Steffen Ehrhardt
Investor, SICTIC Ambassador
Steffen Ehrhardt has worked for 20 years at Google, he was one of the first Account Managers for Google in DACH followed by 15 years work experience in Go-To-Market and Strategy for Google EMEA.
He is an active angel investor and is serving as a board member in several early stage start-ups and also runs a syndicate that invests in Ex-Google employee founded startups. In his VP Investor Community, Partnerships and Sustainability role in the SICTIC Operations team he connected Switzerland to international VCs, moderated investor days and lead strategic initiatives. He is also a mentor in the ETH Entrepreneur Club, Rockstart, Techstars and Seedstars and was running communities within Google and also for many years in the heydays of AOL.
In recent years, his dedication is in the SDG/Sustainability space and how Tech can be used for Good.
Françoise Birnholz
Investor, SICTIC Ambassador
Françoise Birnholz is a problem-solving business lawyer with significant international experience in global financial institutions. She is an experienced Business Angel interested in early-stage companies, with a focus on FinTech, Leg- and RegTech, Blockchain infrastructure, AI and FoodTech. Françoise is an active member of SICTIC, acting as a judge for startups, as well as a mentor, advisor, board member, and consultant in the startup ecosystem.
Gian Sbetta
SICTIC Ambassador
Gian Sbetta leads AI GTM strategies for Google Cloud, focusing on digital natives, and startups. Previously, he managed relationships with top-tier VCs and high-growth startups in the Swiss market at AWS. His background includes extensive experience in deal flow management, C-suite engagement, and fostering innovation within the European startup ecosystem. He is also the author at The Week in Swiss Startups, a weekly newsletter about financing rounds in Switzerland.
Tanya Fröhlich
Investor, SICTIC Ambassador
Tanya is an executive with over 15 years of experience in investment banking and M&A with a focus in technology companies. Before joining SICTIC, Tanya was Director at Corum Group International, a global Tech M&A advisory firm, focusing on corporate strategy, business development, process implementation and sales & marketing.
Yunus Erduran
Investor, SICTIC Ambassador
Yunus Erduran is a social entrepreneur and innovator building mission-driven ventures at the intersection of education, media, agriculture, and technology. He founded three companies and one
non-profit news agency and brings 25+ years of research and program design experience. An impact-focused angel investor and mentor, he supports early-stage startups in education and gaming, talent management, agriculture, media, the circular economy, and AI. Within SICTIC, Yunus serves as a jury member for startup evaluations, helps organize activities in Romandie, and connects founders and investors across the Swiss entrepreneurship ecosystem.
SICTIC Volunteers
Pavel Jakovlev
SICTIC Evangelist
Managing Partner at ANCORE Strategy
Passionate about growth and innovation, he has extensive experience of working with start-up and scale-up founders, taking them to the next level.
Pavel is the creator and host of The White Spaces Show, an online medium through which he quenches his thirst for technology trends and innovation initiatives.