the Rhine», Roth highlights. It’s a place where she feels at her most creative. A section of the Rhine promenade, with lots of large, old trees right on the water’s edge, known locally as Lindli , is a favourite and her ‚go-to‘ place when she wants to explore different perspectives and give herself more space to think. 

Supporting the local start-up scene

Alongside further growth and achievement of authorised representative status in Switzerland – a key development relating to MDR, the EU’s new regulations for medical devices – Roth sees positives going forward in links with the local start-up scene. «Schaffhausen has created a StartHub for new businesses and I am happy to share my experiences with those setting out on their journey as entrepreneurs», she says. She believes the start-up scene in Schaffhausen has great potential and both Roth and her team enjoy supporting start-ups with advice and introductions to their network of contacts. «I’d like to play a part in ensuring that Schaffhausen continues to be successful and attractive as a business location and to show that it is possible for a woman and mother to set up and manage a business. And I want to show that you can do that right here in Schaffhausen», Roth concludes.