Meet the mentors

CEO and founder of idatase GmbH / NetLume in Frankfurt, Clairechains Consulting in Paris as well as ChainsAtlas Pte. Ltd. in Singapore and involved in advisory roles in a number of companies at the forefront of IoT, AI, Blockchain and in general technology innovation. Alumni of several renowned startup accelerators such as Tenity in Singapore, Techstars in Lisbon, Spinlab in Leipzig and Sente in Chicago as well as mentoring at various startup programs.

Jan gained substantial corporate experience through working in consulting and leadership roles with companies like Siemens, VW, Microsoft, Engie, Olympus, EnBW, Randstad and many others. He is always happy to share his views on and experience with digital transformation and what is needed to make it successful and most importantly: to shape it for those who are impacted to not only accept, but embrace it.

He spoke at events like the annual general congress of the German energy association BDEW including the German federal minister for education and research, international innovation centers in China and Singapore and on various occasions across Europe. Spoke about the 4th industrial revolution to 2nd Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan at an International Startup event in 2019 and took part in a series of delegations to Asia and North America under Deputy Prime-Minister Tarek Al-Wazir of his home state Hesse.

Zia is currently the Global Managing Director of Red Team Partners Global, a worldwide cyber security consulting company that works with organisations to help keep them. secure from cyber attacks.

Working with global organisations, Zia has helped new businesses penetrate the cyber security market by mentoring, funding and providing resources to startup businesses.

Also being the chairman of the Cyber Security Awards, Zia has an international network of security professionals and start-up accelerators that he has helped mentor and navigate through international markets such as Europe, North America, Middle East and Asia.

Being on the board of ISC2 a global accredited cyber training provider, judge for multiple awards and an investor gives Zia a unique view globally of how to penetrate markets with different types of businesses.

Martin Gothe is an Entrepreneur from Germany with his startup and innovation consulting business in Shanghai and Hong Kong, mentoring startups from Germany, Africa and Asia. He is the China Country Representative for German Accelerator, an accelerator programme to provide German Startups with a platform to engage with China, an accelerator coach for BMW accelerator in China and part of the WS ARC Accelerator at the American University of Phnom Penh. 

Martin has more than a decade of entrepreneurial experience in China. He focuses on the startup and innovation industry in the German Chinese context. He went to Westminster University in London studying Global Markets and Arts and Society and majored in International Management and Finance at the ISM Frankfurt Main, Germany.

Bhairav Patel is the Managing Director of Atom CTO a company that provides strategic and operational tech advice to start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs and investors. He has over 23 years’ experience in the tech industry and has been the CTO for a number of award-winning start-ups and scale-ups based in the US, Europe and Asia. Companies he has been the CTO for have raised in excess of $60M in funding over the past decade.

He is an active mentor and hosts two podcasts: The Atom CTO podcast which talks to entrepreneurs, business leaders and experts from around the world and The Real World Entrepreneurship podcast which provides raw insights into what it is truly like to run your own business.

With 25 years of hardcore technology & SW engineering experience in opensource technologies, cloud computing, Big Data, Machine Learning and Blockchain technologies. Worked in global MNC and startups in the US, Europe, Middle East and Singapore region.

Currently working on zero knowledge proofs, MPC and permissioned private blockchains. My expertise extends into the realms of decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTS), and the Metaverse, particularly in the context of gaming within the blockchain ecosystem.

Shen is the Co-founder of Xscape, one of the first NFT projects on the XRPL, Co-founder of Zerpmon, the top gaming project on the XRPL and Project Lead for multichain DeFi platforms StaykX/SerpentSwap. He has been building in the XRPL ecosystem since 2021, and has created multiple strong, resilient communities of users. Shen strives to increase blockchain participation through on-chain experiences and games, creating engaging and interesting ways for people to use their digital assets.

As a captivating speaker, Michelle shares her expertise and insights on topics such as entrepreneurship, communities, collaboration, web3, and the future of work. Her talks inspire audiences to reimagine traditional models of collaboration, design their best work-life and embrace new approaches that enable teams to transcend boundaries and unleash their full potential.

Michelle’s speaking engagements span various platforms, from industry conferences to intimate panels. Her engaging style, thought-provoking content, and real-world examples leave a lasting impact on her audience. Attendees are inspired to embrace collaboration as a driving force for innovation, productivity, and success in the new age of work.

As a sought-after thought leader, having won the accolade of Outstanding Leader In Tech Award, Michelle is recognized for her expertise in the intersection of technology, and entrepreneurship. Her visionary approach and practical insights have positioned her as an influential figure in the industry, shaping the future of work and empowering entrepreneurs to thrive in an increasingly interconnected and digital world.

Priyadarshini Majumdar is the co-founder of Inovatyv and Neon Sundae. She is a serial entrepreneur and a techie looking to solve the world’s problems using technologies such as blockchain and AI. She began her career advising banks on their wealth management platforms and went on to work with a myriad of startups and MNCs, advising and building products for them, in the Fintech, Health tech and Web3.0 spaces. She was a nominee for the Fintech Nation’s Young Leaders 30 Under 30 list and 65 leaders in Singapore Fintech.

Linda is an advocate of transformative technologies like Blockchain and AI. She is an entrepreneur who has founded companies in diverse domains, investor and advisor of multiple projects, as well as the co-lead of the Singapore chapter of AllStarsWomen DAO.

With a background in Economics, Investments, and Technology, Linda has accumulated over two decades of experience analysing competitive landscapes and gauging market dynamics.

Previously, Linda held roles including Head of Strategy at aelf, Investor Relations Director at RioDeFi and Director of Business Strategy at Origgin Ventures. She also founded 2BITE Consulting, a management consultancy firm specialised in providing business and management strategies for sectors including fintech, e-commerce, and mobility.

A true advocate for disruptive technologies, Linda’s journey exemplifies strategic prowess across wide-ranging domains, bringing her commitment to innovation and visionary approach to drive future-focused businesses.

Born in rural Sri Lanka, he began coding at 10. Graduating with honors in Computing, he returned to his roots with a vision: fuel the rural economy through technology. In 2012, he founded Ceydigital, a successful tech product company. But his impact extends beyond. He established Uva Startup Hub, the first in Sri Lanka, fostering a thriving 800+ member community. As a university lecturer, he inspires the next generation to innovate. His journey, from coding child to rural tech pioneer, exemplifies a life dedicated to empowering his community through technology.

A software engineer and systems analyst  by training, Raffi spent the last two decades riding the waves of technology evolutions. He started out as an associate software engineer during the dot com boom in a bid to gain early first-hand experience in cutting edge technologies as they emerged at organisations such as Lycos Asia (a joint venture between Singtel and Lycos, Inc),  Stratos Global (subsequently acquired by Inmarsat), and founding a startup pioneering in food tech and street food deliveries in Singapore.

Raffi is obsessed with understanding how emerging technologies function under the hood, and their potential applications to real world problems. For example, his fascination with compute as a commodity led him to roles as a technology architect at global technology firms that sell and implement cloud for companies like Microsoft, Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services. He is bullish on the role that web3 and decentralisation plays in leveling the playing field to provide access to massive computing capabilities to the next generation of developers and their applications.

Today, Raffi is a lead consultant at Searce, where he advises and influences organisations’ on their technology choices and decisions. He is also a  co-founder of a web3 community that conducts lo-fi workshops teaching people about blockchain and web3.

Electronics engineering by training and has dabbled in technology from hardware to software building farms that grow vegetables and insects. Survived corporate bureaucracy with a patent and now back to fix legacy.

Jonas Thürig is Managing Partner and Head of Asia at Tenity based in Singapore. Tenity is the leading incubator, accelerator and early-stage VC for FinTech startups.

Before joining Tenity, Jonas Thürig worked at the Embassy of Switzerland in China as the Deputy Head of the Science, Technology, Education and Innovation Section. He has also held roles in companies like SIX Group, in addition to successfully co-founding a startup in the IoT space.

Jonas Thürig started out his career as a web developer by training, holds a Bachelor of Science in International Management and Economics and a Master of Science in Business Management from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Switzerland.

Mukta is a data science specialist who’s all about turning those numbers into real-world gold. Armed with a master’s degree in mathematics and over a decade of experience, she has been at the helm of all things data in both startups and big-name corporations, working her skills in model development and analytics and making sure those insights actually mean something for the business.

With a deep-rooted passion for digital design, Shaghig’s experience spans 14 years, weaving through the intricacies of 3D design, animation, and photography before anchoring in the rich territories of UI/UX and graphic design. Her journey reflects a blend of art, technology, and a dash of curiosity, bringing a unique perspective to digital product development.

Embracing the solopreneur spirit in 2018, Shaghig has been at the helm of her design business, focusing on creating digital experiences that are as intuitive as they are engaging. Alongside, she plays versatile roles in two startups, showcasing her ability to juggle more than just design tasks – occasionally, she juggles actual lemons.

Her expertise spans across various industries, from education to blockchain and e-commerce, demonstrating her adaptability and keen insight. Shaghig is also passionate about mentorship, guiding emerging designers with the wisdom only years of experience can bestow, and perhaps a joke or two to lighten the learning curve.

Dave Goodman is a visionary pragmatist and lifelong entrepreneur.  He is a master storyteller, strategist, and finance expert, having pitched nearly 1000 investors & lenders worldwide. 

He is a 7-figure entrepreneur, patent-holding inventor, private pilot, Shark Tank Winner and Juilliart trained orchestra conductor. 

Dave loves sharing his broad and hard-won experiences to help young companies emulate his successes, avoid his (many) mistakes, and bring their personal visions to life against all odds. 

He enjoys being the “outsider” to help companies bridge the communications gap between industry experts and the broader public, between founder & investor and most importantly, between company & customer.

He is a lifelong writer and the author of the forthcoming, “How Investors Screw Over Founders and Steal Their Companies (and what you can do about it).”  Dave has helped businesses all over the world achieve their goals.

Lilian Li is a motivational and accomplished business leader in ICT and Education industry with over 18 years’ track record in developing/managing new ventures and driving strategic partnerships. Proven ability to penetrate emerging markets with complex political landscapes to acquire new institutional accounts in China and Southeast Asia including Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore and Philippines. She is also the founder of Shanghai Leadership Toastmasters Club.  She received Leader for Emerging Market Award from Kellogg in 2020 and won the finalist for the Australian Ambassador’s Award for Woman in Leadership 2021.

After working in the banking sector, Thomas now focuses on building and developing the securities sector in South East Asia and specifically Cambodia.

Global financials, crypto, emerging markets, private investments and devil´s advocacy are his specialties. 

Employed by the Royal Group of Cambodia, Thomas is enabling projects to come to life; helping Royal Group and the Cambodian economy to enter the next stage of development. As the General Manager of RGX, the only licensed digital asset exchange in Cambodia, Thomas is also on the forefront of blockchain development in Cambodia.

Previously, Thomas spent 5 years with The Association of Banks in Cambodia, working alongside the private banks to advocate primarily with the National Bank of Cambodia on all matters related to the financial sector.

Given Thomas’ background, involvement with the largest conglomerate of the country and specialized experience in Cambodia’s financial landscape and its policies, Thomas is an expert on Cambodia’s financial market landscape and its stakeholders.

Olta has a solid background in economics and international business, with a special interest in circular entrepreneurship. She has successfully mentored AUPP students, leading them to win first place in international entrepreneurship challenges. Having lived in five countries and worked for a startup with a global client base, Olta brings valuable international experience in achieving the right product-market fit. Her diverse background ensures a unique and effective approach to startup mentorship.

Dominik was present at the birth of the German AgriFood Society in 2019 and was actively involved in the Agritech Group of the German Start-up Association, from which the current association officially emerged in October 2019. As a biotechnologist and multiple founder of several AgTech and IT companies, he is now serving as Head of Business Development at Fraunhofer IGD, creating interfaces with companies and practical applications. He possesses extensive knowledge in financing options and in development from the conceptual phase on a blank sheet of paper to scalable structures.

Kushagra is among the first creators from India to establish himself as an anime artist in the Japanese anime industry. After graduating from IIT Guwahati with a degree in Design and Engineering, he decided to follow his passion for creativity and pursue a career as an animator in Japan.

Kushagra has worked on 30 anime titles such as “Yu-Gi-Oh! Sevens,” “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean,” “Vinland Saga,” “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?” (“DanMachi”), “Edens Zero,” and more. His experience spans various anime production houses including MAPPA, J.C. Staff, David Production, among others. Through these roles, he has learned the entire pipeline of anime production by working in various sections of the industry.

Kushagra is the founding member of Quboid https://qubo.id/, a Web3 loyalty tokens liquidity and settlement platform, and an associate member of Sensekai https://sensekai.com/. He is also the creator of two original anime IPs, Tanukiverse https://tanukiverse.com/ and DQN https://x.com/DQNorg . He dabbles in Web3 and AI technologies for the anime market, constantly exploring innovative ways to integrate these technologies into his work.

Jorden leads the Web3 Program at a VC Accelerator. He helps startups refine their projects and also make introductions to partners, investors and potential clients.

During his free time, he does photography and YouTube videos on the topic of Personal Finance.

Nicholas was an early hire at Blockchain Founders Fund where he was involved in all aspects of investment processes, as well as fundraising for both the Fund and for portfolio companies. After the successful raise of the Fund, Nicholas started his own advisory/consulting firm Omni3, where he assisted in connecting early-stage blockchain projects to investors and service providers in the web3 space to accelerate their growth.

In 2024, GDA Capital announced its acquisition of Omni3. Since then, Nicholas has been working with GDA Capital to drive the mass adoption of blockchain through acceleration and investment into promising early-stage blockchain projects globally.

Before founding VinHMS, Hoang was the first Solution Architect of Amazon Web Services Vietnam, responsible for helping Vietnamese organizations of all shapes and sizes to understand then architect advanced cloud-based solutions.

Prior to AWS in 2017, he spent 5 years as founder and CEO of Simple Solutions, the only ASEAN startup that was funded by Coca-Cola Founders, an entrepreneurship program designed by Coca-Cola to help founders build & scale startups. While building a startup in HCMC, Hoang also led software development teams in HCMC & Seattle for SDL, an UK public company.

Prior to relocating back to Ho Chi Minh City from Houston, TX in 2011, Hoang was the CTO/Founder of Sysnify, a startup that provided management solutions for United Supermarket, a supermarket chain with more than 90 stores in Texas. Before that he spent close to 10 years in Houston building enterprise applications for Fortune 500 corporations such as BP, HP, American Airlines, NASCAR and Delhaize.

Hoang received his Master’s degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Houston – Clear Lake and holds Bachelor degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Polytechnics, Ho Chi Minh City.

Dimitri brings over 20 years of experience in the tech sector, with a track record as an entrepreneur and a consultant across Asia, the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Since launching his entrepreneurial journey in 2009, Dimitri has been active in the digital assets space since 2017.

He is the founder and CEO of Unicast.ai, a next-generation Web3 Career Platform that drives engagement through on-chain referral rewards. Dimitri also serves as Co-Founder & Managing Director of NAOS International, an international executive search and advisory firm, as well as DeFi Consulting Group and Blockrate Consulting, which specialize in digital assets and Web3 advisory. His advisory experience extends to supporting FinTech and Blockchain companies, family offices, venture capital, and private equity firms.

With a background in fundamental physics and computer architecture, Dimitri has co-founded and scaled technology companies across France, Singapore, and the US. He previously served as Business Unit Director at Altran, a leading management and technology consulting firm. Dimitri values hard work, resilience, bold thinking, and honesty as guiding principles in all his business ventures.

Graduated with a BA in International Business major and French minor in 2011 at Linfield University, Oregon, United States, and gained working experience abroad in marketing. In 2013, she started her career in financial investment while pursuing a second degree in Law Studies from Ho Chi Minh University of Law. Mai has joined Conservation Vietnam as the first staff member since May 2022. Her interest to participate in the reservation of Vietnam’s unique biodiversity for future generations is the key driver for her enthusiasm to support all stakeholders in the wildlife conservation sector.

About Conservation Vietnam

Conservation Vietnam is a new Vietnamese Foundation which has been developed and established by Decision No. 1155/QĐ-BNV dated November 2021 from the Ministry of Home Affairs, due to the huge challenge Vietnam faces in maintaining its unique biodiversity as well as the lack of financial and capacity support for local organizations to succeed in dealing with this challenge in the country. 

Conservation Vietnam comprises an endowment fund, which functions as a grant making facility for the support of Vietnamese organizations engaged in conservation activities. It has been developed by the country's leading conservationists in partnership with major private sector investors in Vietnam; a partnership which is designed to scale to the size of the conservation challenges.

Łukasz Braciszewski is a seasoned technology expert and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in IT and system administration. He is the co-founder of Tokenomia.pro and TPRO Network, where he focuses on building an ecosystem of AI Agents to support on-chain simulations, token predictions, and decentralized decision-making.

Before entering the blockchain space, Łukasz worked as a system administrator at OLX Group, where he was responsible for managing hundreds of servers across a large-scale production environment. This experience gave him deep expertise in infrastructure scalability, security, and performance - skills he now applies to Web3 systems and AI automation.

Łukasz played a key role in shaping the early crypto ecosystem in Poland. He was a co-founder of Ari10, a platform facilitating crypto-fiat transactions, and is the co-creator of Coinpaprika.com, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency data aggregators.

Today, at TPRO Network, he leads the integration of intelligent AI Agents designed to enhance decentralized analytics, automate workflows, and support innovation in autonomous community building. Łukasz’s unique blend of hands-on technical knowledge, startup leadership, and strategic vision makes him a valuable mentor for founders working at the frontier of blockchain and AI.

Remko has extensive experience in Banking, Financial Markets, Payments and FinTech. His main expertise is in regulatory compliance with technology risk, for example European Union DORA, MAS TRM and BNM RMiT. Remko is currently based in Kuala Lumpur, with frequent global travel. 

Remko worked for several global banks and payment processors, and also has advised startups. including Cryptocurrency Service Providers. His involvement includes resolving complex regulatory and cybersecurity challenges, for example regarding new products, new markets and challenges with complex systems. Remko also has a keen eye for business opportunities in Fintech.