Category: Uncategorized

Christopher Knothe is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Direct Capital Investments (DCI), the
founder and CEO of Direct Investment Exchange (DIX GLOBAL) and has a 25-year track record in
financial Services, including banking, funds, directs – venture capital & private equity.

Paula is the CEO and owner of Teknos, a family-led and owned company from Finland that
is world-leading in paints and coatings. Having gone through an intense succession struggle,
Paula can give a first-hand account what it means to take over a family business, including
sibling rivalry and the involvement of the next generation.

Pierre-Antoine Mudry worked over seven years at Goldman Sachs, where he was latterly an
executive director in sales & trading in London. Pierre-Antoine has a strong experience in
investment banking and financial markets, with strategic coverage of the largest private
banks and family offices and a strong track record in investor relations and
capital raising. Pierre-Antoine’s main sectors of interests are Life Sciences (in particular
biotech and longevity) and financial services (especially fintech and crypto assets). Pierre
holds a BBA at HEC Montréal and a Master in Banking and Finance at the University of St.
Gallen (HSG).

In 2020, Terezia co-founded Lumus Investment Collective, an investment club for women angel investors who invest in technology start-ups from the CEE region.

Since 2014 she worked as an Investment Manager at Neulogy Ventures, a venture capital fund based in Bratislava, investing in early-stage technology companies from Slovakia. 

In addition to working at Neulogy Ventures, she regularly participates in the local start-up events as a mentor or jury member.  As an external expert, Terezia assesses business plans under the EIC Accelerator, the EU’s largest research and innovation funding program.

Terezia holds a bachelor‘s degree from The Hague University of Applied Sciences and a master‘s degree from IMC Krems.

Marina Vaughan Spitzy is a value driven campaigner with a background in international affairs, philanthropy and conservation. An experienced strategist, Marina runs her own family office, as well as advising ultrahigh net worth families and NGOs on setting up and restructuring their own foundations.

In 2021 Marina founded Tecolote Advisory, a firm offering stewardship advice to families, with a particular focus on the management of fine art collections, families in transition – especially women, succession planning and philanthropy. Helping clients define a purpose for their wealth lies at the heart of her work.

Previously, Marina was the director of Americans Abroad for John McCain in the 2008 Presidential elections. Two years later, as the founding Director of the Blue Marine Foundation, she led the team responsible for one of the largest single acts of conservation ever undertaken, the creation of the Chagos Marine Reserve. She has launched charitable campaigns with brands like Six Senses, Selfridges, Marks & Spencer and Crème de la Mer.

Swen Lorenz is CEO of Sarnia Asset Management, a fund manager based in Guernsey, Channel Islands. The company is in the process of launching several high-performing niche funds in public equity. Swen has a 25-year track record start-ups, turnarounds, and fund management. His co-founders in Sarnia Asset Management are Marcel Maschmeyer and Matthias Kurzrock, who have built Paladin Asset Management. 

Heading PIABO PR, Europe’s leading full-service PR partner for the digital economy, based in Berlin, Tilo is a key driver of success, an ambitious entrepreneur in various global markets and a proven expert with regard to the start-up scene. In addition, he himself is one of the best-known human brands in his field and was recently named PR Pope by the renowned weekly magazine Stern. 

Tilo launched PIABO in 2006 with the goal to help tech entrepreneurs maximize their potential in the media, reach growth targets and take the lead in the market. Clients include leading European tech companies and global digital brands such as Stripe, Samsung, Silicon Valley Bank, GitHub and Shopify. 

With its international network, in-depth expertise in media brand building as well as his active engagement as an investor, he is an ideal partner for founders with innovative and new ideas that have a positive impact nationally and on a global scale.

Built out a family office into a regional asset manager and consultant. Runs portfolio companies, including a 65k sqm mall his office built in the centre of Bucharest. Built the first mobile banking business and first large solar power plant in Romania. Serves on numerous boards.

After Lithuania declared its independence in 1991, the successful Lithuanian-American lawyer moved from the New York to Vilnius and, as he says, it was the best decision of his life. “Lithuania has given me opportunities that I could not dream of in New York. That is exactly why today I want to invite young scientists, graduates and entrepreneurs to return to Lithuania and help them create success here. These people are the future of our country”. For this reason, he dedicated 3,5 mln to establish the philanthropic “MJJ foundation”. The capital grows every year and now is worth 8 mln Eur. During the first three years of operations foundation has dedicated 1 million Eur for salaries of the scientists, scholarships for students, investments into ideas of returning entrepreneurs and educational projects. His foundation promotes the model of matching funds in Lithuania actively inviting other business people to join forces for a positive change and impact.

Marius Jakulis Jason, one of the richest investors and philanthropists in Lithuania, recently publicly announced that he is leaving 70 percent of his family assets to his foundation. The entrepreneur, who has such an innovative approach, is one of few in Lithuania who has established his own philanthropic foundation and is probably the first to publicly speak about the need to share the success and do it today. Marius is restless in motivating other investors and entrepreneurs to start philanthropic activities. He gives a number of talks each year at business conferences, sharing his knowledge and secrets of success in business and investments, being inspiration through example to other business leaders. The main principle of all new businesses and investment projects Marius creates, is to balance positive social impact and profit. His portfolio consists of private schools, hospitality businesses, student and senior housing, modern hospital for animals.

In this past 5 years Marius was invited to speak at the number of large conferences and was nominated for the national awards. In 2019 he received the Global Lithuanian Award for Investments to Lithuania from the hands of LR President Gitanas Nausėda. Also, National broadcaster LRT has awarded Marius Jakulis Jason as the “Personality of the year”, for his established MJJ foundation and investment into the future of Lithuania.