A founding partner of the Nordic Life Science Venture fund, Eir Ventures. Prior to launching Eir Ventures, Stephan was part of setting up Novo Seeds, the early stage company creation and investment arm of Novo Holdings. During his 12 years at Novo Seeds, he led creation and funding of more than 25 companies in Europe, with a particular focus on Scandinavia.

Anna is an entrepreneur and investor with deep roots in the fashion industry. She co-founded Danish fashion brand Becksöndergaard Copenhagen, which was later sold to a private equity fund. Her expertise spans business development, sales, distribution, product and pricing strategy, and the professionalisation and scaling of start-ups. Over the past decade, she has served as a board member, advisor and investor in start-ups across sustainable fashion and apparel, the Internet of Things and lifestyle. Anna began her career in consulting at McKinsey & Company and as a Project Manager in advertising at Lowe Worldwide, and holds a Master of Science in International Marketing and Management from Copenhagen Business School.

Anna is a Senior Associate at Edaphon, an impact investment fund focused on biodiversity, ecosystem restoration and climate. She holds a PhD from KU Leuven and Ghent University, where her research sat at the intersection of microbiology and synthetic biology, and an MSc in Plant Biotechnology from Leibniz University Hannover. Her doctoral work focused on developing tools for evolutionary engineering in yeast using alternative CRISPR/Cas systems. At Edaphon, she supports investments that tackle ecosystem loss, biodiversity decline and climate change.

Nethaji is a world-renowned plant biochemist and synthetic biologist passionate about developing nature-inspired and sustainable solutions for various industries such as pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, bulk manufacturing and energy. She has worked with world-leading synthetic biology companies and has a track record of high impact publications and patents. She was previously a research group leader at the Center for Synthetic Biology at the University of Copenhagen where she developed biosynthetic production platforms for natural and novel cannabinoids, and previously led multidisciplinary research project on biosynthetic vanillin production from the lab to commercialization.

Alex is a multicultural (Canada/France) engineer and experienced Venture Capitalist (traditional and corporate venture) with a demonstrated history of working in Cleantech (during the tough years from 2011-2016) and Deeptech with over 45 transactions under his belt. Skilled in Venture Capital, deal-making, developing early staged businesses into successful companies as well as performing exits and creating value for shareholders.

Prior to joining DSM in 2020, Akshat sat on both sides of the table as an entrepreneur and investor. He started his entrepreneurial career by building WTEnergy, India's first carbon-trading platform and advisory services company, after which he embarked on his venture capital career at Sequoia Capital. Akshat has since gained extensive experience investing across the lifecycle of startups – with more than 45 investments totaling over 400 million euros and portfolio management for PGGM Private Equity, Max India, and Rockstart. At DSM, Akshat is responsible for investments in Europe and Israel in areas related to Nutrition, Health, and Biosciences. An Indian national currently living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Akshat holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business, and master’s degrees from the University of Amsterdam and the Delhi School of Economics.

Marianne is a strategy and sustainability advisor and experienced board member with deep expertise in the fashion and furniture industries. She is Founder and Managing Director of Material ESG in Hamburg, Chair of the Supervisory Board of Bijou Brigitte, and sits on the boards of DK Company, Wheat and Dymak. She previously spent more than seven years at Carlsberg Group, most recently as Vice President Business Development and Controlling and Member of the Board, and later served as Managing Director of SCHWEIGERTOCHTERMANN for a decade. She began her career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. Marianne holds an MSc in Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and an MSc in Political Science from Aarhus University.