Swisspreneur Podcast Welcomes Octiive CEO Mershad Jervan as Guest

Octiive co-founder and CEO Mershad Jervan, who also serves as Head of Europe at GoDigital, is a guest on the From Musician to Maker podcast, Switzerland’s #1 platform for entrepreneurs. The show connects with the most talented Swiss startup founders, business leaders, and innovators to uncover the secrets behind their success.

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In the episode, Mershad shares his journey from touring musician to building and rebuilding global music companies. He walks through the full lifecycle of MondoTunes — from founding and rapid growth to acquisition, stagnation under corporate ownership, and the decision to reclaim and rebuild the business, lessons that ultimately shaped the creation of Octiive.

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The conversation explores why independent artists remain underserved by traditional music infrastructure, what it really takes to scale a global music platform in the U.S. versus Europe, and how Switzerland emerged as an unexpected but strategic base for Octiive’s next phase of growth. Mershad also reflects on the operational mistakes, investor misalignment, and cap table complexity that nearly derailed the business — and how those experiences informed a more sustainable approach this time around.

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On a personal level, Mershad discusses relocating from Los Angeles to Switzerland, adapting to a new culture, and the emotional transition from songwriter to entrepreneur. He also shares why, after multiple exits and rebuilds, he believes bootstrapping can often be a smarter long-term strategy than raising outside capital.

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