Jonas, founder of BuddyLeader — built from the Lavaux, for owner-craftsmen
BuddyLeader is founded and led by Jonas (Founder & CEO) and built by Living Scale Up, a Swiss company based in the Lavaux (canton of Vaud). Its mission: give owner-craftsmen back the hours lost to admin. Customer data stays in Switzerland, on sovereign infrastructure, under the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP / nDSG).
Where it started
BuddyLeader was not born from a software idea, but from a truth repeated in the field. Meeting French-speaking Swiss owner-craftsmen — electricians, plumbers, masons, plasterers, carpenters — the same thing came up in every conversation: the head is too full. Days are spent on site; quotes, e-mails and follow-ups pile up in the evening.
Quote speed, in particular, decides jobs won or lost. A craftsman who answers the same day gets the job; one who answers a week later has already lost it.
From the Lavaux
Living Scale Up builds BuddyLeader from the Lavaux, on the terraced slopes above Lake Geneva (canton of Vaud). This is not just an address detail: closeness to the craftsmen of the Lake Geneva region — Geneva, Vaud, Valais — is the product's daily observation ground.
Living Scale Up owns 100% of BuddyLeader's intellectual property — the code, the brand, the data — and is the legally responsible entity. BuddyLeader is a product and brand of Living Scale Up; Living Scale Up is the party that contracts and is accountable for the data.
The Lavaux is nearly 30 kilometres of vineyard terraces shaped by hand since the 11th century, high above Lake Geneva, facing the Alps. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, it is one of the finest dialogues between people and their landscape — the Dezaley and its grands crus at its heart.
We are proud of it, and it is not just about the view. Like the winegrowers who have tended these stone walls for generations, we build with care, for the long run, a tool made by hand. From the Lavaux, Living Scale Up is building a next-generation AI for Swiss owner-craftsmen — rooted in a terroir, turned toward the future.
Data sovereignty is not optional
A craftsman entrusts BuddyLeader with what is most sensitive: their customers, their prices, their margins. That trust imposes a non-negotiable rule — the data stays in Switzerland. BuddyLeader runs on sovereign Swiss infrastructure (Infomaniak), out of reach of the US CLOUD Act. No US foundation-model API processes the data; voice transcription, too, happens in Switzerland.
Processing complies with the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP / nDSG). Living Scale Up is the data controller. BuddyLeader never trains an external model on customer data, and nothing is sent to a customer without the craftsman's approval.
What BUDDY refuses to do
The philosophy is a single rule: the AI prepares, the human decides. Prices are computed deterministically from the craftsman's own rates — the AI never invents an amount. Nothing leaves for a customer without approval.
BuddyLeader is not one more CRM. It is an AI team — a right hand — designed for the three things owner-craftsmen asked us for: quote speed, per-job margin visibility, and inbox protection.
« 80 calls a day. 70 to 120 e-mails a day. I lose customers because I can't get a quote out fast enough — in plumbing, the competition is fierce. »Owner, plumbing, French-speaking Switzerland — pilot craftsman
Frequently asked questions
Who founded BuddyLeader?
BuddyLeader is founded and led by Jonas, Founder & CEO. The product is built and owned by Living Scale Up, a Swiss company based in the Lavaux (canton of Vaud), which owns 100% of the intellectual property — code, brand and data. BuddyLeader is a product and brand of Living Scale Up.
Where is BuddyLeader's customer data hosted?
In Switzerland. BuddyLeader runs on sovereign Swiss infrastructure (Infomaniak), outside the US CLOUD Act, in line with the revised Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP / nDSG). Living Scale Up is the data controller. No US-model API processes the data, and no external model is trained on it.
What is Living Scale Up?
Living Scale Up (LSU) is the Swiss company that publishes and operates BuddyLeader and owns 100% of its intellectual property. BuddyLeader is a product and brand of Living Scale Up, not a separate legal entity: Living Scale Up is the party that contracts and is accountable for the data.
Why does BuddyLeader exist?
To give owner-craftsmen back the hours lost to admin. The product grew from a truth repeated among French-speaking Swiss craftsmen: too many calls, too many e-mails, quotes made too late. BuddyLeader focuses on quote speed, per-job margin, and inbox protection.