Draper University

Focused on global business development and partnerships for leading Silicon Valley Venture Network, Founder Residency and Accelerator.

Led major deals to accelerate global entrepreneurship and ecosystem growth for partners ranging from governments to leading blockchains including Jetro Japan, Cyberport Hong Kong, Stellar Development Foundation, and the Cardano Foundation.

VP - Ecosystem Growth

DraperU is a leading pre-accelerator located in Silicon Valley founded by Venture Capitalist Tim Draper. Their entrepreneurship programs have gathered 2100 entrepreneurs from 101 different countries with  US$900m raised in venture capital.

Led major crypto program deals: Algorand, VeChain, NEO, CEEK, etc

Head of Business Development and Partnerships - APAC

Bevy

Helping brands build, grow, and scale their communities. Clients include Slack, Twitch, Atlassian, Asana, Webflow, etc

Investor

LawAdvisor Ventures

Helping leading Legal-tech platform LawAdvisor connect to Startups.
Raised US$5M Million Seed from backers, including Google Maps founder Lars Rasmussen, ex-Barclays Ventures CEO Ben Davey, former Orrick chairman and CEO Ralph Baxter, Microsoft general manager and associate general counsel Jason Barnwell, etc

Investor & Startup Ambassador

SOSV MOX (Mobile Only Accelerator)

Mentor

Startup Grind

Global startup community: 4 million startups in 600 cities and 125 countries worldwide.

Proudly interviewing and sharing the stories of global game changers, from Unicorn founders to Nobel Prize Winners.

Global Podcast Host

Connecting the World's Best Startups with Silicon Valley, Our Global Network, and Partners.

Startup Grind (powered by Google for Entrepreneurs) inspires, educates, and connects 3,500,000+ entrepreneurs, in 600 cities in 125 countries around the world. Local partners include: ASX, Deloitte Private, Salesforce, IBM, MYOB, Zendesk, Airwallex and NAB.

APAC Director

The aim of Startup Grind Australia is to both showcase the best of local startups and help support the progression of online business, in addition to amplifying our voice within the international community.

Startup Grind is an event series and media company designed to help educate, inspire, and connect local entrepreneurs.

Established local and national partnerships with the ASX, NAB, Deloitte, MYOB, Zendesk, 99designs, Holding Redlich, inVision, Xero, Salesforce, and Vinomofo.

General Manager - Australia/New Zealand

DreamPushers

On a mission to build the #1 Crypto Creator Community and Lifestyle Brand™

Founder

Startupbootcamp

Corporate Innovation, Growth Hacking and Program Management for global leading industry-focused
accelerator.
Lead venture builder for the 雀巢 Nestle Accelerator (Beijing, China) - Commercialising
patented technology in personalized nutrition. Venture building and growth hacking for Mars and Asahi.

Managed and trained 5 cohorts of growth hackers redesigning curriculum with the latest in
digital marketing and ethical growth hacking.

Program Director / Venture Builder

Draper Startup House

The Hotels for Entrepreneurs. On a mission is to enable ONE MILLION entrepreneurs by 2030. 
Part of the Global Draper Venture Network and Ecosystem.

Head Of Marketing (International)

Collective Campus

Connecting Melbourne's leading startups with local and global resources. Collective Campus is Melbourne's Leading Enterprise Innovation Hub. It is focused on running corporate accelerator programs for Mills Oakley (LawTech), Village Roadshow (VR/ AR), and Charter Hall (Proptech) and Lemonade Stand - A fun business & entrepreneurship program for kids (Australia & Singapore)

Entrepreneur In Residence

Forbes

Covering startups and entrepreneurship in Australia and New Zealand for Forbes.

Contributing Writer

VP - Ecosystem Growth @ Draper University

With over 11 years of experience in the startup and venture capital space, I am a passionate and proactive leader who helps brands build, grow, and scale their communities, products, and impact. As the VP of Ecosystem Growth at Draper University, I focus on global business development and partnerships for the leading Silicon Valley Venture Network and Pre-Accelerator, connecting entrepreneurs, investors, corporates, and governments across the world.

I am also an active investor and mentor, supporting startups in various domains and stages, such as Bevy, LawAdvisor, SOSV MOX, and Startup Grind. I have a strong track record of building partnerships, launching programs, and growing ecosystems. I leverage my expertise in marketing, innovation, and blockchain to empower and inspire the next generation of changemakers and disruptors. My mission is to push the boundaries of what is possible and create value for society.

Chris Joannou 💎

Rafael Schwarz

TERRITORY Influence (Bertelsmann Group)

TERRITORY Influence is the leading full service influencer marketing agency in Europe, serving clients with influencer solutions, data & SaaS technology, strategy consulting, campaign execution & measurement across all type of influencers (from nano to micro, from macro to celebrity influencer).

Chief Revenue Officer | International Board Member | VP Sales & Marketing

As International Client Service Director I was responsible to identify global business opportunities, develop better client service strategies and build up an international key account team. Working directly with the CEO and the regional managing directors to implement new consulting processes, international pricing and client service policies to increase both client retention and new business for our SaaS Marketing Technology, Word of Mouth Campaigns and Consumer Engagement Programs.

International Director Business Development | Global Account Director | SaaS & MarTech | CEO Advisor

As General Manager for Germany, Austria and Switzerland I was fully responsible for setting the strategic direction of the leading Word-of-Mouth marketing agency in DACH and delivering strong financial results, outstanding client satisfaction, excellent campaign performance and strong leadership for all agency functions and 50+ team members.

Managing Director | General Manager | Country Manager | Advertising & Media | Digital & WOM

Forbes Communications Council

In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together to connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum. Consultants will also be invited to share their insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to expert panels. Forbes Councils mission is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world.

Marketing & Communications Expert | Key Opinion Leader | Council Member

Henkel

Head of Global Innovation Management for the Cosmetics Division - responsible for idea generation and trend management for our strategic business units.
Head of the Strategic Business Unit Oral Care, leading the global marketing team to develop competitive strategies and deliver best in class innovation pipeline and integrated communication.

Head of Innovation | International Marketing Director | Global Beauty Category Leader

Mars

Responsible for growing the 500 Mio Mars chocolate business in Germany, by leading an engaged marketing team of 25 to excellence in go-to-market strategy and execution. As a member of the Leadership Team (reporting to the GM) I am also contributing to the overall vision and strategy of the business, as well as providing orientation, engagement and the right organisation for more than 600 employees of Mars Germany

Marketing Director | Change Management | CMO Team | Business Transformation | Performance & ROI 

Reckitt Benckiser

Overall responsible for generating sustainable medium and long term top and bottom line growth for a billion $ brand by:  
  - increasing the level and quality of innovations, 
  - building and maintaining the integrity of the brand equity 
  - developing and implementing international growth strategies and success models. 
  - providing superior strategic and creative solutions to the CEO and Executive Board.
  - leading multi-cultural and x-functional teams to deliver complex international projects and successfull in market execution.

Global Brand Marketing Manager | Innovation | Go to Market Models | Brand Equity | Top 400

Responsible for managing the relationship with key trade partners, implementing business strategies and in store improvements, creating reliable sales forecasts and achieving our Net Revenue and Gross Margin targets. I was also leading a Team of 9 Sales Reps to execute the agreed 4P strategies and priorities.

Key Account Manager | Business Development | Grocery Retail & E-Commerce | Drug & Food Sales

Brand Manager June 2001-August 2002
Marketing Manager Sept 2002-March 2004

Marketing Manager | Brand Strategy | Advertising & Promotion | FMCG & OTC

Procter & Gamble

Aug 98 - April 00 ABM P&G Austria/Switzerland (Vienna)
May 00 - May 01 JBM P&G Germany (Frankfurt)

Assistant Brand Manager | Marketing & Media Plan | Advertising & Promotion | CRM & Loyalty Programs

Digital Marketing Intern | Data & Personalization | Targeting & CRM

3M Germany

Development of Digital Marketing Strategy

Marketing Intern | Digital & Online | Customer Acquisition | Adhesive Business

Global Executive | CPG & Retail & Media | Board Member | Start-Up Advisor | LinkedIN Top Voice | International Sales & Marketing Leader | B2B & B2C Strategy

I boost FMCG brand growth by activating thousands of influencer (nano/micro/macro/star) to deliver measurable sales impact, market share and penetration gains by leveraging data, technology and creativity. My team of 40+ experts across Europe provides strategic consulting, campaign management, creative concepts and SaaS technology to manage P2P advocacy across online (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitch), offline (word-of-mouth, trial, sampling) and e-commerce (online traffic, ratings&reviews, live shopping, social commerce) channels.

EXPERTISE: 20+ years’ expertise in business strategy, change management, marketing & sales leadership, innovation management and P&L delivery. International FMCG and Social Media thought leader and CEO/CMO advisor with strategic experience underpinned by pragmatic, hands-on approach and passion to win. Results driven, entrepreneurial and internationally experienced commercial leader, senior business development, digital transformation and growth strategy specialist.

COMPETENCIES:
General Management * Marketing & Sales Strategy * Organisation Development * Leadership
Go to Market Models * Revenue Generation * Customer Acquisition * Product Innovation
Digital Transformation * Return on Investment * P&L Management * Business Development
Direct-to-Consumer * Social Commerce * International Leadership * E-Commerce & Retail
Business Transformation * Key Account Management * Brand Positioning * Word-of-Mouth
Board Member * Advertising & Communication * Change Management * Influencer Marketing
Martech & Adtech * Team Development * Coaching & Mentoring

INDUSTRY FOCUS: FMCG & CPG, Cosmetics & Beauty, Food & Beverage, Health Care & OTC, Laundry & Cleaning, Media & Advertising, MarTech & AdTech, Digital & Social & Creative Agencies

Connect with me on LinkedIN to engage on business development strategies, the future of advertising & marketing, social media & digital transformation and high performance organisational leadership.

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Chris Joannou 💎

Rafael Schwarz

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