Team - Redstone - Venture capital firm from Berlin, multi sector fund manager (2023)

Lukas André is Managing Partner at Redstone Schweiz, and is responsible for all our activities in Switzerland. Before joining the team, Lukas was a Managing Partner at Affentranger Associates, an investment and M&A advisory company focused on the technology sector. Lukas has been a founder multiple times himself and therefore adds deep entrepreneurial experience to his investment and M&A deal track record. He holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Bern, where he was honored as the top-finish candidate of his year.

Jonathan is Venture Partner at Redstone France and is responsible for our activities there. He is also a business mentor and entrepreneurship coach for Arts et Metiers Acceleration, a hard tech focused acceleration program at Station F in Paris. Prior to joining Redstone, Jonathan was independently advising startups in securing their fundraising and defining their strategy. Jonathan started his career in Investment Banking, first in Morgan Stanley covering French Financials and most recently in Zaoui & Co, advising for example Alcatel-Lucent in its merger with Nokia.

Thomas Baum is Co-Founding Partner at Redstone and group CFO. He oversees Redstone’s finances, legal and fund administration. Prior to Redstone, he served in C-level roles at Rebate Networks, where he was involved – among others – in building up several startups in South East Asia and as CFO at studiVZ, Europe’s largest social network at that time. In his free time, he enjoys running marathons all over the world. He studied Business Administration at the University of Cologne and HEC Paris and holds a CEMS Master degree.

Mickael Bellaiche is Partner at Redstone, FinTech expert and responsible for the VR Ventures fund. Furthermore, Mickael has a leading role in the setup of Redstone’s various sector-funds. His Venture Capital-competence is based on the experiences he gathered in Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity, as well as in Startup- and SME-operations. Mickael studied at the University of Mannheim and ESCP Europe.

Konstantin Bender is part of the investment team at Redstone. Konstantin’s prior work experience in the venture capital and consulting industry has already taken him from his hometown Vienna to San Francisco, to Stuttgart, and now to Berlin.
He graduated from WU Vienna University of Economics and Business and Rotterdam School of Management with degrees in International Business Administration and Strategic Management. His focus areas are PropTech, ConstructionTech, and ClimateTech.

Hanna Blanka Twarog is part of the investment team at Redstone where she mainly works for VR Ventures in the FinTech sector. She holds a BASc. in Economics and Law from University College London. Before joining Redstone she worked at one of the fastest developing FinTech Startups in Poland where she worked on the market expansion strategy, fundraising, and partnership relations. Hanna is passionate about new FinTech solutions in emerging markets, watersports, especially kitesurfing and wakeboarding but she also enjoys skiing sometimes.

Michael Brehm is co-founder and Partner of Redstone, a serial tech entrepreneur and founder of Rebate Networks. Michael is alongside of Samuli Sirén driving the global strategy of the group and operationally active in our international Business Development activities. In addition to being a Partner at Redstone Michael is an active angel investor and founder of multiple companies like i2x.

Giovanni Calabrese is part of both the Investment and Tech Team at Redstone, facing the challenge of bridging the two. Giovanni’s tasks spread across Redstone’s sector funds and corporate clients. He holds a BSc in Management from Bocconi University and a Double MSc in Economics & Management of Innovation and Technology, from Bocconi and CBS. Prior to joining Redstone, Giovanni gained experience in startups and consulting. He is a passionate traveler and a sport addict with a special interest in football and skiing.

Jacopo Destro is part of the investment team at Redstone and is passionate about B2B SaaS, Circular Economy and EnterpriseTech. He is actively investing for our Future Industry Ventures fund as well as being responsible for a number of Redstone’s international corporate accounts. Prior to joining the investment team, Jacopo gained M&A and finance experience by advising on multiple corporate transactions across several industry sectors. Jacopo has a legal background and holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Milan Catholic University and a Master’s degree from UC Berkeley.

Marta Demianets joined the investment and operations teams at Redstone as a working student. She assists in market research and deal screening efforts as well as handles day-to-day tasks related to in-house operations. Marta is currently obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from 2019. Her pedigree also includes an investment position with a VC department of a prominent Ukrainian Family Office and an international startup consulting agency. When she’s not scratching through VC ecosystem, Marta enjoys playing rock music, travelling through Europe and watching French New Wave movies.

Jessica Frydling is part of Redstone’s Investment Team and responsible for deal sourcing, screening and due diligence across the several sector funds. What excites Jessica most are disruptive business models that create positive impact and can transform entire industries. Prior to joining Redstone, Jessica gained experience in Asset Management at Goldman Sachs and in Business Development at a Blockchain Startup. Jessica holds a BSc in Management from ESCP Europe and is currently pursuing her MSc at Imperial College London.

Aleksandr is a part of the tech team at Redstone and works on taxonomy- and NLP-related projects. He holds a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. In his free time, Aleksandr enjoys watching movies and series, as well as playing tennis and learning new things in data science.

Anastasia Gonotskaya is a co-author of Redstone’s data intelligence platform Sofia that enables automated sourcing, evaluation of investment opportunities, and more. She is working on constant improvements of the proprietary technology and fine-tuning it for daily investment needs. Anastasia believes that symbiosis of venture capital and data science is a powerful combination and she is excited about taking part in shaping the future of data-driven Venture Capital. She is a passionate traveler and a sports enthusiast with a special interest in triathlon and running.

Stefano Gurciullo is a Partner at Redstone, where he focuses on deep tech, AI (artificial intelligence), IoT (internet of things) and mobility. He is in the leadership team of Future Industry Ventures, and spearheaded our data-driven efforts with a strong vision towards evidence-based venture capital. Prior to joining our team, Stefano held various positions as a data scientist and investor in sustainable finance. He holds a Ph.D. in Financial Computing from University College London, is deeply passionate about complex systems and new investing models for science.

Dmitry is part of the tech team and is responsible for Redstone’s backend development and machine learning. He holds a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. Apart from the job, Dmitry is currently learning a data science program at the MADE Big Data Academy. In his free time, he loves to watch football, travel, exercise, and play Dota 2.

Lars Härle is a Partner and COO at Redstone and is leading the operational excellence in all aspects. He focuses on the scaleability of our organization in order to serve our multiple corporate clients and sector funds with the best teams and dealflow. He has been an M&A investment banker since more than 20 years with a strong focus on innovation, digitialization of the industry/IoT, mobility and software. Lars Härle holds a diploma in business administration and economics of University Hohenheim. Lars is a passionate player of jazz piano.

Kaj Hagros is the Managing Partner of Redstone Nordics based in Helsinki, covering Nordics, Baltic countries and Russia. Kaj manages Corporate Venture Capital mandates and two Venture Capital funds in Finland, North Karelia Growth Fund and South Savo Startup Fund. Kaj has a broad history as an entrepreneur, investor and C-level executive, with experience in 50+ startup deals and 20+ boards, mainly in telecom, IT, media, fintech and health care sectors. Earlier, Kaj was the CEO of Nasdaq Helsinki traded Tecnotree Corporation. He is also chair of Aalto University alumni network.

Eleonore is part of the investment team at Redstone, where she focuses on projects in the HealthTech and EdTech space. She enjoys analyzing new business models and their impact. She holds a MSc in Finance from ESADE and prior to joining Redstone she worked at Rocket Internet and was part of an Entrepreneur in Residence program at Antler. She is a passionate traveler always ready to share anecdotes about her latest adventures.

Linnéa Kusch leads and manages the Marketing at Redstone and is accountable for digital communications. She plans Redstone’s Marketing strategy and furthermore is operationally responsible for all Marketing activities. She holds a degree in Media and Information from the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg and studied at the EFAP Paris. Before entering Redstone, Linnéa won expertise in Online Marketing as well as in Media and Marketing Management at Accenture , the Otto Group and Tchibo. Modern art and good coffee remain Linnéa’s greatest passions.

Carolin Köckler is part of the marketing team and takes care of online marketing and communication for Redstone. Previously, she has worked in marketing and sales for the branding company Monotype or gained experience in the event industry. Currently, Carolin is studying Media and Communication Management at Macromedia University in Berlin. She likes to spend her free time doing sports or hanging out in Berlin’s bars with friends.

Oskari Lehtonen is Partner at Redstone Nordics based in Helsinki and covers Redstone’s CVC activities in the Nordics, Baltic countries and Russia. Oskari also manages two local VC funds in Finland. In the past, he was Partner at seed fund and venture accelerator Pivot5 and behind such ventures as RTS Networks (IPO), Reippailupuisto Huimala (exit HopLop), Offerium (exit Sanoma), KoppiCatch, and Tabletkoulu. Oskari has a Ph.D. in Venture Capital with studies in Stanford and the National University of Singapore.

Marko Mandic is Redstone’s expert for HealthTech and PropTech and is responsible for the SwissHealth Ventures fund. His deep expertise in digital business models is based on his previous work as a Venture Capital early-stage investor at Picus Capital. He holds a B.Sc. in International Business Administration from the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management and spent two semesters at Bocconi University and the University of California.Marko is a music fanatic, guitarist, DJ and passionate racing cyclist.

Madeline Marques is a team assistant at Redstone and responsible for administration, accounting and the wellbeing of the team, including new and long-term employees. She studied Tourism & Transport and has extensive experience in the event sector, including sports events by Nike and famous women’s running events. Madeline has worked in various service areas and attaches great importance to excellent communication and structured work. Organization and administration are her specialty.

Sarah Neuenschwander is the Executive Assistant to the Partners at Redstone. She trained as a travel agent before the internet was introduced to the masses, has worked as HR Generalist as well as Office Manager, and has been an Executive Assistant to top executives in different industries for over 20 years. In her free time, Sarah runs her own professional organizing side-business, ‘Organize Me!‘, where she supports people with decluttering and (re)organizing their homes, offices and lives.

Lucas is part of the Investment Team at Redstone and has several years of experience on both sides of the table. After three years in Venture Capital, he co-founded a Proptech startup and successfully managed their go-to-market as COO. The main reason that led Lucas to return to Redstone is our unique position in the European Venture Capital landscape. Lucas holds a Bachelor’s degree from Maastricht University and a CEMS Master’s degree. He is a former semi-professional triathlete, true Berliner, and passionate about electronic music.

Aishwarya is part of the Investment team at Redstone and works with FIV, the industrial tech fund. She has worked in a range of areas such as taxation, audit, accounting, and business finance, as well as multiple organizations in Asia and Europe, before she joined Redstone. Coming from a strong financial background, (M.Sc. in Finance – Edhec Business School, CFA, and Chartered Accountant), she enjoys analyzing new technologies and business models and connecting with passionate founders.
Ash is also a part of the Included VC Fellowship, which gives people of diverse backgrounds access to the world of Venture Capital. In her free time, Ash likes reading fiction, dancing Salsa, or just discovering the city of Berlin.

Marcus Schroeder is a Partner and CSO at Redstone and in charge of all investor and client-related activities. His daily activities include origination and coverage of Redstone’s international investor and client portfolio. Marcus has 20+ years of M&A and capital market experience and has held leading positions in global investment banks and DAX30 company i.a. as global sector head M&A for industrial technologies and automotive. Marcus enjoys playing golf and is a certified yoga instructor.

Ben Scheidt is part of the investment team at Redstone, and is responsible for the MA.Ventures and BTG funds. With a passion for healthcare, he has an active role in the development of the HealthTech practice within Redstone. Ben joined Redstone after gaining experience in strategy consulting and the pharmaceutical industry. He enjoys Japanese cuisine, Golf and Chess, holds a Masters degree from ESCP Europe and completed an executive program at Stanford University.

Martin Scherrer is Partner at Redstone and based in Zurich. He held positions in the European VC industry focusing on insurtech and fintech investments (Swiss Re & Blackfin Capital Partners). For many years Martin has been active as founder and manager of various startups. This includes comparis.ch, one of Switzerland’s most prominent online success stories, where he held the role of CFO and COO. Martin is a founding member of SICTIC (Swiss ICT Investor Club), accredited startup coach at Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse and passionate about sailing.

Xin is a fund controller at Redstone, overseeing fund reporting, finance and administration functions. Prior to Redstone she worked for a Berlin-based venture fund and as an auditor in China. She gained her undergraduate degree and an MBA in finance in the UK. She enjoys hiking and camping in the mountains.

Samuli Sirén is the CEO and Founder of Redstone. He is a long term entrepreneur and investor, who has founded several companies including Redstone. Samuli is strategic leader of the Redstone group and coordinates all our fund operations. He moved to Berlin over twenty-five years ago from Finland and is a passionate diver and golfer.

Elena Sofia Baraldi is part of the Investment team at Redstone where she focuses on HealthTech and sustainability-related projects. She graduated in Economics and Computer Science at Bocconi University and is currently completing the MIM program at ESMT Berlin. Before joining Redstone, she co-founded a Startup in the EdTech sector and gained experience in Tech companies as well as innovative startups. Elena Sofia is passionate about cinema and literature, Italian cuisine, and adrenaline sports.

Marco Stutz is Investment Director at Redstone Switzerland. Before joining the team, Marco invested in more than 50 digital & tech businesses at Mountain Partners and was responsible for the international expansion of its investment portfolio as well as the transfer of business models to innovative ecosystems like Asia. Having been active in various positions including board and supervisory board mandates, investment committee memberships as well as executive investment positions, he contributes his significant experience to the team.

Philipp is passionate about FinTech, B2B SaaS & the Web3.0 space. He is actively investing for VR Ventures and currently exploring the Blockchain ecosystem. After organising the IdeaLab, a significant startup conference at his university WHU, working as a consultant and being operational in a startup, he decided to join Redstone to support ventures to grow to the next level. Recent investment highlights include Penta,Wert.ioand Atlas Metrics. When he is not working on the next deal, you can find him either on the basketball court or in an art gallery.

Frederike is part of the investment team at Redstone. She works on deal sourcing and screening across Redstone’s various sector funds. During her business administration studies at RWTH Aachen she also worked for the university startup incubator and gained first VC experiences during a semester abroad in Helsinki. Depending on the time of the year one can find her on the running track or skiing slope in her spare time.

Axel Wünsch is Redstone’s Head of Operations and responsible for the organization of resources, tools and personnel. In addition, he manages the contractual aspects of our sector funds. Axel has extensive experience of project management and as a knowledge manager. Prior to Redstone, Axel was active in interim management positions in high growth tech companies and a partner in a big-five consulting company.

Richard Würl is part of the Redstone Investment Team and is responsible for deal sourcing, screening, and due diligence across our sector funds. Before joining Redstone, he built up the Q-summit, a startup conference, during his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Mannheim, where he also served as Chairman of the Entrepreneurship Club. When he is not working on the next deal, you can find him dancing Salsa or Tango on the banks of the Spree.

Shinan Yin is part of the Fund Controlling team at Redstone. Before joining Redstone, Shinan has acquired different work experience as a Compliance Officer and as a Senior Data Analyst at Deutsche Bank. After she became a chartered accountant (ACCA), she decided to gain more experience as an external auditor at Ernst & Young. She believes that the data-driven approach plays a significant role in decision making, therefore she participated in a data bootcamp to improve programming and modeling skills.

Elisabeth Zlatkin is part of the marketing team and takes care of online marketing and corporate communications, including PR, and event management for Redstone. Prior to joining Redstone, she gained previous work experience in corporate communications and marketing, at several companies such as Delivery Hero SE and Allianz SE. Elisabeth recently completed her Bachelor’s degree at King’s College London in Digital Media and Culture. In her free time, depending on the season, she can be found either at the tennis court or the ski slope.

Paul von Hinueber is part of the Investment Team and responsible for deal sourcing, screening and due diligences across Redstone’s sector funds. He is particularly passionate about digital business models in the areas of HealthTech, FinTech and RetailTech as well as Venture Debt. Prior to Redstone, Paul gained international experience in Strategy Consulting, Sales & Marketing, Operations and the Public Sector. He holds a CEMS Master’s in International Management (M.Sc.) from Nova SBE and the London School of Economics.