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R&D and business lead and co-founder of Graviky Labs
Anirudh Sharma is one of three co-founders of Graviky Labs, which makes ink out of carbon that is captured from pollution and purified using proprietary technology. This concept was born from Sharma’s experiments making ink from candle soot while doing his master’s at MIT Materials Lab. He currently leads R&D and business at the firm. Sharma’s interests include augmented reality, wearable computing and environmental projects. Over the years, he has developed and patented various technology products with social and environmental impact. He was formerly CTO and co-founder of India’s first wearable technology company, Ducere Technologies, which was later sold. This company makes Lechal, the world’s first smart haptic device for shoes, initially designed by Sharma as a navigation aid for the visually impaired. Sharma also previously worked for Imagin Group at Hewlett Packard Labs, on a multimodal speech and touch-based computer-aided design interface for large displays.Sharma holds a master's from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-led the activities of MIT Media Lab India from 2013–2015. He is a TED and TEDx speaker and has been included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Asia, MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, and Foreign Policy magazine’s 100 Global Thinkers of 2016.
Anirudh Sharma is one of three co-founders of Graviky Labs, which makes ink out of carbon that is captured from pollution and purified using proprietary technology. This concept was born from Sharma’s experiments making ink from candle soot while doing his master’s at MIT Materials Lab. He currently leads R&D and business at the firm. Sharma’s interests include augmented reality, wearable computing and environmental projects. Over the years, he has developed and patented various technology products with social and environmental impact. He was formerly CTO and co-founder of India’s first wearable technology company, Ducere Technologies, which was later sold. This company makes Lechal, the world’s first smart haptic device for shoes, initially designed by Sharma as a navigation aid for the visually impaired. Sharma also previously worked for Imagin Group at Hewlett Packard Labs, on a multimodal speech and touch-based computer-aided design interface for large displays.Sharma holds a master's from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-led the activities of MIT Media Lab India from 2013–2015. He is a TED and TEDx speaker and has been included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Asia, MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, and Foreign Policy magazine’s 100 Global Thinkers of 2016.
Indexa Capital is Spain's first automated investment manager offering index funds. Its operations are based on passive investment management. The firm's objective is to offer diversified and transparent investments with commissions that are 80% lower than those charged by the financial sector. This is achieved through index funds investments and a machine that automatically assigns clients a portfolio from the available options, based on criteria such as the client's age, income and risk aversion, promising returns that are 3% higher than the average returns offered by banks and funds.The company was founded in 2015 by Unai Ansejo Barra, François Derbaix and Ramón Blanco, all of whom have extensive experience in the digital and investments ecosystems.
Indexa Capital is Spain's first automated investment manager offering index funds. Its operations are based on passive investment management. The firm's objective is to offer diversified and transparent investments with commissions that are 80% lower than those charged by the financial sector. This is achieved through index funds investments and a machine that automatically assigns clients a portfolio from the available options, based on criteria such as the client's age, income and risk aversion, promising returns that are 3% higher than the average returns offered by banks and funds.The company was founded in 2015 by Unai Ansejo Barra, François Derbaix and Ramón Blanco, all of whom have extensive experience in the digital and investments ecosystems.
Lakestar is an international VC firm headquartered in Zurich. Founded in 2012 by Klaus Hommels, the VC has been an active early-stage investor since 2000. Its first fund was established in 2013 to invest in fast-growing tech startups across Europe and the US like Skype, Spotify, Facebook and Airbnb. The firm has offices in Zurich, Berlin, London, New York and Hong Kong with total investments of more than €1bn. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic in February 2020, Lakestar managed to raise a total of $735m for early and growth stage funds to be invested mainly in Europe. One-third of the funds will be designated to early-stage investments and two-thirds to growth-stage companies to drive international expansion. Part of the capital will also be used to strengthen the leadership team.
Lakestar is an international VC firm headquartered in Zurich. Founded in 2012 by Klaus Hommels, the VC has been an active early-stage investor since 2000. Its first fund was established in 2013 to invest in fast-growing tech startups across Europe and the US like Skype, Spotify, Facebook and Airbnb. The firm has offices in Zurich, Berlin, London, New York and Hong Kong with total investments of more than €1bn. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic in February 2020, Lakestar managed to raise a total of $735m for early and growth stage funds to be invested mainly in Europe. One-third of the funds will be designated to early-stage investments and two-thirds to growth-stage companies to drive international expansion. Part of the capital will also be used to strengthen the leadership team.
Founded in September 2019 by Patrick Morris, Eat Beyond went public on the Canadian Securities Exchange in November 2020. The company’s shares are also traded on the Frankfurt Exchange in Germany and OTC Markets in the US. Morris had worked in capital markets for over 15 years and wanted to find a solution to help retail investors access the emerging markets of alt-proteins and other future food sectors.First of its kind in Canada, the Eat Beyond Global Investment Fund focuses on four key areas: meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy. It also participates in cell agriculture and other experimental projects. Current investments include foodtechs and alt-food source companies working on plant-based proteins, fermented proteins, cultured proteins, agriculture and consumer packaged goods.
Founded in September 2019 by Patrick Morris, Eat Beyond went public on the Canadian Securities Exchange in November 2020. The company’s shares are also traded on the Frankfurt Exchange in Germany and OTC Markets in the US. Morris had worked in capital markets for over 15 years and wanted to find a solution to help retail investors access the emerging markets of alt-proteins and other future food sectors.First of its kind in Canada, the Eat Beyond Global Investment Fund focuses on four key areas: meat, seafood, eggs, and dairy. It also participates in cell agriculture and other experimental projects. Current investments include foodtechs and alt-food source companies working on plant-based proteins, fermented proteins, cultured proteins, agriculture and consumer packaged goods.
Founded in 2013 in Singapore, VVNP is a future-food solutions-orientated investor with a special interest in science-based companies that have the ability to scale global solutions, especially within Asia. It invests from seed stage to Series C level. Typical investments range from $300,000 to $3m and the investor has launched two funds to date. The first raised $40m and invested in seven companies globally, while the second was created in 2020, targeting $150m in total investment.The VC’s most recent investments include a €271,000 pre-seed investment round in Dutch poultry animal welfare biotech In Ovo in March 2021, and leading the as-yet-uncompleted 6m Swiss franc (approximately $6.56m) seed round in Swiss biotech SwissDeCode in January 2021 – a company that applies DNA testing to food traceability.
Founded in 2013 in Singapore, VVNP is a future-food solutions-orientated investor with a special interest in science-based companies that have the ability to scale global solutions, especially within Asia. It invests from seed stage to Series C level. Typical investments range from $300,000 to $3m and the investor has launched two funds to date. The first raised $40m and invested in seven companies globally, while the second was created in 2020, targeting $150m in total investment.The VC’s most recent investments include a €271,000 pre-seed investment round in Dutch poultry animal welfare biotech In Ovo in March 2021, and leading the as-yet-uncompleted 6m Swiss franc (approximately $6.56m) seed round in Swiss biotech SwissDeCode in January 2021 – a company that applies DNA testing to food traceability.
Russian-born Sergey Brin is the co-founder of Google and was the president of Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc, until stepping down in 2019. Brin is the world's ninth-richest person with a personal fortune of $86.5bn. His investments include OccamzRazor in 2019, a machine learning medtech platform supporting research into Parkinson’s Disease. In 2015, he contributed undisclosed funding to his former Stanford classmate Martin Roscheisen’s US-based firm Diamond Foundry, the first certified carbon-neutral lab-produced diamond manufacturer.no non copyrighted pic for use
Russian-born Sergey Brin is the co-founder of Google and was the president of Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc, until stepping down in 2019. Brin is the world's ninth-richest person with a personal fortune of $86.5bn. His investments include OccamzRazor in 2019, a machine learning medtech platform supporting research into Parkinson’s Disease. In 2015, he contributed undisclosed funding to his former Stanford classmate Martin Roscheisen’s US-based firm Diamond Foundry, the first certified carbon-neutral lab-produced diamond manufacturer.no non copyrighted pic for use
C4 Ventures was founded by Pascal Cagni, former VP and GM of Apple EMEIA. With offices in Paris and London, the firm invests in early-stage startups across market segments in Europe. The VC also supports later-stage companies interested in expanding into Europe. It currently has 33 startups in its portfolio with principal interests in sectors like hardware, digital media and the future of commerce and work.Recent investments in 2021 include the $54m Series B round of Austrian refurbished electronics goods marketplace Refurbed in August and the $5m seed round in June of Norbert Health, the French producers of the first ambient scanner that can measure vital signs.
C4 Ventures was founded by Pascal Cagni, former VP and GM of Apple EMEIA. With offices in Paris and London, the firm invests in early-stage startups across market segments in Europe. The VC also supports later-stage companies interested in expanding into Europe. It currently has 33 startups in its portfolio with principal interests in sectors like hardware, digital media and the future of commerce and work.Recent investments in 2021 include the $54m Series B round of Austrian refurbished electronics goods marketplace Refurbed in August and the $5m seed round in June of Norbert Health, the French producers of the first ambient scanner that can measure vital signs.
Founded in 2018, Tilia Impact Ventures is the first social impact fund in the Czech Republic. Co-founding partner Silke Horáková has worked in private equity and is also a co-owner of Albatross Media. Co-founding partner Petr Vítek has worked for nine years as a Deloitte consultant. He is also co-founder of Impact Hub in Prague, Brno and Ostrava. Both have experience working in the social enterprise sector. About 23 investors have contributed to the impact fund. Tilia plans to have 10 local social impact companies in its portfolio, each with an expected investment life of five to seven years. The VC has invested in four companies to date: smart vending SaaS platform MIWA Technologies, data-mining startup Datlab, ready-made spectacles supplier DOT glasses and waste-to-resource marketplace Cyrkl.
Founded in 2018, Tilia Impact Ventures is the first social impact fund in the Czech Republic. Co-founding partner Silke Horáková has worked in private equity and is also a co-owner of Albatross Media. Co-founding partner Petr Vítek has worked for nine years as a Deloitte consultant. He is also co-founder of Impact Hub in Prague, Brno and Ostrava. Both have experience working in the social enterprise sector. About 23 investors have contributed to the impact fund. Tilia plans to have 10 local social impact companies in its portfolio, each with an expected investment life of five to seven years. The VC has invested in four companies to date: smart vending SaaS platform MIWA Technologies, data-mining startup Datlab, ready-made spectacles supplier DOT glasses and waste-to-resource marketplace Cyrkl.
Founder and Chairman of Secoo
Aka the “luxury maniac”, Richard Li Rixue was named to the “Top Ten Venture Pioneers in China in 2014” list by Fortune.With his beginnings in selling domestic appliances as early as 1998, Li started a domestic appliance website in 2007. This first startup failed, but he found an opportunity in secondhand goods as friends complained of unwanted gifts and unused things being a waste of space and money. In 2008, he established Secoo, a secondhand goods business that soon grew into a luxury consignment, then pure luxury, online-to-offline empire, fueled by the dizzying growth of high-end consumption in China. Today, Li is Chairman of Secoo.
Aka the “luxury maniac”, Richard Li Rixue was named to the “Top Ten Venture Pioneers in China in 2014” list by Fortune.With his beginnings in selling domestic appliances as early as 1998, Li started a domestic appliance website in 2007. This first startup failed, but he found an opportunity in secondhand goods as friends complained of unwanted gifts and unused things being a waste of space and money. In 2008, he established Secoo, a secondhand goods business that soon grew into a luxury consignment, then pure luxury, online-to-offline empire, fueled by the dizzying growth of high-end consumption in China. Today, Li is Chairman of Secoo.
Co-founder and CPO of Billin
As the co-founder and CPO of Billin, Diego Goya Quijano is responsible for the IT team, business and funding strategies. After graduating in Business Administration at CUNEF in 2010, he studied English for a year in California, USA. His first entrepreneurial venture was in 2009 when he co-founded Deyese Soluciones (D+S), a company specializing in cost optimization. He then worked at Smartgroup Telecomunicaciones for almost two years before co-founding Billin in 2013. He has since attended various courses relating to Venture Capital, M&A and Financing Operations at IEB. He then specialized in web development at Ironhack.
As the co-founder and CPO of Billin, Diego Goya Quijano is responsible for the IT team, business and funding strategies. After graduating in Business Administration at CUNEF in 2010, he studied English for a year in California, USA. His first entrepreneurial venture was in 2009 when he co-founded Deyese Soluciones (D+S), a company specializing in cost optimization. He then worked at Smartgroup Telecomunicaciones for almost two years before co-founding Billin in 2013. He has since attended various courses relating to Venture Capital, M&A and Financing Operations at IEB. He then specialized in web development at Ironhack.
CEO and co-founder of Aimentia
Edgar Jorba is CEO and co-founder at Aimentia, which runs the first AI-powered cloud-based virtual clinic for mental health patients. He has been based in Spain since 2018. Jorba previously worked in mental health research for more than two years in Spain and in France. Seeing the need for digitalization and improvement in mental health assessments and long wait times experienced by patients gave him the inspiration to start Aimentia.Jorba is currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications technologies and services engineering at the Open University of Catalonia. He also holds a degree in industrial engineering from IQS in Barcelona.
Edgar Jorba is CEO and co-founder at Aimentia, which runs the first AI-powered cloud-based virtual clinic for mental health patients. He has been based in Spain since 2018. Jorba previously worked in mental health research for more than two years in Spain and in France. Seeing the need for digitalization and improvement in mental health assessments and long wait times experienced by patients gave him the inspiration to start Aimentia.Jorba is currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications technologies and services engineering at the Open University of Catalonia. He also holds a degree in industrial engineering from IQS in Barcelona.
Co-founder of Wallapop
GerardOlivé is an entrepreneur based in Barcelona, Spain, who has co-founded numerous start-ups including Wallapop, Glovo, CornerJob, Deliberry, Shoppiday, Shopery, BePretty, Mascoteros, Marmota, Havet, Prontopiso, Medox and Trendier. He also founded BeRepublic, a leading strategic consulting firm specialized in digital businesses in Southern Europe and Latin America. In 2015, he co-founded BeAgency, an interactive marketing agency firm with offices in Barcelona and Madrid. He is also a co-founder and mentor of Connector Startup Accelerator. He is currently co-CEO and co-founder of Antai Venture Builder, where he is in charge of a multi-million euro advertising inventory. He studied Audiovisual Communication at Barcelona's Ramon Llull University.
GerardOlivé is an entrepreneur based in Barcelona, Spain, who has co-founded numerous start-ups including Wallapop, Glovo, CornerJob, Deliberry, Shoppiday, Shopery, BePretty, Mascoteros, Marmota, Havet, Prontopiso, Medox and Trendier. He also founded BeRepublic, a leading strategic consulting firm specialized in digital businesses in Southern Europe and Latin America. In 2015, he co-founded BeAgency, an interactive marketing agency firm with offices in Barcelona and Madrid. He is also a co-founder and mentor of Connector Startup Accelerator. He is currently co-CEO and co-founder of Antai Venture Builder, where he is in charge of a multi-million euro advertising inventory. He studied Audiovisual Communication at Barcelona's Ramon Llull University.
COO and co-founder of Capaball
Jose Luis Vega de Seoane graduated in 2012 as a software engineer from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has also completed a global management program at IESE Business School.In 2013, he co-founded video games developer Upplication as CEO. The mobile app maker was sold in 2017 to Mobusi, a leading digital marketing company. He left Upplication in 2018 and became a digital strategy advisor at the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX).In 2018, he co-founded Capaball as COO. He is also a mentor at Conector Startup accelerator and a board member of IBECOSOL. In 2020, the serial entrepreneur has founded two new startups: Heris, a platform to cure patients affected by aphasia and a digital marketing agency Trevol.
Jose Luis Vega de Seoane graduated in 2012 as a software engineer from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has also completed a global management program at IESE Business School.In 2013, he co-founded video games developer Upplication as CEO. The mobile app maker was sold in 2017 to Mobusi, a leading digital marketing company. He left Upplication in 2018 and became a digital strategy advisor at the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX).In 2018, he co-founded Capaball as COO. He is also a mentor at Conector Startup accelerator and a board member of IBECOSOL. In 2020, the serial entrepreneur has founded two new startups: Heris, a platform to cure patients affected by aphasia and a digital marketing agency Trevol.
CPO and Co-founder of Kuaishou
Cheng Yixiao began his career as a software engineer at HP in Dalian where he met Kuaishou co-founder Yang Yuanxi. Cheng left HP to join Renren as an iPhone client software developer.In 2011, Cheng started a photo-sharing platform GIF Kuaishou and obtained some seed funding. In 2013, he was introduced to a successful entrepreneur Su Hua. They decided to pivot GIF Kuaishou into a video-sharing app, with Cheng as CPO and Su as CEO.Many believe that his earlier experiences of living in Tieling, a county in northeast China, and later in Beijing’s suburb Tiantongyuan, have helped him to identify business opportunities and develop social media tools for the grassroots. He has quite a reputation for his creativity and passion for product development in tech circles.
Cheng Yixiao began his career as a software engineer at HP in Dalian where he met Kuaishou co-founder Yang Yuanxi. Cheng left HP to join Renren as an iPhone client software developer.In 2011, Cheng started a photo-sharing platform GIF Kuaishou and obtained some seed funding. In 2013, he was introduced to a successful entrepreneur Su Hua. They decided to pivot GIF Kuaishou into a video-sharing app, with Cheng as CPO and Su as CEO.Many believe that his earlier experiences of living in Tieling, a county in northeast China, and later in Beijing’s suburb Tiantongyuan, have helped him to identify business opportunities and develop social media tools for the grassroots. He has quite a reputation for his creativity and passion for product development in tech circles.
Co-founder of Smile and Learn
Blanca Rodríguez Montero won the MIT LatAm Startup competition in 2015 while completing an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at MIT's Sloan School of Management. She also worked in Boston for VCs like Rough Draft Ventures and Founder Collective while at MIT. In 2011, she started her first job at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) after graduating with in Law and Business Administration in Spain. In 2014, she joined BCG consultant Victor Sánchez Rodríguez to co-found edtech Smile and Learn. In June 2018, she moved to Paris as co-founder of Next Station, an online recruiting platform for international talent.
Blanca Rodríguez Montero won the MIT LatAm Startup competition in 2015 while completing an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at MIT's Sloan School of Management. She also worked in Boston for VCs like Rough Draft Ventures and Founder Collective while at MIT. In 2011, she started her first job at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) after graduating with in Law and Business Administration in Spain. In 2014, she joined BCG consultant Victor Sánchez Rodríguez to co-found edtech Smile and Learn. In June 2018, she moved to Paris as co-founder of Next Station, an online recruiting platform for international talent.
Francisco Polo: The former entrepreneur heading Spain's Digital Advancement
He's been charged to transform Spain into an entrepreneurial nation, and a technological and innovation frontrunner
A Q&A with the Veniam founder and CEO
2gether: The world's first crypto-collaborative financial platform
Banking on the opportunities afforded by blockchain, 2gether is owned by its customers who get commission-free financial services in euros and cryptocurrency
Tiantian Xuenong: China's first pay-for-knowledge agricultural platform
Capitalizing on a deep understanding of Chinese agriculture, this startup is building an online school where farmers can learn agricultural and business skills
Bob Xu, one of China's first and most successful angel investors
Known for his whimsical investment style, Xu has caught a number of unicorns
Payfazz aims to be Indonesia's first on-demand financial services company
Handling transactions averaging over IDR 1tn monthly, Payfazz hopes to bring the benefits of banking to all Indonesians
HumanITcare: The first real-time symptom tracker for mental illness patients
FollowHealth’s HumanITcare app combines wearables, analytics and AI to monitor and improve outcomes for sufferers of depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism and more
RecyGlo, Myanmar's first circular economy waste management system, targets regional growth
Turning trash into cash, Yangon-based recycling pioneer RecyGlo wants to extend its zero-waste circular economy model to the rest of Southeast Asia
Bound4Blue’s aeronautical tech propels first sustainable shipping vessel in the Pacific
Winning €5m fresh funding, Bound4Blue also scores with its EC-backed pilot, the first of its kind, offering new possibilities to cargo vessels seeking sustainable transportation
Neil Shen: The super unicorn hunter
His bet on ByteDance, the startup that gave the world TikTok, helped Neil Shen top this year's Forbes Midas List. But for Shen, even in that deal he once made the wrong call
Farm Friend: World’s first agri-drone sharing platform wins over users, investors
Gone are the days of the lone Chinese farmer toiling under the sun. Now drones are here to help – and there’s even a drone sharing platform too
Backed by Kleiner Perkins, Spotahome clinches Spain’s first Silicon Valley-led funding
Now in Europe’s US$500 billion home rental market, the Spanish proptech will soon expand to LatAm, the US and Asia
Kibus Petcare: World's first auto-cook and -dispense healthy pet food device
Kibus Petcare applies the healthy eating revolution to the ever-growing pet-care business, eyes sales in 25 countries after crowdfunding launch
SoccerDream: World's first VR soccer training platform to launch in China, US
SoccerDream uses virtual reality to boost trainee players' performance on the field by 36% compared to their peers
FROGS: Overcoming challenges to launch Indonesia's first drone-taxi for daily commutes
The Yogyakarta-based startup backed by UMG Idealab seeks more technical resources to launch Indonesia's first homegrown “flying taxi,” after the success of its agritech drones
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