Founding Partner

Laurent spent several years in the financial services and investment management industry based in Luxembourg, the UK, the US and Switzerland. During his career, he focused on acting as an advisor to European UHNWI, as well as corporations and governments, while working for Warburg Bank and family offices in Europe. Laurent is a guest lecturer at the University of Luxembourg, the Luxembourg School of Business and the Zagreb School of Economics and Management.

Founding Partner

After his studies at ESCP Europe in Paris, London, and Berlin, Alain joined the Oil & Gas Department of UBS Investment Bank in London. He after that spent his career in various operational roles, managing and restructuring mid-size businesses. He was also active in multiple investment companies focusing on private equity, energy, and real estate. Alain co-founded a couple of investment funds and a start-up in the real estate field.

Partner

Georges is the former Managing Partner of KPMG Luxembourg, having worked for the firm for 28 years. He is a member of the supervisory board of Bank Julius Baer Europe S.A., a board member of the Luxembourg Sustainability Board, the National Council of Public Finances of Luxembourg and Unicef Luxembourg. He holds a Blockchain Technologies Certificate from MIT (2019), is a Chartered Accountant, Tax expert and Réviseur d’entreprises in Luxembourg (1994) and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Economics from University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg (1991).

Principal

Quentin worked in the Corporate Venture Capital department of Encevo, a utility based in Luxembourg, and invested in early-stage cleantech companies. He joined the department from scratch and was actively involved in its creation and development. He holds a Master in Management specializing in Finance from ESC Rennes School of Business. Quentin is a certified Skiing Instructor from ESF (École de Ski Français).

Investment Manager

Before joining our office in Prague, Tomas worked in the ELAI organizing the Innovation Week; he was the Director of the European finale of worldwide Disruptors, an Investment Analyst at UP21 and Air Ventures, and Head of Community at Czech Founders. Tomas furthermore mentors first-time founders at the Startup Kitchen. He holds a Master’s Degree in Civil Sector studies from Charles University and various certificates from the University of Cambridge, Universita Bocconi, and the University of London.

Investment Associate

Daphne worked as a Junior Wealth Manager, working with UHNWIs. She is an EFPA Certified European Financial Planner with a Master's degree in Wealth Management from the University of Luxembourg. Daphne is an ambassador of the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT) and was part of the Venture Capital Scholars program of 2022.

Investment Associate

After working in Luxembourg's banking sector, Luc moved to Zurich, where he spent over two years working for Aquila Capital's investment management team in the Energy Transition sector. He holds a Master's Degree in Financial Economics from Maastricht University School of Business and Economics.

Board Member

Martin is a Swiss attorney-at-law and alumni of IMD and INSEAD. In 1996, after having worked as a lawyer specializing in banking and finance law, he joined Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd., where his final role was Managing Director and Member of the Executive Management Committee of Julius Baer Asset Management in Zurich. Under his leadership, MDO Management Company developed into one of Luxembourg’s leading independent third-party management companies which then merged in 2020 with MontLake and DMS. Martin Vogel is active in fund associations, advises asset managers on the third-party management company landscape, and is a regular speaker at international fund conferences. Martin Vogel is the CEO Europe and Global Head of Strategy at Waystone which is currently serving assets under management in excess of USD 2Tn.

Board Member

Marc Schmitz is a former partner and board member at Ernst & Young (EY) in Luxembourg. He spent more than three decades advising large multinational clients on cross-border corporate investment and financing projects. In addition to his client work, he served as EY's tax and policy leader, representing the firm in various public tax working groups. He was a certified accountant and a member of the Ordre des Experts-Comptables, and authored numerous articles, books and other publications on Luxembourg and international taxation. Marc also served as a board member and treasurer of the Luxembourg branch of the International Fiscal Association (IFA) and has been a frequent speaker at international tax conferences.

Board Member

Václav Audes is a Czech lawyer, renowned for his expertise in domestic law. He has been a partner at Havel & Partners, the leading law firms in the CEE Region, since 2005. Having graduated from Charles University, Vaclav Audes holds a Master of Laws degree. In 2019 he founded Arbol Capital, a prominent family office in the Czech Republic. As the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, he plays a pivotal role in guiding the organization's strategic direction and overseeing its operations.

Venture Partner

Sherin is a Berlin-based venture capitalist and startup mentor to support disruptive innovations and outperforming entrepreneurs. She has been deeply involved in the German start-up ecosystem in the last decade and has recently been awarded as one of the Top 3 role models for female investors. She also actively promotes diversity and transparency in the VC investor landscape and startup ecosystem. Next to her Venture Partnership role at Ilavska Vuillermoz Capital, Sherin works as Venture Deals Manager at PwC Berlin, is a Startup & Investor Mentor at Startup Teens; and VC Portfolio Company & Startup Mentor at APX VC (Axel Springer Porsche). Sherin holds a Master’s in Finance from the Business School of Economics Berlin.

Board Advisor

Etienne is the former Deputy Prime Minister (from 2013), Minister of Economy (from 2012), Minister of Health (from 2018), Minister of Internal Security and Minister of Defense (from 2013) of Luxembourg. He held those various positions between 2012 and 2020, being a member of the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP). He has previously filled several positions as a senior civil servant, such as a research assistant at the European Parliament in Brussels, economist for the LSAP parliamentary group in the Chamber of Deputies and project leader with NATO in Brussels. He also served as a government advisor responsible for various Directorates. Etienne has a degree in commercial and financial sciences from the Institut catholique des hautes études commerciales (ICHEC) in Brussels and Greenwich University in London (1995).

Board Advisor

Serge has been working in the banking sector for more than 35 years. With a degree in economics, he started his banking career in 1986 at Banque Générale du Luxembourg. In 2000, he joined the management of the Luxembourg Banking Association ABBL, where he was appointed CEO in 2014 till 2020. He has represented the financial industry on various boards. For many years, Serge has been a board member of the CSSF (Luxembourg Financial Regulator), CES (Economic and Social Council of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg), FGDL (Luxembourg Deposit Guarantee Fund), and FDC (National Pension Insurance Fund). From 2014 till 2019, Serge has been a member of the EBF Executive Committee (European Banking Federation), UEL (Luxembourg Employers' Association), HCPF (Haut Comité de la place financière), and LFF (Luxembourg for Finance). Serge currently serves as a supervisory board member of the Fondation de Luxembourg, which assists European donors in the structuring, developing, and monitoring of philanthropic projects in Europe and worldwide.

Board Advisor

Tom Loesch is a Luxembourg national and practising lawyer registered with the Luxembourg Bar since 1982. After having graduated from the Aix-Marseille and Pantheon-Sorbonne law faculties and obtained an LL.M (post-graduate law degree) from the London School of Economics he joined Luxembourg law firm Loesch & Wolter where he became a partner in 1988. He remained a partner in that firm throughout two mergers the firm went through, first with De Bandt, van Hecke & Lagae, then with Linklaters where he headed the Corporate and M&A department for over a decade. After his retirement from Linklaters in 2012, he set up his own boutique law firm to pursue his activities as counselling lawyer primarily in corporate, M&A and PE matters besides assuming various independent directorships of Luxembourg registered regulated and non-regulated corporates.

Industry Expert, ClimateTech

Prof. Dr. Anabel Ternès von Hattburg, Princess of Prussia, is considered one of the leading minds for sustainability and digitization. The Managing Director of the Berlin-based SRH Institute for Sustainable Management. She is a leading futurologist and keynote speaker. She is the author of over 50 books and writes for Haufe, Focus, Forbes, Impulse, among others. Anabel Ternès has many years of management experience in business development for international companies, including Samsonite and Fielmann. Furthermore, Anabel is the Chair of the Board of the Future Council Circular Economy, a Board Member of the British Chamber of Commerce, and an Advisory Board Member of Plant for the Planet.

Industry Expert, ClimateTech

Maria is a passionate advocate for Climate tech with 18 years of experience in the energy and environmental sectors. She has worked as an engineer, consultant, and investor, and has served as the founder and Director of Klima fund (Alantra Group) and Investment Director of Demeter Partners. Maria currently holds board memberships in 4 companies. In addition to her professional roles, Maria works as an independent advisor to entities supporting climate tech entrepreneurs, such as the European Commission, EIT, and energy corporates like Enagas (Spanish Gas TSO). Maria holds a Master's degree in Energy Technologies and is an industrial engineer.

Industry Expert, ClimateTech

Pit strives for turning ClimateTech into profitable and impactful business cases by driving industrial green steel and clean energy initiatives. He is currently the PMO in a multi-billion green steel project in central Europe. As industry expert he advises industrial projects that leverage the European funding & financing landscape and the changing regulatory frameworks that trigger climate tech innovations (e.g. ETS/CBAM/Taxonomy). Pit lead a number of significant initiatives in Business Development, Sales, Project Management and Strategy, and represents his company in various international industry associations.

Industry Expert, ClimateTech

Phillip is Associate Professor, Head of the Laboratory for Energy Materials at the University of Luxembourg and Deputy Head of the Physics and Materials Department. He also leads the new Luxembourg Doctoral Training Unit Photovoltaics: Advanced Concepts for high Efficiency (PACE). He received his Ph.D from the University of Bristol in 2004 in the field of colloidal chemistry. Between 2004 and 2007 he began his interest in solar energy as a post doc at the University of Bath. He was then appointed as the first FNR ATTRACT Fellow in 2008 in Luxembourg. His expertise lies in the synthesis and characterization of thin-film semiconductors for PV devices. He has played a leading role in understanding the properties of the earth-abundant semiconductors such as copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS). He has published 75 papers and 4 book chapters and has 3 patents. He is an international advisor to the UK’s centre for Doctoral Training in Photovoltaics and is a guest editor for the journal Solar Energy.

Industry Expert, Real Estate

After spending 10 years of her professional career in Scotland working in large scale property consultancies, Myriam moved back to Luxembourg in 2014 to take on a managing role in Luxplan. As an urban planner Myriam provides specialist planning advice to a wide range of clients. Since the end of 2020 Myriam heads up Luxplan which belongs to LSC Engineering Group. She sits on the board of LSC Engineering Group. Myriam holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the Heriot-Watt University and a M.A. in Geography from the University of Glasgow.

Industry Expert, Real Estate

Serge is renowned for his significant contributions to the Luxembourg real estate market. With extensive knowledge of the local real estate market, Serge has successfully ventured into the industry, showcasing his dedication and expertise. He has also worked at the European Investment Fund, strengthening his ties to the financial sector. Serge holds a Master's degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Luxembourg and studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Kaiserslautern.

Industry Expert, Real Estate

Gilbert Poitiers, born in Belgium in 1951 and residing in Luxembourg since 1957, holds a diploma in Commercial Sciences. He has had a dynamic career spanning over four decades. From 1978 to 2011, he worked in the insurance sector, offering security to individuals. Since 1983, Gilbert has been dedicated to real estate development and project management, leaving a significant impact on the real estate landscapes of Luxembourg, Frankfurt/Main, and Austria/Tirol. His enduring commitment and expertise have been instrumental in shaping these regions.