Team

Marketing

Christoffer Langeskiöld, CXO

Chris is an expert in user experience bringing a solid background in usability, visual, and marketing planning and implementation. He has strong focus on the user-centred, goal-oriented concept design of websites, interactive demos, UIs and mobile applications.

Chris is responsible for all of Grow VC user experience and visuals and he understands the processes, methods, and tools necessary to understand people, and is be able to translate that understanding into successful points of contact with users, partners, and visitors.


Alan Moore, Head of Vision

Alan is an author of several books including, Communities Dominate Brands: Business and Marketing Challenges for the 21st Century. Amongst other plaudits Communities Dominate Brands has been described as prescient. He is recognised as a great distiller of complex arguments into their most salient points, who can take concepts from many sources and find the previously hidden relationship between them. He has a firm grasp of the changes which are reshaping our world. With his insight on the interlocking trends of; media, culture, communication and commerce, Alan enables companies to develop winning strategies for how businesses and organisations can succeed in the early 21st Century.

Alan is currently working on his next project: No Straight Lines: how we will live, trade, govern and learn in the networked society. A project that investigates the complex and interwoven relationship between: people, identity, communications technology, commerce and society and looks at its implications.

Alessandro Ravanetti, Marketing


Alessandro has grown up in Parma, Italy, where he has graduated with a bachelor degree in Economics. After have obtained a Master of Science in Finance at Regent’s College he has matured some relevant experiences in both marketing and finance by working for multinational companies like British Telecom and Bloomberg.

Alessandro has studied and worked in many different cities, including Munich, Geneva, London and Valencia. Genuinely passionated about international business and innovation he loves to spend his spare time traveling and discovering new cultures. He now lives between UK, Italy and Spain.


Quintin Adamis, Marketing


Quintin is an international entrepreneur, specializing in design and product development. He attended Ohio University and Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and is very multi-faceted individual. Quintin has experience in hovercraft fabrication as well as video production, photography and is passionate about ancient philosophy.

An analytical and creative person by nature, Quintin focuses on blog coordinating as well as helping to develop a more user-friendly experience on the Grow VC platform.

 

Omar Amin, User Experience Design

 

Omar takes pride in creating usable, accessible, and above all else, beautiful designs for web/mobile applications that will stun, shock, and captivate on first looks, and continue to do so as the user dives further into the app.

 He is helping Grow VC in creating a whole new design concept. You will find his efforts to apply design to every possible area he can think of; from the typography that helps the reader move beyond words and into the meaning to the interaction that will anticipate and meet user’s goals and support the business goals at the same time.

United States Operations

 

Kris Anderson, US Operations

Kris is an entrepreneur and lawyer based in Washington, D.C.  Over the past decade, Kris has been involved as a serial entrepreneur in a number of successful marketing and web startups.

He recently graduated from law school at the University of Alabama and started his legal career in Washington, while at the same time finding an amazing opportunity to help Grow VC expand in the U.S.  In his spare time, Kris enjoys working on new ideas, golf, travel, and painting.

Lina Constantinovici, US Operations

Lina is an experienced professional with vast experience and competence in startups, strategy, education and sustainability. She is a graduate of Presideo Graduate School and has worked with innovation on various different fronts for several decades.

Lina is based in San Francisco, where she works with local organizations and partners, as well as global level strategic initiatives.

Jim Keating, US Operations

Jim Keating has worked in early-stage venture capital for the past six years. He focuses on physical sciences, with particular emphasis on advanced materials, device physics and clean technology applications. He assesses new investment opportunities as well as manages existing portfolio companies. Jim has seen the challenges and constraints in the early stages of investments and joined Grow VC to create a more purposeful early stage market.

Prior to his career in venture capital, Jim was an Analytical Chemist at Abbott Laboratories, working extensively with R&D and new product development. From there he served as an Analytical Consultant to a trust management partnership contributing grant monies for cancer research to worldwide organizations. Jim then joined a startup consulting firm providing design and analysis services for companies looking to bring the latest technology into their design and manufacturing processes.

Michael Arvanitis, US & European Operations

Dr. Michael Arvanitis was born in Athens in 1976. He studied mathematics (University of Athens), innovation strategy (MIT) and holds a PhD in applied geophysics (University of Patras). Michael has worked for many years as a researcher and lecturer at several universities in Greece and the United States, he has published more than 30 research papers and has managed more than 40 international R&D projects. He has successfully been involved in three startups in the United States. He is an active investor and entrepreneur.

 

European Operations



 Paul Higgins, Network Manager

Paul has 5 years’ experience working as an advisor and consultant to startups as part of Rapid Innovation Group, a specialist advisory firm on strategy and business development for technology startups worldwide, based in London. In that time he has worked with two UK startups that achieved 8-figure exits; he has been a regular blogger on entrepreneurship and innovation; and he has contributed to numerous business and technology publications in the UK and the US as an expert on growth-stage strategy, marketing, pricing, and business development.

Before joining Rapid Innovation Group Paul worked in technology and marketing roles at eBay, IBM, UBS, and Barclays. He has lived and worked in Portugal and speaks fluent French and Portuguese.

Tony Dhillon, European Operations

Tony is a finance, media and technology professional. He has raised significant funds for feature films and has worked for Barclays Corporate in the technology, media and telecoms team and at Variety Magazine. Tony holds a BSc in Economics with Management from the University of Royal Holloway and holds the Securities and Investment Institutes – Certificate in Investment and Financial Advice.

He has a passion for entrepreneurship, start-ups, innovation and ideas which will help shape our world in the future. In his spare time he enjoys playing football  very well and watching films.

Jacobo Elosua, Financial Strategist


Jacobo Elosua worked as an Executive Director at the UBS Investment Bank, specializing in M&A and fund raising. In 2007 he set up Ezaro Media, a Madrid-based boutique that provides financial advisory and early-stage investment services in the Communications and Technology spaces. Jacobo is the vice president of Pro Bono Publico, a Spanish civic organization active in the field of Open Data. He graduated in International Business Administration from ICADE University and holds Law and Economic degrees from UNED University.

Baruch Grodek, Networks Program

Baruch is a creative thinker with a global mindset. among his interests are international affairs, global business and entrepreneurship. He has a passion for Asia and has lived in China. Baruch holds a B.A in Political Science and Asian Studies and an M.A in Diplomacy studies, both from Israeli universities.

 

Latin American Operations

Patricia Timoner-McManus, South America Operations


Patricia Timoner-McManus is a trilingual (English, Portuguese, Spanish) digital marketer, consultant and lecturer, with a PhD in Information Systems and an e-Commerce MBA; with large international business experience, particularly among the Australia region, USA and LATAM.

Her expertise areas of expertise are on entrepreneurship, marketing, mobile, digital media and high technology. Dr Timoner is a co-founder of Mobile Monday (MoMo) Sao Paulo and sits on its board, and is assisting several MoMo chapters in Latin America. Currently with GrowVC, she is also working on digital business and interactive media, with focus areas on social networking on mobile, advertising and the emerging opportunity of ‘engagement marketing’.

 

Daniel Michelena, Mexico Representative


Daniel comes from an entrepreneurial family with experience in retail, hospital, and health sector. Daniel graduated from Institute of Technology and Superior Studies of Monterrey with a degree in industrial and systems engineering. Daniel’s professional experience includes working for international corporations such as Chevron and Nestle.

Daniel has founded three successful startups in the fields of media monitoring, vending machines, and retail distribution. Along with his experience, Daniel is aware of the difficulties entrepreneurs face when its time to get funding for their ideas and projects

Daniel is passionate on topics of entrepreneurship and business in general and he´s objective is to introduce the Grow VC model and platform to Mexico´s startups, Networks, Universities that have entrepreneurial programs as well as investors and business people.

 

African Operations

Munya Chiura, Africa Operations Manager

Munya reflects the true sense of a global citizen. Born in Zimbabwe, educated with a Bachelors, MBA and PhD in the USA, he has extensive experience in marketing, strategic planning, continuous improvement methodologies such as Six Sigma and ISO standards-based management systems.

Munya brings practical experience having created, developed and improved various business processes and management systems in large global corporations. Munya has an unrelenting passion for the continent of Africa with a conviction that it is Africa’s moment to shine.

Matia Mandela, Head of Business Development, Kenya

Matia has wide expertise in partnership building with a focus on emergent technologies and innovation for the growth of entrepreneurship in Africa. He is passionate about deployment of innovation in the development and growth of industry.

Matia brings to the team a wealth of research experience on the entrepreneurial needs of developing countries and the application of social research to strategy. He also spearheads the integration of modern business development to the cultural and political diversity of the African continent.

A graduate of computer engineering, he is excited about new technology and its application. Favorite pastimes include classical music, travel, art and theater.

Spencer Muparutsa, Head of Business Development, South Africa

Spencer has an MBA (marketing) and has been working in Digital Marketing in South Africa for the past 6 years, with extensive experience working both from client side and within the agency environment.

Spencer has helped organisations of all types to use digital marketing effectively, working with all sizes of business from SME’s through to clients. His career has covered both the technical and business aspects of digital marketing, meaning he is able to bridge the gap between the two and make best use of the tools and technology available. He has produced innovative project opportunities and strategies to help clients gain competitive advantages.

He is a natural marketer and networker both online and in person and has business building and boot strapping experience with a Marketing Labs team and has a true gift of vision, drive, and progressive thinking.