INVESTORS THAT ATTEND TECHNE

Jacopo joined EBAN in 2015 as the association’s Director of Secretariat. He is responsible for managing the day to day operations of the organization, expanding the associations reach and influence, tracking issues of strategic importance to the early stage investing ecosystem and representing the association externally. Being the first contact point of the association, he is also looking after EBAN members’ interests and needs. 

Jacopo holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. Thanks to his education and his strong academic background both in marketing and in financial management, Jacopo has a successful track record with international work experiences.  

Dr. Nicolas Rouhana is currently the General Manager of IM Capital, a $20M program funded under USAID MENA Investment Initiative, providing Matching Capital, Equity Guarantee, and Technical Assistance to early-stage businesses and investors in Lebanon. Between 2002 & 2015, Dr. Rouhana was the Executive Director of Berytech Technological Pole, a leading Technology Business Innovation & Incubation Center in Lebanon. He is currently Vice-President of Internet Society-Lebanon Chapter, board member of Berytech, and the current Chairman of Speed@BDD the first tech accelerator in Lebanon.

Nicolas has a Telecommunications Engineering degree from Saint-Joseph University in Beirut, a Ph.D. in Networking Systems from Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, and an EDP graduate from INSEAD, France.

Candace Johnson is a global infrastructure, network and innovation expert and entrepreneur. She is co-initiator of SES/ASTRA and SES Global, the world’s pre-eminent satellite group. She is also founding President of Europe Online Investments S.A. and founder of Loral Cyberstar-Teleport Europe. Ms. Johnson is also founding President of the VATM, the Association of Private Telecom Operators in Germany and founding President of the Global Telecom Women’s Network (GTWN). 

Ms. Johnson is also President of Johnson Paradigm Ventures (JPV), partner in Sophia EuroLab. JPV is also a principal founding shareholder in London-based Ariadne Capital. She is currently a Member of the Board of SES, a publicly quoted company in France.

Ms. Johnson is a Member of the Supervisory Boards of Garage Canada, Iris Capital (Europe) and Inovent (Turkey). Ms. Johnson is founding Member and former President of the Sophia Business Angels, France as well as founding president of three multi-million Euro investment funds, Succès Europe, Croissance Europe and Innovation Europe.

Ms. Johnson is Member of the Board of Governors of EDHEC, France’s largest business school, the University of Haifa in Israel, Sabanci University in Istanbul Turkey, and a Senior Enterprise Fellow for the University of Essex. Ms. Johnson serves as a Member of the Advisory Board of KACST, Saudi Arabia. 

Ms. Johnson has been decorated as Commander of the Luxembourg Order of Merit and Officer of the Couronne de la Chene as well as Officer of the Bundesverdienst Kreuz 1. Klasse (FRG). Ms. Johnson has also received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from the World Communication Awards in 2002 and in 2012, Ms. Johnson received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The International Alliance of Women in Washington D.C. Johnson holds Masters Degrees with Honors from the Sorbonne and Stanford Universities, a Bachelors Degree from Vassar College and her high-school degree from Punahou, Honolulu, Hawaii.

My background comprehends entrepreneurship, academic and research sector. Personal fields of interests are entrepreneurship & innovation, education, technology & cyber security, international economy, EU, NATO and media.

I hold PhD degree from UDG-FIEFB-PhD Studies “International Economy” and MSci degree from “Entrepreneurial Economy” Postgraduate Studies.

In 2006. I have co-founded MSI INVEST Ltd. as family company through which we have been executing entrepreneurial ideas and projects. Company has been involved in several sectors. It also owns and operates hotel Laguna in Montenegro (www.hotel-laguna.me)

Since 2007 I have been working at the UDG – Faculty for International Economy, Finance and Business as a Teaching Fellow. In 2013 I have started the position of the Vice-Dean at the UDG – Faculty for Sports Management (www.udg.edu.me).

I have also co-founded of MEBAN (Montenegrin Business Angels Network) and since 2016 I am WBAF (World Business Angels Investment Forum) High Commissioner for Montenegro as well as WBAF Business School Faculty member and WBAF Global Startup Committee Board member. My previous experience also includes capital market trading and since 2005 I hold a licences of broker, dealer and investment manager (issued by Securities Commission of Montenegro).

I have been working at the Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses since 2005 and I was involved in and led numerous national and European projects. I have been the Executive Director of Centre for European Education and Studies (an ECSA World member) from 2006-2018. In addition and due to the negotiation process with the EU I have been member of the two Working Groups. My publishing includes papers in international journals and publications such are „Entrepreneurial Economy“, „MONET“, „Economy and Security“, Annual reviews of IDN – Centre for Economic Research, World Business Dialogue and etc.

From March 2018 till June 2019 I acted as the President of the Council of RTCG (Radio and Television of Montenegro - national public broadcaster). The second mandate has started in July 2019.

During 2006-2009 I acted as Vice President of the Board of Euro-Atlantic Club of Montenegro.

I am a member of Society of Economists and Managers of Montenegro as well as World Entrepreneurship Forum. 

Eli oversees the U.S. State Dept. Global Innovation through Science & Technology Investors Mobilization Program, or GIST Investors.  To date, he has assisted with training, supporting and launching new angel networks in Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt, Vietnam, Mexico, and Colombia.  He also serves as a Board Member on the Angel Capital Association, Capital Advisor to the Stanford Latino Business Action Network, and US Senator Representative for the World Business Angel Forum.

Hichem Ben Fadhl is a fintech entrepreneur and blockchain specialist, currently CEO of Ajyal Capital, a tunisian venture capital firm, lecturer in Network Economics at the Ecole Polytechnique de Tunisie and Advisor to several international institutions.

Previously, he held several positions: Advisor to the Minister of Development, Investment and International Cooperation, Advisor to the Minister of Digital Economy, Member of the Board of Directors of the National Agricultural Bank, General Manager, International Maghreb Merchant Bank, Co-founder and General Manager of CDC Gestion, State owned PE firm, General Manager of Tunisia Information Technology Fund, Co-founder and COO of Banque Zitouna, Manager in the Financial Services department at Bain & Company Dubai, Manager in the Capital Markets department at Accenture Paris.

Hichem is also active in civil society, member of the Tunisian Association of Capital Investors, Co-founder of Carthage Business Angels and member of the Cryptocurrency Commission at the Central Bank of Tunisia.

Heath works on the identification and development of new opportunities and initiatives to support our strategic program goals, with a particular focus on our global and federal funders and partners. As part of this role, he leads the Global Innovation in Science and Technology (GIST) initiative on behalf of the U.S. Department of State and advises the National Science Foundation’s Industry & University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) program. Prior to joining VentureWell, Heath spent nearly 20 years working in the global startup, innovation, and entrepreneurship field. Most recently, he was Executive Director for the Southwest I-Corps Node at the University of Texas at Austin. Heath holds a BBA from St. Edwards University, an MS in Technology Commercialization from the University of Texas at Austin, is a Certified NSF I-Corps instructor and maintains a PMP designation.

Thomas heads VC4A’s investor services, connecting a global network of early stage investors actively investing in sub 2 million enterprises and has more than 10 years of experience in emerging markets. Working closely with affiliate angel investing networks, he is always looking for syndication opportunities and supporting fundraising campaigns. He also executes the annual Venture Finance in Africa report, which provides detailed information on the progress of pan-African early-stage high-potential growth ventures. Thomas earned his MSc in International Business with a specialization in Entrepreneurship and SME Management at Maastricht University and a bachelor's degree in International Business from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Strategic manager expert in startups. He has the objective of connecting investors with the most scalable entrepreneurial projects. More than 10 years of experience and 30 financing operations.

She works actively with other networks in Latin America and Europe via XCALA and BAE. Currently she co-authors every year the AEBAN Report on Business Angels in Spain. Other recently publications include several academic case studies: Accelerator Models for Social Entrepreneurship: Three Practical Cases, The Private Equity Cycle in Europe: Management and Acquisition, as well as public policy for the development of private investment.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Oviedo, an MA in European Public Policy from London South Bank University, and an Executive Managemente Program from IESE Business School. Before joining the IESE Network, she worked for the Inter-American Development  Bank and the Centre for European Policy Studies. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Xcala, the initiative to develop angel investment in Latin America 

Angelo Dalli is a serial entrepreneur with involvement in a number of companies in the Technology, Entertainment and Gaming industries.  Since the late nineties he has distinguished himself for his ability to combine deep technical ability (he holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science) with commercial acumen.  Through his innovative disposition, ability to build and lead teams, he has secured over 21 investments into his ideas from EU funds, Private Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists, propelling his companies into the international domain. Angelo is the President and co-founder of the Malta Business Angel Network, and his angel venture fund is a fully accredited member of EBAN, the European Business Angel Network. Angelo is also invested in the London based Seedrs, the leading European crowdfunding site with over 280 investments, and is regulated by the UK FCA. Angelo has been involved in number of successful exits including IPOs. He has been honoured in 2014 as Malta’s Top Entrepreneur and in 2019 with the Chairman’s Award for Long Term Contribution to Entrepreneurship. In his role in Research & Development, he has authored over 23 conference papers in Europe and the US focusing on the application of AI, Natural Language Processing and Search Engine technology to a number of industry verticals and domains. Angelo has also represented Malta in various international events and one of his first international achievements was to win a bronze medal at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) in 1995.  Angelo’s profile is a realization of the mantra he works by ‘To create scaleable, repeatable technology businesses that lead by innovation’.  

Stetner launched first company when he was 20. He is owner of various businesses in media & entertainment industry (Kreator TV, Kreator Film New York), hospitality industry and others. Stetner is an active angel investor with wide portfolio of investments in startup companies around the world. He made a world breakthrough with acquisition of Formula 1™ media rights for Croatia in 2011. when he alone negotiated, and signed a contract with Bernie Ecclestone beating huge multinational companies. At 29 years old then, he thus became world’s youngest private F1™ rights holder. As he later said – Formula 1™ and the contacts and friendships he made there were his true breakthrough and lifetime value.

Stetner has huge premium sports and television experience. He worked and he is working with the biggest names in the industry like Formula 1™, Volvo Ocean Race™, MotoGP™, Eurosport and others. He leads multiple media projects for more than 10 years. He built a numerous media projects and TV stations from the scratch. Motorsports is his big love. He founded Kreator Racing Team in 2012 to help young drivers to compete at the World stage. Kreator Racing made great results in Formula Renault, Karting and Motocross. Team holds more than 9 national Championships titles and is one of the most successful motorsports teams in Croatia.

From 2011 he is active in the National Car & Carting Federation (member of FIA) first as a Board member and from 2017 as a Deputy President. He is President at Croatian Business Angels Network (CRANE) and from the 2016 he is President of the Central-Eastern Europe Committee formed by EBAN – European Business Angels Network. From 2015. he was appointed by Croatian President Grabar-Kitarović to her Economic Council. Stetner is an adventurer who has traveled through many countries of the world like Ivory Coast, Liberia, DR Congo, Panama, Bhutan. So far he has visited more than 70 countries. He has a Pilot License (PPL) and he is a skipper. High level & cross-cultural negotiation skills (Southern Europe, North America, UK and Middle-East), driving success, inspiring prospects as well as partners and achieving challenging commercial objectives. Regular speaker at financial industry events, namely at UAB conferences, on hot topics of the day including retail banking, credit risk management, marketing, customer loyalty, cross-cultural management, as well as a multitude of training modules delivered in workshop and seminar formats in English, Arabic and French. Fluent (native) in French, English & Arabic, business fluency in Spanish, conversational level in Italian, eternal beginner in Aramaic.

Christine’s experience ranges from the World Bank in Washington D.C to the World Economic Forum in Geneva as well as her own ventures and Non-Profit Organizations. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and International Relations from the University of Southern California, a Master’s Degree in International Development from the American University and an MBA from Columbia University. She is passionate about Start-Ups, Cultural heritage and baking. 

Investor & Mentor helping startups, ..., well, ... start up! International business development consultant. Lecturer on inter-cultural management and business ethics in classroom and blended learning formats. What is it that you have that you were not given? Time to give back to innovative startups based out of Sophia Antipolis - the French "Silicon Valley".

12 countries, 30 years of entrepreneurship, with flair and proven record of identifying new market opportunities, driving strong and profitable development/growth for innovative B to B products - mostly from the Silicon Valley, gaining in record time up to 85% market share and establishing durable market recognition. An avid aficionado of dealing effectively with cultural differences, successfully matching corporate cultures that live and die by quarterly results with cultures where time is not governed by man’s actions! Cross-pollinating experience in a variety of industries including Payment Industry, Credit Risk Management, Loyalty Programs & Platforms, Retail Banking, Events Organization, Hospitality, Media and Telecommunications.

Leadership in the creation and management of teams, shaping key partnerships, developing lasting relationships with customers at C levels. High level & cross-cultural negotiation skills (Southern Europe, North America, UK and Middle-East), driving success, inspiring prospects as well as partners and achieving challenging commercial objectives. Regular speaker at financial industry events, namely at UAB conferences, on hot topics of the day including retail banking, credit risk management, marketing, customer loyalty, cross-cultural management, as well as a multitude of training modules delivered in workshop and seminar formats in English, Arabic and French. Fluent (native) in French, English & Arabic, business fluency in Spanish, conversational level in Italian, eternal beginner in Aramaic

Dimitris has been the President of YES for Europe - European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs [2011-15], the Founder of the Hellenic Start-up Association [2011], Board Member at EBAN - The European Business Angel Network [2014-17], 40-under-40 European Young Leader [2012-13], Marshall Memorial Fellow [2018] and a Fellow of IHEIE/PSL [2019]. Received his Computer Science diploma from University of Crete [2002] and his MBA from Athens University of Economics & Business [2005]. He was undergrad guest researcher at Computational Vision & Active Perception Laboratory of Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm [1998] and member of the Networks & Telecommunications Research Group at the Institute of Computer Science, FORTH [1999, 2000]. In 2000, still an undergrad student, he co-founded Virtual Trip, one of the first tech startups in Greece [2000-2017].

Milestones:
- Introduced the "entrepreneurial ecosystem" startup acceleration model [2009], realized by Starttech Ventures as "lean acceleration program" [2015]
- Successfully exited from AbZorba Games, a social gaming startup where he was co-founder and investor and which was acquired by the NOVOMATIC Group. [2015]
- Co-founded and invested in Epignosis, a scale-up in the area of SaaS LMS platforms [2012]
- Co-founded and invested in Yodeck, a scale-up in the area of SaaS Digital Signage platforms [2012]
- Co-founded and invested in four other B2B SaaS companies: Stackmasters, Pakia, DreamClass and Veturilo [2012-2017]
- Made angel investments in six other tech startups in Greece, Russia and Israel: Elorus, Psycholate, Outgage, Blueline, Mailburn, Wake-App [2014-2016]
- Championed the cause for youth and startup entrepreneurship in Greece, the EU & the G20 countries [2005-2018]
- Successfully completed 30+ EU-funded R&D projects [2002-2015]
- Delivered critical & complex software development & integration projects [2000-2015] 

Emmanuel is the General Delegate of ANIMA Investment Network. He joined ANIMA in Marseille in 2006 to develop the network's activities in the field of the support for innovation. He was in charge of ANIMA's contribution to the European program Medibtikar (Euromed Innovation & Technology Program), in which he created three business angel networks in Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan. He has since created and managed several major projects at ANIMA on the promotion of investments and their impacts for the territories, on the development of the private sector, the mobilisation of talents from the Diaspora, the development of clusters, etc. He is in particular the architect of THE NEXT SOCIETY, an initiative launched by ANIMA and thirty Euromed partners in 2017 on the promotion of ecosystems supporting innovation.

Prior to ANIMA, Emmanuel spent 12 years in the telecom, internet and communication sector: consultant, director of studies, and marketing director of a pioneer operator of Internet telephony. He has also collaborated on several publishing projects with Le Nouvel Economiste, the African Development Bank and ANIMA. He holds a Master 1 in Management Sciences, and a Master 2 in Telecom and New Media Management from Paris IX Dauphine University 

Giacomo Valentini has been Managing Director of Italian Angels for Growth since January 2019. From 2014 to 2018 he worked for Fondo Italiano d'Ingestimento Sgr Spa as Investment Manager of the venture capital fund area, participating in the construction of a portfolio of 14 funds for an overall commitment of approximately € 250 million. From 2010 to 2014 he worked in TTVenture, a Venture Capital fund (€ 64 million under management) managed by Quadrivio Capital Sgr Spa, where he participated in the selection and improvement of numerous venture capital operations in Italian start-ups. Giacomo Valentini graduated in Business Administration from Bocconi University also attending a Summer School at Harvard University in Cambridge (MA) and holds a Master's degree from SDA Bocconi in Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship.

Nashwa is an experienced development Specialist and social services professional with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. She is Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Humanitarian, Conflict Resolution, Facilitation, and Gender Mainstreaming. She has extensive experience working with international, national, and civil society organizations in Egypt and other countries in Africa and Middle East. She earned a Diploma that focuses on Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies from The American University in Cairo.

Habiba holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics from the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University. She has a passion for development and gender studies and is working with USAID’s SEED on developing and supporting aspiring women entrepreneurs and businesswomen through increasing their access to several entrepreneurial services.

Founder of Neoko Venture Capital, I invest and advice high growth industries. Strong commercial background as executive in several multinational companies, such as Apple Retail Spain, General Electric, and Leroy Merlin. Entrepreneur, Executive, and Investor. 

Graduated of Grenoble Political Studies Institute, Léonard Lévêque devoted himself to the study of territorial development policies on a metropolitan scale, before working for 6 years on multilateral projects between Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa. He notably coordinated a portfolio of Euro-Mediterranean projects within the Agency for Sustainable Mediterranean Cities and Territories (AViTeM), on the development of low-carbon solutions and hybrid urban spaces. 

Graduated of Grenoble Political Studies Institute, Léonard Lévêque devoted himself to the study of territorial development policies on a metropolitan scale, before working for 6 years on multilateral projects between Europe, the Mediterranean and Africa. He notably coordinated a portfolio of Euro-Mediterranean projects within the Agency for Sustainable Mediterranean Cities and Territories (AViTeM), on the development of low-carbon solutions and hybrid urban spaces.

She has more than 10 years of experience at the entity. She manages the institutional relations and executes programs such as Emprèn and Consolida’t. 

Coming from the associative sector and always on the lookout for strong social-impact projects around the world, Mathias is the traveler of the band. Passionate about developing territories and setting up collective actions, he works - between two improbable trips to Niger or Tajikistan – on the policy component of the initiative and coordinates THE NEXT SOCIETY. 

Used to be an entrepreneur, now helping entrepreneurs building up their businesses. Business Angel and CEO @ REDangels, President @ ABAC - Aveiro Business Angels Club and President @ FNABA - Business Angels National Federation.

Obsessed with business foundation processes. Why to do this (attitude and drive). How to do this (tools). What to do next (methodologies).

Results-oriented but always looking for the common good. Coopetitive! 

Renata Brkic, Founding Partner of the Feelsgood Social Impact Venture Fund, has been appointed as High Commissioner for Croatia. High Commissioner Brkic represents Croatia in the Global Impact Investors Committee of the Grand Assembly of the World Business Angels Investment Forum. Renata Brkci is a serial entrepreneur and impact investor as well as CEO and owner of a company that is active in licensing, consulting, and the organization of worldwide supply-chain operations for licensed products. She is deeply devoted to fostering social impact orientation in businesses that focus on science, women, education, and children. In her capacities as President of the General Assembly at ZEZ center and Head of the Social Impact Investment Hub Professor Balthazar, Renata is responsible for reviving the Professor Balthazar character as a unique, artistic, socially responsible brand. In this role, she is a TBAA award-winner for the best social impact investment in Southeast Europe. As founding partner of the Feelsgood Social Impact Venture Fund, she has been playing a leading role in the process of bringing the European Investment Fund (EIF) to the Fund as principal investor. As WBAF high commissioner and focal point for impact, she is active in promoting the European Investment Fund Social Impact Accelerator (EIF SIA) programs for social enterprises to impact investors. She is also a Qualified Angel Investor Certificate holder. She invests personally in wonderful ideas that do not necessarily have fast payback but that can change the world for the better and push the human race forward. Renata is also the mother of three 

Sakis is an Entrepreneur Selection and Growth Manager at Endeavor Greece. He is focused mostly in high tech and high growth startups as he has over 8 years experience in sales and business development for tech companies and startups.

Prior to joining Endeavor, he was the CEO and Founder of PanelSensor, a powerful event tech platform that creates an engaging Q&A channel for all event stakeholders. He is always following the latest technology trends and learns even more as a host of Tech Talks Central where he gets to interview tech experts and thought leaders from various industries. He is also partner of Sales Explorers, a business development agency for the telecommunication industry.

He holds a BSc in Finance from University of Athens, a MSc in Computer Science from University Of Piraeus and has completed a 1-year specialisation programme in Big Data & Business Analytics from Athens University of Economics and Business. 

Anna Coll works in Management of Associations since 2008. She has been working for AEBAN for the past 9 years; during this period the Association has increased and consolidated as the Spanish Business Angels Central Association.

Promoting Female Entrepreneurship in Tunisia
Managing My communications & event logistics agency.
Freelancing as an international sales & marketing consultant in tourism. 

Serial entrepreneur with software development background. More than 20 years of experience in software development (web, mobile, client/server, hardware).