Startup Challenge at GoTech ARENA

Ruthy joined Microsoft 5 years ago. She’s the Chief Startups Lead and Software Partners Tech Lead in Central & Eastern Europe. Prior to that she was the Chief Startups and Developer Relations Lead at Microsoft Israel.

Ruthy Kaidar is an executive with over 16 years of experience in the medical devices, telecommunications, software and venture capital industries. As a computer science engineer, she worked in software and firmware engineering in the telecom industry at Geotek and Qualcomm. She then turned to Brain Research, pursuing a Master’s degree focusing on Brain Computer Interface - using brain signals to operate robots. Ruthy held key positions in R&D, project and product management, as well as business development, in medical device companies, among them Medingo, which she joined with founding until acquisition by Roche. She led several Internet and mobile health initiatives, was a strategic and business consultant to medical and services companies, and was an Entrepreneur In Residence at Carmel Ventures, focusing on digital health opportunities. Ruthy is a business and tech mentor to entrepreneurs and a co-manager of "Yazamiyot" - promoting women tech entrepreneurship.

Ruthy holds a BSc in Computer Science, MSc in Brain Research, and MBA, all cum laude, from the Technion.
Ruthy is married and mother to three children, is a sports and running enthusiast and loves traveling the world.

Yury Melnichek a Belarusian tech-entrepreneur, venture investor and software engineer.

Founder of free cartographic service MAPS.ME, AIMATTER company (mobile applications Fabby & Fabby Hair). In spring 2018, together with his business partner Andrei Avsievich, founded an investment company Bulba Ventures to invest in Belarusian and ready-to-relocate to Belarus startups. Apart from investment activities, Yury provides consulting services in venture investment, mobile applications marketing and also consults IT-companies and startups working with machine learning, computer vision and data science.

Alexey Solovyov is an investment professional starting from 2011 when he embarked on a career in venture industry as a head and one of the partners of Prostor Capital fund. Today Alexey, still being a partner at Prostor Capital, is also a partner at iTech-Skolkovo fund and a Managing Director of iTech Capital Moscow office.

Alexey takes an active part in venture industry development in Russia, being a member of Market Council at RVC (Russian Venture Company). Prior to embarking on venture industry, Alexey had spent over 7 years in the leading IT companies (Optima and IBS Group), and also worked as a Director of IT Business Development at ru-Net investment company of Leonid Boguslavsky. Alexey graduated from the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. He studied venture investments at Berkley University HAAS Business School (USA, California). 

Alexey is the author of many publications on venture market issues and on personal development.

A Russian entrepreneur and private investor in management and industrial consulting, internet and information technologies.

Currently a managing partner of the Untitled ventures - a seed fund, helping private investors to invest in Russian startups. The fund is in close partnership with the IIDF, the Skolkovo fund, RVK and the seed fund of Moscow administration.

Nkiru is the Blockchain Strategy Lead for Dell Technologies for the UK& & Ireland and works for the Chief Digital Officer of Dell Technologies UK & Ireland. Over the past 6 years Nkiru has primarily acted as a trusted adviser supporting clients in their digital transformation journey specifically to emerging technologies. Her primary industry focus over the years has been in the Financial Services space, working with major leading banks and financial firms globally.

Oliver Weimann is a serial entrepreneur, active angel investor and Initiator of RuhrSummit, one of the biggest Startup-Events in Germany.

As an investor, entrepreneur, coach he always tries to „help people, teams, startups, and corporates to make ideas happen!“ He is actively engaged in shaping the startup ecosystem in NRW (middle west of Germany) with ruhr:HUB, an initiative of the ministry of economics and six cities of the ruhr region. He still heavily grows RuhrSummit and is temporarily invested in twelve startups in truly different stages.

Together with NRW.INVEST, Economic Development Agency of North Rhine-Westphalia ruhr:HUB assists foreign startups to enter the German market and to establish its own company in North Rhine-Westphalia.

General Partner at Starta Ventures.

Starta Ventures group includes Starta Capital Fund I (2014), recently launched Starta Ventures Fund II (2018), New York-based Starta Accelerator (2015) and the co-working space Sputnik Space. In September 2018, Starta Ventures received an award from the National Association of Business Angels of Russia as the best early-stage investment fund.

Alexey has over 15 years of experience in audit and finance industries and over 10 years of experience in the venture capital industry.

Alexey’s introduction to investment started in 1996 when he started as Chief Financial Officer for the investment company Dominanta.

Alexey and his partners founded AFD Consulting, an audit, and accounting firm. Advancing from AFD in 2004, he began to invest into startups as an angel investor. In this capacity, which he still serves, Alexey functioned as an advisor and fundraiser for innovators and venture capital entities. Starta Venture’s portfolio includes more than 80 companies and is projected to hit 120 in 2019.

Alexander Chachava is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and managing partner at LETA Capital, a technology investment firm. He is also the executive chairman of the board of a range of companies from LETA’s portfolio and a member of the world’s largest business leaders’ community, YPO.org.

Saul Orbach is a Venture Partner with BrightSky Ventures, a Paris based, global, seed stage investor that bridges the gap between small and medium size enterprises and talented startups. He is also a Venture Partner with Starta Capital, and works with their portfolio companies in transition to the US helping prepare them for fundraising and helps them grow and succeed.  

Saul is a highly regarded, C-Level management professional with 30 years of executive leadership experience in ‘turning vision into reality’ and managing companies and business projects. He is accomplished in launching and building startups, building emerging growth companies, turning around distressed companies, and experienced in every aspect of the venture capital equation, having been on both sides. Saul brings a track record of multiple company exits and bringing difficult situations to successful closure. He is highly skilled at creating and implementing strategic plans, managing P&Ls, building and growing strategic alliances, marketing, public relations, and public speaking and adept at raising capital. Saul shares his industry experience and knowledge as a Senior Adjunct Lecturer in the International MBA program at the Technion International School.

Investment Director at Maxfield Capital, in charge of deal execution and European deal origination. More than 10 years experience in venture capital on investment side with more than 60 investment and exit transactions executed in US, Europe, Israel, and Russia.

Prior to Maxfield Capital Alexei worked in venture capital departments of Allianz Investments and Vnesheconombank. Major in math from Saint Petersburg State University and major in finance from Finance University under the Government of Russian Federation.