Cornel Amariei
Founder & CEO, .lumen

Cornel Amariei is a renowned Romanian inventor, speaker and entrepreneur known for creating .lumen, a startup that builds glasses which empower the blind to live a better life.

Dr. Anne Berends
CEO/CTO and Co-founder, SunLED Life Science

Dr. Anne Berends is CEO/CTO and Co-founder of SunLED Life Science, a Dutch startup bringing the benefits of sunlight indoors, starting with SunBooster, a clip-on wellness device delivering energizing near-infrared (NIR) light. Trained as a materials scientist, Anne transitioned from lab to leadership, building SunLED from a single research idea into a company with IP, a global manufacturing partner and retail launch across Europe. Her work is grounded in 60+ years of photobiomodulation research, and her first product won the IFA Innovation Award for Best in Digital Health and is listed on Time’s best inventions 2025. Anne’s journey shows how deep tech and mission-driven entrepreneurship can create real-world impact. She was recently a finalist for the Women in Tech Europe “Most Disruptive” award and speaks frequently on innovation, light & health. Her leadership combines purpose, science and systems thinking to reshape the future of screen time and wellness.

Esther Bisschop
AI-Hub Lead, Techleap

Esther Bisschop is a business leader and exited startup co-founder based in Amsterdam, currently serving as AI Hub Lead at Techleap, where she is helping establish the organization’s new AI Hub. She co-founded Th3rd, a startup specializing in high-quality digital twins for brands such as Nike, Adidas, Timberland and Vans; the company was acquired by Snap Inc. in 2022. Previously, Esther was Managing Partner and Director of Operations at Digital Learning Agency TinQwise and held roles at Tata Steel, PROOF and Born05. She holds a Master’s in Cultural Anthropology with a minor in Social Informatics from the University of Amsterdam.

Stijn Buiter
Startup Leader Europe North, AWS

Stijn Buiter empowers startups across the Nordics, Baltics and Benelux to scale adopting cloud technology. As leader of the startup segment at AWS, and former Partner Technology Lead and SMB/Startup leader at Microsoft, she uniquely combines deep technical expertise with strategic business vision. Stijn excels in building thriving ecosystems, driving innovation and equipping entrepreneurs with scalable solutions. With over 15 years of experience in the technology industry, she has developed a particular passion for pioneering technologies that drive innovation in DeepTech and ClimaTech. A central theme throughout Stijn's career has been her ability to harness international potential while leveraging local strengths aiming to create powerful synergies.

Brian Comiskey
Senior Director of Innovation and Trends, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®

Brian Comiskey is the Senior Director of Innovation and Trends, and resident Futurist at CTA, charting how the latest technology trends will shape tomorrow.

Brian is responsible for the thematic stock indexes developed and maintained by CTA and Nasdaq as a part of a more than decade-long partnership. Covering a variety of sectors including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, gaming, and robotics, Brian and his team manage a portfolio of 18 thematic indexes with more than 20 products and $13B in assets under management tracking these indexes across listings in more than a dozen countries.

Prior to joining CTA, Brian worked in the media strategy and tech policy consulting space in the private and public sector. Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from the College of William & Mary.

Andrii Degeler
Founder, unzip.media

Andrii Degeler is a tech media leader, journalist and podcast host with over 15 years of experience of covering the European startup landscape and running content teams. Among the publications he's worked for are TNW (a Financial Times company), Tech.eu, Ars Technica, Engadget and more. Throughout Andrii's career, his goal has been to bring the continent's innovation and deeptech ecosystem together and uncover and examine the most important technology trends.

Fabrizio Del Maffeo
CEO, Axelera AI

Fabrizio Del Maffeo is the CEO and co-founder of Axelera AI, a Netherlands-based company delivering the world’s most powerful and advanced solutions to accelerate AI in edge devices. In his role at Axelera AI, Fabrizio leads a world-class executive team, board of directors, and advisors from top AI Fortune 500 companies. Before establishing Axelera AI, Fabrizio Del Maffeo served as Head of AI at the Bitfury Group, a globally recognized emerging technologies company. Prior to joining Bitfury, Fabrizio was Vice President and Managing Director of AAEON Technology Europe, the AI and Internet of Things (IoT) computing company within the ASUS Group.

Kinsey Fabrizio
President, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®

Kinsey Fabrizio is president of the Consumer Technology Association, which represents more than 1300 consumer technology companies and owns and produces CES® — the most powerful tech event in the world. In this role, Fabrizio sits on the CTA Executive Board and drives strategy and growth for CES and CTA, leading the CES, Membership, Conferences and Marketing and Communications departments.

Joanna Gruau Buldon
International Partnerships Lead, Station F

Joanna Gruau Buldón is the International Partnerships Lead at STATION F in Paris, where she fosters strategic partnerships to showcase and nurture the campus’ dynamic startup ecosystem. With expertise in partner outreach, event coordination, and facilitating collaboration between startups, corporates, and institutional delegations, Joanna plays a key role in scaling innovation. At CES Unveiled Amsterdam, she looks forward to connecting with innovation leaders and exploring opportunities for international collaboration in growing startup ecosystems.

John T. Kelley
Vice President and Show Director, CES, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®

As Vice President of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and Show Director for CES, John Kelley oversees many elements of CES including operations and conference programming. Prior to serving in this role, he served as senior director of international programs and oversaw many of the internationally focused initiatives of CTA and CES. From 2014-2020, Kelley served as Show Director for CES Asia, which convened in Shanghai, China from 2015-2019. In 2013, he was named to Dealerscope’s 40 under 40 for the consumer electronics industry.  

Ash Kulkarni
CEO, Elastic

As CEO of Elastic, Ash Kulkarni’s priority is to drive innovation, and he has the pleasure of working with the bright minds at Elastic to create products and solutions that use the power of search to help its customers and community turn possibilities into results. Ash joined Elastic as chief product officer in 2021 and prior to that held senior product leadership and management roles at McAfee, Akamai, Informatica, and Sun Microsystems. He and his family live in San Francisco and enjoy hiking, skiing, and exploring national parks in their free time.

Dr. Ben Kuzey
Chief AI Officer, Microsoft

Dr. Ben Kuzey is a visionary leader in artificial intelligence and analytics, with a strong focus on ethics, and responsible AI. Before joining Microsoft Netherlands as Chief AI Officer in the Customer Success Unit, he was the Global Director of AI and Analytics at Royal FrieslandCampina. He held leadership and management roles at various companies including Bitvavo, Miele, and OneFit. In his current role at Microsoft, he is responsible for driving innovative AI strategies to enhance business performance at Microsoft customers. He effectively collaborates with CXOs to help them achieve their AI and Analytics goals.

Janenne Remondino
Senior Director, International Programs, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®

Janenne Remondino has held strategic leadership positions at media and entertainment companies such as USA TODAY, iHeart Media, and AOL developing B2B and B2C marketing and event strategies and executing programs to support businesses objectives and revenue. She was at the forefront of digital music during her time at AOL, her team rebranded Clear Channel to iHeart Radio and launched the iHeart streaming app growing it to over 100M users, and she launched a $50M revenue events business for GANNETT – USA TODAY. She has worked with brands such as Ticketmaster, Travel Channel, Choice Hotels, and United Airlines. Her focuses have been in areas such as digital transformation, marketing, operations, and partnerships.

Janenne currently runs the CES International Program for the Consumer Technology Association launching global events worthy of the CES brand and managing the international community at CES in Las Vegas – the most impactful industry event in the world.

Mattias Scheek
Co-founder and Former CEO, Mayht (acquired by Sonos)

Mattias Scheek, born and raised in Amsterdam, started his journey as an entrepreneur at the age of 18 while studying Industrial Design Engineering at the TU Delft. Since then, it has been an amazing rollercoaster ride: from a small business with his brother, to leading an international company with a team of 30 people, culminating in the sale of his audio company to Sonos for 100 million USD in 2022. He is the inventor of several dozen patented inventions, and having unrealistically large dreams, overcoming challenges, and changing paradigms are topics that he loves to discuss. By sharing his story, he hopes to inspire other young and diverse people, and, where possible, personally help them to make big dreams become reality.

Michiel Scheffer
President of the Board, European Innovation Council (EIC)

Michiel Scheffer is the President of the European Innovation Council (EIC) Board. He holds a PhD in geography (1992) A Dutch national, he has three decades of experience in business, academia, and public policy. From 2015 to 2019 he was regional minister for economy, education and Europe in the Province of Gelderland (NL), and member of the European Committee of the regions. He is equipped with a wide network in the world of research and innovation (Utrecht University, Wageningen University, Hochschule Rhein-Waal) and has a remarkable professional experience of more than 20 years in the field of innovation, including on breakthrough technologies, disruptive innovations, and start‐ups impact investment. He was involved in setting up close to ten companies.

Katie Sieker
SVP of Venture Partnerships, Arizona Commerce Authority

Katie is a seasoned leader and advocate for startups with over two decades of experience in talent and people operations across major innovation hubs. As the Senior Vice President of Venture Partnerships at the Arizona Commerce Authority, she spearheads initiatives that support Arizona’s startup ecosystem and connect investors with emerging companies, such as the Arizona Innovation Challenge, AZ Tech Week, Deal Haus and LaunchAZ. Katie's dedication extends beyond her corporate role through her work with yesAZ, a nonprofit strengthening the Phoenix startup scene. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Corporate and Organizational Communication with a specialization in Human Resource Management, blending psychology, strategy and human-centered leadership.

Victoria Slivkoff
Senior Advisor, Chemonics Capital

Victoria is the Senior Advisor for Innovation & New Ventures at Chemonics International, a leading global development firm with operations in 150+ countries, and Senior Advisor at Chemonics Capital, the firm’s CVC arm. Previously, she led as Executive Managing Director of Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC), the world’s leading platform for startups tackling global challenges, and served as Head of Ecosystem at Walden Catalyst Ventures, a global VC firm investing in deep tech. Victoria is a deep tech VC platform leader recognized for building high-impact innovation ecosystems, fostering strategic investor relations and building the flywheel that helps promising startups scale.

Martin Tantow
Partner, Pegasus Tech Ventures

Martin Tantow is a Partner at Pegasus Tech Ventures, focusing on high-impact investments across the U.S. and Europe.

Martin is a serial entrepreneur, board member, and investor who has co-founded multiple venture-backed startups with three successful exits, including 3scale, which was acquired by Red Hat. His work focuses on driving disruptive innovation in Enterprise Software, Deep Tech, and Climate Tech, mentoring entrepreneurs on growth, international expansion as well as exit strategies.
 
Earlier in his career, Martin was a top management consultant with Booz & Company and Oliver Wyman, advising Fortune 500 clients on corporate strategy, marketing, and M&A. He has held notable board positions, serving as Chairman at Modula and Oxaion (now Aptean) and as a Venture Advisor at Infocomm Investments (now SGInnovate). He began his career in Product Management and Strategic Alliances at T-Mobile International.

Martin holds an M.S. in Strategic Management and Computer Science from the Munich School of Management (LMU) and an Exec. Ed. degree from London Business School. He also serves as a faculty member at the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Accelerator and mentors at Berkeley SkyDeck, Alchemist Accelerator, and Techstars.

Constantijn van Oranje
Envoy, Techleap.nl

Constantijn van Oranje leads TechLeap.NL, the accelerator for the Tech-ecosystem in the Netherlands. As Special Envoy he is on a mission to turn The Netherlands into a unicorn nation. He and his team connect the Tech-ecosystem to help ambitious and promising Dutch Tech companies grow fast internationally by improving their access to capital, market and talent. Constantijn co-founded StartupFest Europe, which is still the biggest start-up event ever organized in The Netherlands. He used to be Chief of Staff of VP Neelie Kroes at the European Commission in charge of the Digital Agenda.

Daniel Verten
VP Strategy, Synthesia

Daniel Verten is Strategy Partner at Synthesia, the largest AI video platform for the enterprise. As a member of Synthesia's management team, Daniel works closely with Fortune 100 leaders as they navigate the complex landscape of AI transformation. 

Before joining Synthesia 5 years ago, Daniel's career spanned early-stage startups, TV Production at RTL and multiple roles at WPP. His journey with generative AI began at WPP, where he set up the company's global AI program, incubating AI products and starting initiatives to upskill 100,000 employees. Prior to this, Daniel launched a new agency model for one of WPP's largest clients and helped start up Ogilvy's Digital Transformation offer in EMEA.

Juha Vartiainen
Co-Founder and Global Affairs Officer, IQM Quantum Computers

Juha Vartiainen is Co-Founder and Global Affairs Officer of IQM Quantum Computers, one the leading quantum technology companies. He drives IQM’s global strategy and partnerships, with a strong focus on public affairs, government relations, and international collaboration.

While having strong background in science and technology Juha engages with policymakers, industry leaders, and global institutions to advance the adoption of quantum technologies and strengthen Europe’s position in this strategic field. His work bridges the worlds of business, technology, and policy, ensuring that breakthrough innovation translates into real impact and benefit for society and industry.

Robert Verwaayen
General Partner, Keen Venture Partners 

Robert Verwaayen has spent 15 years reviewing over 5,000 pitch decks and funding 40 companies, backing two unicorns along the way and having his fair share of misses. As co-founder and General Partner of Keen Venture Partners, he’s been up close with investments in European tech scale-ups such as Mollie, Crisp, Beekeeper, Vesper, Allo and Sibill.

Previously, Robert was a Principal at Prime Ventures, where he sourced and led the Series A investment in Just Eat Takeaway, watching it grow from early stage to IPO, and worked on the investment in Mendix. Earlier he worked in strategy consulting at Monitor Group in London and New York and began his career at PA Consulting in New York.

A father of two and advocate for neurodiversity, Robert recently co-founded Nũro, a clothing brand designed for comfort and style for those with sensory sensitivities. He holds a BSc in Business Management from Babson College.

Matteo Zoppas
President, ITA - Italian Trade Agency

Matteo Zoppas graduated in Business Economics from Bocconi University in Milan and later earned Master’s degrees in Lean Manufacturing and Business Administration from CUOA Business School. He began his career at Mediobanca’s Equity Investments Office (2002–2003) and went on to serve on the boards of Operation Smile Italia and Confindustria. Elected President of Confindustria Venezia in 2013, he later led Confindustria Venezia Rovigo and Confindustria Veneto (2017–2019). Since then, he has held board positions at SIPA, Acqua Minerale San Benedetto, Agua Mineral San Benedetto, Parqua La Presa, the Venice International Foundation, Itago SGR, Fondazione CUOA, and Italia del Gusto. In 2025 he also became Managing Director of GFM SRL. Appointed to the Italian Trade Agency board in 2022, he was elected President in 2023 and reappointed in 2024.

Bianca Zwart
Chief Strategy Officer, Bunq

As bunq’s Chief Strategy Officer, Bianca keeps the company laser-focused on its mission: building the first bank people actually love to use. She shapes bunq’s long-term strategy and steers the teams that keep the company centered on users’ wants and needs.

From entry level employee to CSO in less than 10 years – and all before the age of 33 – Bianca’s journey at bunq started in 2016 on the frontlines of user support. After rising to Head of PR & Communications, she left to launch and scale two successful companies – Black & White Communications, and Pioneer Academy – before rejoining bunq as its first Chief of Staff in 2022. Now, as CSO, she drives the strategy that powers bunq’s global growth and leads the company’s largest division, focused on making life easy for users everywhere.

Having lived an international lifestyle herself, Bianca brings the same borderless perspective as bunq’s users. That experience fuels her passion to redefine banking: so that people don’t have to slow down their international lifestyle to fit a bank, but have one that empowers it.