Startups welcome seasoned industry leaders to their board

Board members’ industry experience and networks to boost startup growth. Five startups have appointed experienced personalities to their boards of directors to help drive the their future growth.

Insphero’s CEO Jan Lichtenberg has joined Scailyte’s board. The ETH Zürich spin-off developed a disruptive artificial intelligence platform for the discovery of complex disease patterns from single-cell data. The solution provides unprecedented insight into the disease and patients’ biology and enables the discovery of new clinically relevant biomarker signatures by uncovering human’s hidden “single-cell” secrets. “Our experience in partnership projects with pharma companies atas shown that the combination of complex and predictive 3D disease models at scale (InSphero's home turf) with technologies like Scailyte's ScaiVision platform can create powerful synergies. That's what made me so excited about the opportunity.”

Santiago Arroyo joins GlycoEra
GlycoEra AG, a biotechnology company building a high-value pipeline of medicines based on deep expertise in protein degradation of circulating and membrane targets, announced today that Santiago Arroyo has been appointed to its Board of Directors. Arroyo is a tenured pharmaceutical executive who has deep expertise in strategy and leading the clinical development of therapeutics across multiple disease areas.  He is currently the Chief Development Officer of Bicycle Therapeutics. Prior to joining Bicycle, Arroyo held the Chief Medical Officer position at Momenta Pharmaceuticals, leading the company’s clinical development programs until Momenta’s acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. Previously, he was the Chief Medical Officer of Boston Pharmaceuticals and, before that held multiple senior clinical development leadership roles at leading pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eisai Global Clinical Development and Schwarz Biosciences.

Rubirosa - Caroline Forster
Caroline Forster joined the Board of Directors of Rubirosa AG, the startup producing stylish shoes intended to make everyday life a pleasant pleasure. Forster has built a strong reputation through her work at the Forster Rohner Group and brings with her extensive industry experience. Through the family-owned company Forster Rohner AG, she also served on the management boards of its subsidiaries Inter-Spitzen AG Switzerland and Inter-Spitzen AG Srl Romania. She has worked in the family business since 2005 and has also been a member of the management team there since 2011. With her brother Emanuel Forster, she further developed the company before being appointed CO-CEO of the Forster Rohner Group in 2016. Caroline helped grow Forster Willi & Co into a worldwide known company for luxurious, intricately embroidered textiles. She will support Rubiosa with her experience, network, and innovative ideas to drive the company’s future.

Aktionariat - Kathrine WOLF-Schmandt
Fintech startup Aktionariat, offering digital tools enabling small and medium-sized companies to create a market for their shares on their own website, has welcomed Kathrin Wolff-Schmandt to its board of directors. Her impressive background in the banking industry, coupled with her passion for blockchain technology, makes her the perfect addition to the team. As a former leader at UBS and active angel investor, Kathrin knows the needs of businesses, from startups to multinationals. She has spearheaded marketing initiatives that have helped businesses grow and have extensive experience in international business. This knowledge and skillset will be invaluable as we strive to advance Aktionariat's mission. Kathrin's involvement in the SEF.growth Scale-up Accelerator Program of the Swiss Economic Forum is further proof of her passion for supporting the growth of startups and scale-ups.

(RAN)
Photo: Jan Lichtenberg, Santiago Arroyo, Caroline Forster, Kathrine WOLF-Schmandt