Starting a company was never part of her grand plan. While studying food science at ETH Zurich, Evelyne Pflugi discovered a passion for research - a way of thinking that would later lead her into finance. At both Capital Group and GAM, she had the feeling that portfolios could be managed better. In the Resources & Energy sector, where Pflugi worked, the focus was mainly on understanding value chains that generate profit. She believed this logic could also be applied to investments in technology and innovation.

«I never wanted to become an entrepreneur. I just had the conviction that equity funds could be managed better,» she recalls.

At her previous employers, however, Pflugi found little willingness to listen to her ideas. Fundamental analysis was considered untouchable, while rule-based approaches were seen as too rigid. So, in 2017, she founded her own firm together with Tobias Reichmuth - The Singularity Group.

Rules Instead of Gut Feeling

While many banks have abandoned their own funds and turned to passive ETFs, Evelyne Pflugi remains convinced that active management works - if done right - and the numbers from the past eight years prove her right.

«In the financial industry, decisions are sometimes made by people who - often due to wring incentives - don't even realize what they're selling to their clients,» Pflugi explains. In the tech industry, it's different. «If the iPhone were bad, something new would come out immediately, and customers would be willing to pay more for it. In finance, that doesn't happen.»

That is why The Singularity Group follows a strictly rule-based investment process. Decisions are made only twice a year, not about market trends, but about the actual innovative strength of individual companies.

(Image: zVg)

The team is supported by a network of over 40 entrepreneurs from innovative industries who help truly understand new technologies.

«We don't ask whether we should buy Nvidia or not,» says Pflugi. «We want to understand how the value chain works, where true transformation happens, where growth is underestimated, and where pricing power lies.»

Rule-based Process Supported by AI

Twice a year, The Singularity Group organizes so-called round tables where experts assess which innovations are realistic and feasible. All innovations are categorized into three groups:

• Already on the mass market
• In focus
• Future

What's in focus finds its way into the portfolio. For seven years, the company has maintained a steadily growing database that records all analyzed innovations. This knowledge base forms the backbone of the investment process. For the past year and a half, the database has been enhanced by an AI application that detects connections more quickly and automatically processes complex questions. This not only accelerates internal analyses but also enables more precise and well-founded responses to client inquiries.

(Image: zVg)

The positive feedback reinforces Pflugi and her team in their approach. «Many client advisors tell us they've never seen anything like this at other asset managers or banks,» Pflugi says with satisfaction.

The Industry Has a Disease

Building the company was no easy feat. «Many told us that no one would buy it,» sich Pflugi recalls. Large banks simply weren't interested because their distribution structures were already in place.

«The industry has a disease,» Pflugi criticizes. «We have to build scale ourselves before the big players approach us.»

Today, she is setting her sights not only on Switzerland an Germany but also on the U.S. market, where the interest in innovative, active strategies is greater than in Europe.

Winning the Bold Woman Award has given The Singularity Group an additional boost. «It's an external validation that what we're doing is being recognized and appreciated.»

Pflugi and the Bold Woman Award

For Pflugi and her team, the award came as a complete surprise. «We thought we'd just have a glass of champagne and enjoy a nice evening,» she says, laughing. The joy was all the greater when her name was announced - tears included. The recognition not only brought attention to The Singularity Group but also rekindled old connections. «You don’t even realize who’s been watching you — suddenly, many people reached out, even from within the industry.»

Pflugi has been awarded the Bold Woman Award 2025 by Veuve Clicquot (Image: zVg)

For Pflugi, the award means above all one thing: confirmation that perseverance pays off.

As a Woman in the Financial Industry

The award also highlighted the importance of female role models in finance - a topic that Pflugi never actively pursued but now embodies. Her company today employs more women than men. Despite the male-dominated industry, Evelyne Pflugi approaches the issue with composure: «I've met many men who have supported me.» Gender, she says, plays no role at The Singularity Group. «We simply want to do something new, and do it really well. That has more to do with our curiosity and drive to build something unique than with the fact that we happen to be more women»

Still, she observes changes: the proportion of women applying is increasing, and awareness of diversity is growing. Yet unconscious biases persist. «In recruitment, men are often better at presenting themselves - and people are more likely to entrust money to someone who appears confident.»

Patience and Hard Work as Keys to Success

Pflugi's advice to young people entering finance: patience. «I sense a strong ambition among younger generations. But you first have to dig in - sometimes even work on weekends - to truly understand things and create value. The drive should be to become genuinely good at what you do.» Intuition and skill, she says, only come with experience. «Once you've put in the effort, the right people will notice and reward it.»