CEO & Co-Founder, Imverse

Previously, XR Engineer and Tech Manager at the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience (LNCO) from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), working on mixed reality solutions targeting the research of brain mechanisms of body perception, body awareness and self-consciousness. Since 2017, CEO & Co-Founder at IMVERSE, a 3D graphics company with the vision of bringing reality live into the Metaverse with real-time volumetric capture, editing, streaming, and rendering of human holograms that enable authentic holoportation in real-time and at-scale for enterprise and creators, powered by voxels.

Imverse’s holographic telepresence and volumetric video allow a person to perform actions in a distant or virtual location and participate in enterprise virtual events, meetings, corporate keynote presentations, remote training and videoconferencing as if they were physically present.

Head of Venture Engagement, Logitech

Lajla graduated from the EPFL with a MSc in cryptography and security of systems, but her passion for interacting with people worldwide diverted her from the pure scientific career to embrace the world of asset management and venture capital. She started her professional path in Lombard Odier (equities portfolio management), obtained the CFA certification, and then moved to private investments in Freemont Management. Subsequently, Lajla joined Swisscom Ventures in order to fully use her technological and financial skills in a Venture Capital fund before joining Logitech as Head of Venture Engagement last year. Her goal is to support Logitech’s innovation initiatives by leveraging external talent and cutting-edge technologies. She compares her role to a playmaker in a basketball team, coordinating Logitech’s and selected startups’ efforts, for the best common outcome.

Deputy Managing Director, EIP

Lan Zuo Gillet is the Deputy Managing Director and Head of start-up training, incubation, acceleration and expert program of EPFL Innovation Park. She is also an Expert of Innosuisse – the Swiss Innovation Agency.  She is the founder of several flagship programs at EPFl Innovation Park (Tech4Growth, Tech4Eva, Tech4trust etc.) in partnership with large corporates. She is the Program Chair of the current conference.

CEO & Co-Founder, Flyability

Patrick Thévoz is the Co-Founder and CEO of Flyability, the pioneer and market leader in indoor drones for professional use, devices designed to enhance efficiency while also improving the safety of workers when carrying out inspections on industrial sites. The company’s vision is simple: no more humans doing dangerous jobs. Under Patrick’s management, Flyability has grown from a staff of two to over 130 on three continents and has acquired in excess of 1’000 clients. Among a dozen international awards, Patrick was recognized as the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year in Switzerland by EY in 2019. Prior to founding Flyability, Patrick Thévoz, a biomedical engineer by training, was a strategy consultant specializing in the launch of products for the life sciences sector.

Managing Director (SPEI), State of Vaud

Raphaël Conz, after studying business administration at the University of Neuchâtel, began his career as a marketing specialist at the Federal Office for Agriculture. He then joined FELCO SA, where he held various marketing and sales positions, including involvement in the launch of an Australian subsidiary. In 2002, he joined the Vaud Economic Development Agency as a project manager, eventually becoming the head of a unit focused on supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry. He also served as deputy director for an organization responsible for attracting foreign companies in French-speaking Switzerland. Mr. Conz, with a DAS in entrepreneurship and business development, briefly assumed the position of head of the Department for the Promotion of the Economy and Innovation in 2018. Additionally, he represents the State of Vaud in various entities within the Vaud economic promotion network. Recently, the State Council of the Canton of Vaud appointed Raphaël Conz as the Head of the Department for the Promotion of the Economy and Innovation, effective from April 1, 2023.

Head of Innovation & Product Management, Swisstopo

Raphael Rollier develops and promotes digital innovation and transformation. He is currently in charge of Innovation and Product Management at swisstopo, working on topics such as geolocalisation and data science in the field of geoinformation. Previously, in co-creation with several cities, he created a “Smart Data” tool, which turns billions of data generated by the mobile phone network into anonymized and aggregated traffic indicators. Raphael has 13 years of international marketing&sales and general management experience, having worked for Nokia. Member of the Venture Kick jury, Raphael has developed a mentoring program for start-ups at the EPFL, where he obtained a master’s in micro engineering. He also writes about the digital economy at LeTemps.

Head Corporate Development, CSS

Torsten Butz leads the Corporate Innovation, Investment, and M&A activities of CSS Insurance, the leading Health Insurance in Switzerland. In this role, he is responsible for major innovation initiatives, such as the “CSS Health Lab” with ETHZ and the University of St. Gallen, the “Swiss HealthVentures,” a CHF 50 Mio. A corporate venture fund for investments in digital health startups, or the “Future of Health Grant”, is an initiative to support early-stage startups which have started in September 2022 in collaboration with the “EPFL Innovation Park.”

Prior to joining CSS, Torsten worked at Cisco Systems and Mobiliar Insurance in the fields of Corporate Innovation, Technology Management, and Strategy.

Torsten graduated in Physics at EPFL in 2000. He also holds a Ph.D. in signal processing and an MBA in “Management of Technology,” both from EPFL.

Co-Founder, Longevity Hub

Uliana Shchelgacheva is the CEO and Co-Founder of Longevity Hub, a startup developing a digital companion that will support and develop healthy lifestyles among people 50+. Uliana’s professional experience spans 5 countries, in such companies as KPMG, Parker Hannifin, Switzerland – Global Enterprise, primarily focusing on corporate finance and business development. In recent years Uliana has been actively supporting startup teams and executives as a coach, including experiences as a judge and mentor in Mass Challenge, in Lausanne.

Uliana holds a Master’s degree in Behavioral Science from the London School of Economics, and she is also a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA), and a certified coach (ICF).

Head of UBS Next Connect

Experienced manager with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services and electronics industry. Strong business development skills in Innovation Management, Digital Strategy, Payments, Customer Experience, and Financial Services Ecosystem – with a passion for digital assets, new emerging tech, and sustainability.

Executive Director, UBS Next

Yin is a senior investor with UBS Next, the innovation and venture unit of UBS. Based out of Zurich, she is focused on making strategic investments in fintech and tech companies. She has over 12 years of experience in VC and tech M&A. Yin holds an MBA from INSEAD and an MA from Cambridge University.