Founders Force

Alissa is a board director, Executive in Residence at Columbia Business School, and podcast host. A former professional dancer, she has over 25 years of leadership experience at Johnson & Johnson and Google. At Google Cloud, she led strategic partnerships focused on healthcare digital transformation, while at J&J she managed multi-billion-dollar Consumer and MedTech businesses across Europe, Asia, and the US.
She serves on the boards of The Honest Company (NASDAQ: HNST) and American Ballet Theatre, previously serving on Pulmonx Corporation's board (NASDAQ: LUNG). Her expertise spans digital transformation, health technology, global marketing, and leadership. She has been recognized by Fierce Healthcare as an influential minority executive, named to the FT Agenda Diversity 100, and honored by BoardProspects. She is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute with two design patents.
Prior to business, she toured internationally for 6 years as a professional dancer with the Limón Dance Company and Ralph Lemon Dance, performing at venues like Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. She holds degrees from Princeton University (A.B. English) and Columbia Business School (MBA).

Michal Pěchouček has been involved in establishing several successful technology start-ups, including cybersecurity company Cognitive Security (acquired by Cisco in 2013), AgentFly Technologies, which focuses on autonomous air traffic control, and BlindSpot Solutions, an artificial intelligence company acquired by the Adastra Group in 2017. From 2019 to 2024, he served as Chief Technology Officer at Gen (formerly Avast), helping drive the company's AI and cybersecurity innovation.

During his tenure at Gen, Avast merged with NortonLifeLock in a transaction valued at more than $8 billion, creating one of the world's largest consumer cybersecurity companies. Prior to the merger, Avast was a constituent of the FTSE 100 with a market capitalization of approximately $7.2 billion. Under Pěchouček's technical leadership, the company strengthened its AI and machine-learning capabilities, particularly in threat detection, digital privacy, and consumer security.

As Director of the AI Center at the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU), Pěchouček has authored more than 400 scientific publications in artificial intelligence and multi-agent systems. He previously led the Department of Computer Science, co-founded Open Informatics, and launched prg.ai to help establish Prague as a leading European AI hub. In 2026, he was elected Rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague, becoming the leader of one of Central Europe's largest and most prestigious technical universities.

Richard Valtr is the founder of Mews, a cloud-based hospitality operating system that has transformed how hotels manage operations and guest experiences. Founded in Prague in 2012, Mews was born from Valtr's firsthand experience as a hotel owner frustrated by outdated property management software. Under his leadership, the company has grown into a global hospitality technology leader serving more than 15,000 properties across 85 countries.

In January 2026, Mews raised a $300 million Series D round led by EQT Growth, with participation from Atomico, HarbourVest Partners, Tiger Global, Kinnevik, and Battery Ventures. The financing valued the company at $2.5 billion, making it one of Europe's most valuable software scale-ups and one of the Czech Republic's most successful startup stories.

The company has attracted backing from leading global investors including EQT Growth, Atomico, Tiger Global, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Kinnevik, Battery Ventures, Notion Capital, Thayer Ventures, Revaia, HarbourVest Partners, and henQ. The latest funding will support continued international expansion, strategic acquisitions, and further development of AI-powered solutions for the hospitality industry.

Richard is a recently retired Big 4 equity partner with over 25 years’ experience advising listed, private equity backed, and high growth international companies across SEC, UK main market, and multi-listed environments. He has deep expertise across diverse sectors and known for calm, thoughtful judgement and a highly pragmatic approach. He has supported leadership teams through complex, high pressure situations including SEC and LSE IPOs, transformational acquisitions, carveouts, restructurings, litigation, US and UK regulatory scrutiny, and crisis events.

Dr. Alexander Glätzle is the CEO and co-founder of planqc, a Munich-based startup pioneering quantum computing - planqc. His mission is to build scalable, high-performance quantum computers that can tackle real-world problems in materials science, pharmaceuticals, and climate modeling.

With a Ph.D. in theoretical quantum physics from the University of Innsbruck, Alexander’s academic journey included research at the University of Oxford and the Center for Quantum Technologies in Singapore, focusing on ultracold atoms and quantum annealing. In 2018, he transitioned from academia to industry, joining a leading European consultancy to develop strategies for quantum computing and blockchain applications.

In 2022, Alexander co-founded planqc, aiming to translate quantum research into practical solutions. Under his leadership, planqc secured €50 million in Series A funding and was awarded a €29 million contract by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to build a 1,000-qubit quantum computer for the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre. The company has also been recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.

Alexander’s vision is to make quantum computing accessible and impactful, bridging the gap between cutting-edge science and real-world applications. His work exemplifies how deep tech can drive meaningful change when combined with entrepreneurial spirit and strategic execution.

Dr. Annika von Mutius is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Empion, the Berlin-based HR tech startup using AI to match candidates and companies based on culture and values. With a PhD in mathematics and a specialization in game theory from WHU, she combines deep analytical expertise with entrepreneurial vision.

Before founding Empion, Annika was Head of Product at Multiply Labs in San Francisco, bringing valuable Silicon Valley experience back to Europe. She also serves as a Board Member of the German AI Association, shaping policy and advocating for responsible AI adoption.

Her work has earned her recognition on Forbes “30 Under 30 Europe” and Capital magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40”, alongside accolades from Business Insider, Manager Magazin, and Handelsblatt. Driven by the belief that technology should be both innovative and values-driven, Annika stands out as a founder bridging data, culture, and leadership across continents.

Javier Darriba is a distinguished Spanish entrepreneur and investor who has made significant contributions to the digital product experience landscape. As the co-founder and former CEO of UserZoom, he led the company to become a leading platform for user experience insights and research, serving Fortune 500 companies worldwide. After successfully leading UserZoom to its acquisition by UserTesting, further strengthening the company's position in the user experience research market, Darriba transitioned to venture capital, joining Encomenda VC where he leverages his operational expertise to support the next generation of ambitious founders, with a particular focus on SaaS, digital transformation, and user-centric technologies.

Florian Seibel is the visionary co-founder and CEO of Quantum-Systems, a Munich-based Unicorn-valued drone company that has attracted investment from Peter Thiel. A former German Armed Forces helicopter pilot and aerospace engineer, Florian transitioned from military service to entrepreneurship in 2015, driven by his passion for aerial technology. His leadership took on new significance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when he committed to supporting Ukrainian defense forces with his company's reconnaissance drones, emphasizing his dedication to western democratic principles.
Beyond his role at Quantum-Systems, Florian has established himself as a strategic investor in the defense and deep tech ecosystem, with stakes in companies like Kraken Technology Group, SWARM Biotactics, and Hypersonica. Having recently shifted to a Co-CEO position in 2025, he now focuses on technology, product strategy, and venture capital activities across operations in Germany, the USA, Australia, and Ukraine. His vision extends beyond commercial success to transforming warfare through autonomous systems, positioning Quantum-Systems as a world leader in AI-powered aerial intelligence.

Yann Lechelle is the Co-Founder and CEO of Probabl, a company that specializes in predictive analytics and decision-making software, aimed at enhancing business operations. He also serves as Co-President of GT Innovation et Formation, focusing on trustworthy digital solutions, and is a Policy Contributor for Euro-Stack, which advocates for European digital sovereignty. Additionally, Lechelle is a Founding Board Member of Hub FranceIA, an organization supporting artificial intelligence initiatives in France, and serves on the board of JEDI, a non-profit dedicated to advancing digital education. He is also a Co-Founding Member of France Digitale, which promotes the growth of startups in France.

Bar Winkler, CEO and Co-Founder of Wonderful, leads a rapidly scaling enterprise AI platform he launched in early 2025. At Wonderful, he is focused on rolling out production-grade, hyper-localized AI agents tailored for complex enterprise environments, especially in non-English speaking markets. This leadership stems from his mission to close what he calls the "Execution Gap"—the critical divide between simply possessing advanced AI technology and successfully embedding it within legacy systems, local regulations, and nuanced cultural contexts.

Winkler established his formidable track record in scaling global technology businesses well before entering the generative AI space. As an early employee and Director of Business Development for Mobile at IronSource, a major app-scaling enterprise, he was key to driving the company's aggressive global expansion. His contributions fueled a growth trajectory that culminated in IronSource reaching a peak valuation of $11 billion.

Leveraging his experience in high-growth tech environments, Winkler next ventured into software entrepreneurship by founding Approve.com, a platform for automated payment and procurement management. As CEO, he quickly proved his unique ability to build and scale B2B solutions. The successful execution led to Tipalti acquiring Approve.com for $40 million in 2021, a major milestone achieved just two years after the startup's launch.

In 2025, Winkler teamed up with CTO Roey Lalazar to launch Wonderful, aiming to solve the rigid limitations of generic, one-size-fits-all AI solutions in customer service and internal workflows. Winkler’s strategy has resulted in meteoric success: by pairing state-of-the-art AI models with on-the-ground engineering teams embedded directly within enterprise clients. Under his guidance, Wonderful expanded into over a dozen global markets in its first year, swiftly achieving unicorn status and closing a $150 million Series B funding round at a $2 billion valuation in March 2026.