Speakers

Chris is a Climate Tech investor at GB. Since 2019, he has worked in Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) at Mitsubishi Corporation, leading investments, global deployment of DAC projects, and co-founding NextGen a CDR buyers’ club. He has shaped Japan’s DAC strategy with METI, advised global initiatives like Carbon Unbound, and spoken at COP, Climate Week NY, and more. Previously in the mineral resources sector, living in Mozambique. With global experience across Japan, Europe, Africa, and the US, he brings deep expertise in CDR and a strong commitment to climate innovation. Father of two daughters, a hip hop and Haribo enthusiast.

Alan Cowen is the founder of Hume AI and a former Google researcher with a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. His research on empathic AI, spanning 40+ papers, has helped shape how we measure and simulate human emotion. Under Cowen’s leadership, Hume AI has pioneered AI models where the same intelligence generates language and voice — an essential step toward AI that understands emotions and speaks like a human. Cowen also founded The Hume Initiative, a non-profit that develops ethical guidelines for AI and advocates for its optimization for our well-being.

Albert P. Pisano is Dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at University of California San Diego and Special Adviser to the Chancellor for Campus Strategic Initiatives. At UC San Diego, he has held the Walter J. Zable Chair since he joined the campus as engineering dean in 2013. Under the vision that the great engineering schools of the next decade will collaborate their way to relevance, Pisano has initiated numerous cross-departmental interdisciplinary centers of excellence in the areas such as wearable sensors, sustainable power and energy, microbiome innovation, contextual robotics, materials discovery and design, and global entrepreneurs. These centers of excellence have created a multitude of startup companies to solve health, energy, sustainability and other societal problems. Previously, Pisano served on the UC Berkeley faculty for 30 years where he held the FANUC Chair of Mechanical Systems and was co-director of the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center. Since 1983, Pisano has graduated over 40 Ph.D. and 75 M.S. students. From 1997 to 1999, Pisano was a program manager for the Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Program at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He is a co-inventor listed on more than 36 patents in MEMS and has co-authored more than 400 archival publications. Pisano earned his undergraduate (’76) and graduate degrees (’77, ’80, ’81) in mechanical engineering at Columbia University. Prior to joining the academia, he held research positions with Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, Singer Sewing Machines Corporate R&D Center and General Motors Research Labs. Pisano is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Inventors, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He received the highest honor of the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu: the IEEE-HKN Asad M. Madni Outstanding Technical Achievement and Excellence Award in 2022.

Amanda is a Partner at Kurma Partners, a venture capital firm based in Paris and Munich. Focussed on biotech, Amanda invests in early-stage companies as well as company creation. Prior to Kurma, Amanda was investor with the Roche Venture Fund and Seventure Partners. Earlier as Roche Global Business Development Director and Strategy Director Emerging Technologies, she focussed on external innovation (biotech and academia). Amanda began her career in academic research, as a postdoctoral fellow in Switzerland (ISREC, Lausanne; IRB, Bellinzona), a PhD in Immunology and BMedSci (honours) from University of Sydney. Amanda also holds an MBA from IE Business School.

Andrea Choe is co-founder and CEO of Holoclara, the first company developing safe, orally available therapeutics inspired by symbiotic organisms that have co-evolved with humans for millions of years. These organisms survive by tuning human immune function, metabolism, and tissue repair. While earning her doctorate at Caltech, Choe discovered a unique pheromone language in roundworms and identified molecules that blocked disease in animal models of allergy and autoimmunity. Her work has advanced evolutionary and extreme biology, forming the foundation of Holoclara’s mission to pioneer a new class of therapies for chronic disease. She is an Emerging Women Founders in Biotech Award winner.

Andrew McLean has been investing in deep tech start-ups for 10 years first at Oxford Sciences Enterprises and now at Tin Alley Ventures. He is a medical doctor by training and started at Mckinsey’s london office

Andrew is a trailblazing scientist, well known for his pioneering research in the life sciences and for co-founding multiple startups in the technology, biotechnology, and medical sectors. Currently, Andrews serves as co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Spiderwort Biotechnologies, a company leading the development of plant-based biomaterials for addressing unmet medical needs in regenerative medicine. Over the years, Andrew has played pivotal executive leadership roles in developing strategy, fundraising and corporate execution. He has built highly effective technical teams, implemented corporate R&D and manufacturing programs and managed extensive international IP portfolios. He is also extremely passionate about supporting emerging startup companies by sharing his experience with founders as an advisor and investor. Andrew is frequently profiled in the media and engaged by industry, government, and community audiences to speak about his experiences championing emerging technologies in life sciences.

Andrew joined NEA in 2014 and is a General Partner and Investment Committee Member at the firm. He leads investments in industries including AI, b2b software, robotics, fintech, and frontier tech. His investments span from seed stage through growth stage, and he has helped lead early-stage rounds for ten companies that have gone on to become unicorns or decacorns, including Sakana AI, ByteDance, IonQ, Duolingo, and Berkshire Grey. Prior to NEA, he was a member of Blackstone’s M&A team. Andrew serves on the board of the Cornell University Council and is President Emeritus of the Cornell Venture Capital Club.

Innovation analyst working between Europe and Japan. He supports startups, analyzes emerging technologies, and provides insights at global conferences. With a cross-sectoral approach—spanning mobility, smart factories, and digital health—he is recognized by major corporations and European innovation agencies for his ability to envision how advanced technologies can take root in Japan. He is also a frequent speaker at corporate seminars and expert forums. More at andykondo.com

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