As we prepare to launch the Creative Young Entrepreneur Program (CYE) at upcoming JCI Area Conferences, we are excited to announce the judges and mentors for the European Competition!
These well-established entrepreneurs and investors are experts in finance and the startup economy and are sure to bring valuable insight into participants’ CYE submissions, they will also be running a whole series of valuable training sessions for all CYE applicants in early June, ahead of the European Conference.
Dr Alexander Kern
Dr. Alexander Kern is a German venture capital fund manager, public speaker, author and university professor, whose work focuses on fostering innovation and sustainability. He is the Managing Partner at the Euro-Institute and AKX Capital, advisory firms setting up international venture capital and private equity funds. He is a Professor for Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital at EDHEC (France) and the International University of Monaco. Dr. Kern has also written many different academic articles and books on finance, particularly on his area of expertise.
Diana Mardarovici
Diana Mardarovici is a business development consultant based in Bucharest, Romania, working on her PhD in Economics. With 15 years of experience in sales, marketing and international development, she has worked on hundreds of business plans and development strategies. Her clients over the years have ranged from small cafes to large real estate developers. An experienced trainer and former JCI Vice President in 2018, her focus is on preparing SME’s and local entrepreneurs for sustainable growth. Diana Mardarovici serves as City Councilor of Bucharest, the 4th largest city of the European Union, where she is a member of the Budget, Patrimony and City Companies supervisory committees. She is currently appointed as a member of the stakeholders’ board in three different city companies.
Christiane Holzinger
Christiane Holzinger is a certified tax consultant and managing director of the Klagenfurt and Vienna tax consulting firm 360° Business Planner GmbH. She is also the co-founder and managing director of the startup company Start-up Stars GmbH. Since 2019, Ms Holzinger has served as President of Junge Wirtschaft, an organization of young entrepreneurs in Austria with 120,000 members. She is an expert in the field of contemporary corporate finance from crowdfunding to start-up topics and grants. Christiane supports visionaries, founders and game-changers in positioning and marketing their ideas. Her professional network extends to international business angels, venture capitalists, investors, innovators, founders, journalists and media professionals.
Katarina Strandberg
Katarina Strandberg is a business lawyer, angel investor, advisor and expert on the international investment process and company governance. She co-founded and serves as CEO of The Swedish Villa, a community of top-tier independent creatives in marketing and communications with offices located in Stockholm and New York. Katarina focuses on advising start-ups, venture capitalists and company management. She is specialized in business development, corporate governance, fundraising, commercial agreements and management incentives. Her experience also includes being appointed as an expert in legislative work under the Swedish Minister of Financial Markets. Strandberg has held numerous speaking engagements and lecturing assignments. She holds various international positions such as International Partner from Sweden in the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF), one of JCI’s partners.
Franck Musso
Franck Musso grew up and studied in the Principality of Monaco before moving to Japan, where he lived and worked for several years. He holds a degree in banking and finance and has worked in CFM Indosuez Monaco wealth management for over 10 years as Senior Vice President, Senior Banker in the Oceania/Pacific team and Sales Associate. In 2019, Mr Musso joined Pleion Monaco SAM, a wealth management subsidiary of Pleion Group, one of the leading wealth managers in Switzerland. As Senior Advisor, he focuses on HNWI Global Wealth Management, as well as direct client management and business development in Monaco through external prospecting, fundraising and attracting new clients.
Olena Prykhodko
Olena Prykhodko holds a master’s degree in Law and is currently writing a PhD in Constitutional Economics. She is co-founder and managing partner of Modelex Education Monaco, a center for academic excellence in the Principality of Monaco and a Cambridge International School. As the 2018 JCI Monaco National President, she organized various entrepreneurship events and helped attract more than €200k to finance start-ups. Olena was awarded the State Medal of Ukraine for her outstanding contribution towards youth development and served as the Advisor to the Mayor of Kharkiv in charge of international cooperation, where her service contributed to the creation of Kharkiv Municipal Startup Centre. She currently holds the office of 2021 JCI Vice President, assigned to Austria, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Russia and Switzerland.
We’re excited about the expertise offered by this esteemed panel of judges and we are looking forward to the start of the first official Creative Young Entrepreneur competition this year, similar announcements will be made for the rest of our events. Read more about the program requirements and register today.
Creative Young Entrepreneur Program Registration deadlines
- America Conference: May 3, 2021
- European Conference: May 10, 2021
- Africa & the Middle East Conference: May 31, 2021
- Asia-Pacific Conference: July 5, 2021