Our 60 finalists from the first online jury round must now give their all in a 5-minute closed pitch session in front of a new group of jurors, who will determine whether or not they move on to the final round in the competition on June 17, 2024.
In preparation for this, >>venture>> has partnered up with McKinsey & Company and several investors to best prepare the startups for their pitch session.
We're really excited to announce that we are working with the following industry experts for the 2024 >>venture>> pitch training.
Communications Experts
Andrew Loan: A communications
consultant with a flair for storytelling, change management and impactful presentation, Andrew draws on over 20 years’ experience at the frontline of corporate communications to help organizations in the DACH region ‘dejargonate’ their corporate messaging. A former McKinsey communications specialist and journalist, Andrew has also served companies in the financial, healthcare, energy, marketing, IT and sports sectors. He holds a Master’s degree in Modern Languages and Economics from the University of Glasgow.
Yannick Orto: As Head of Communications at McKinsey Switzerland, the German-Italian PR expert Yannick Orto has worked for Credit Suisse in Zurich since 2019, initially in the Group Corporate Communications unit, including as a media spokesperson specializing in financial communications and Human Resources, and later in the Chairmans Office to head up the Client & Investor Framework. Prior to this, he gained journalistic experience at various print and online media in Germany. From 2016 to 2019, he worked as a TV producer for ARD's Geneva studio, focusing on the United Nations and Swiss politics.
Finance & Insurance
Claudia Zimmermann: Claudia is CEO and Founder of C-Advisory and Venture Partner at Aravis AG. She has been 10 years CFO ICT-Business (CH, Germany, USA, Canada, and Malaysia), 7 years Corporate Finance Consultant (PwC) and has Commercial Industry experience (Rieter, ABB). She has broad and in-depth financial advisory expertise (Mergers + Acquisitions, Valuations, Restructuring/Reorganisations, Business Development & Recovery, Strategy, Privatizations, Public Private Partnerships). Sectors: ICT, Energy + Utilities, Transportation, Public Sector.
Health & Nutrition
Ruedi Gygax: Ruedi Gygax, Ph.D., looks back to more than 25 years of supporting startups, whereof 12 years as a managing director at the Novartis Venture Fund, 6 years as a part time partner at a financial venture fund and about 15 years as a business angel, coach and expert at CTI/Innosuisse. He has served on many boards of Swiss and foreign early-stage companies. His education comprises studies of physical chemistry at the University of Basel and Stanford University. He had started his career at Ciba-Geigy in the fields of process safety and materials research.
ICT
Caspar Horne: Caspar an independent consultant with deep experience in the startup ecosystem in management and technology with over 20 years of Silicon Valley experience. He is an engaging public speaker, is a Distinguished Speaker with Toastmasters International, and has mentored many speakers. He consults on Intellectual Property, as expert witness and on intellectual property portfolios. He is an active angel investor and has an extensive portfolio of startup companies. His current interests are in impact investing, artificial intelligence and deep learning. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business in Pennsylvania, a Masters from Delft University of Technology and a PhD in EE from the EPFL in Lausanne.
Industrials & Engineering
Sascha Horrig: Sascha is a passionate venture capitalist & angel investor.
Through his own investment company, Equity Pitcher, as a director of an international investment holding as well as angel investor, he has now supported more than 30 startups with know-how, network and capital.
Retail & Consumer Services
Gianmarco Hodel: Gianmarco is a member of the investment team at Redalpine and focuses on early-stage tech startups. He studied at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), Harvard University as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before founding his own startup and eventually joining Redalpine to continue his passion for supporting innovative ventures.
Social & Environmental Impact
Luise Ammerschuber: Luise is the Founder and Director of YESS Impact, a renowned firm specializing in SDG consulting, social business, and impact investing. In addition to her role as an angel investor, Luise is the co-organizer of the Female Business Network (FIN) Swiss Chapter and an ambassador for the investor platform Collective W. She is a seasoned international keynote speaker and TEDx speaker, having authored several guide books. Luise's project, YESS Impact Sisters, is making a significant difference in Uganda by empowering local entrepreneurs. She is a global mentor for entrepreneurs and professionals, including at FeMentor and Grace – The Female Accelerator. Luise holds the position of Ambassador at Maastricht University and Mercy for Women and Youth Uganda. She is also a community member of the 2hearts tech community. Luise works in English, German, French, and Spanish, and holds an LLM Master (Honors Program) in International Human Rights Law and a BA (Honors) in International Relations & Development Studies from Maastricht University.