Northzone, a London-based venture capital firm with $3.1 billion in assets under management, has announced the first 25 members of its Northstars programme, an initiative designed to strengthen its access to European startups and provide additional support to its portfolio companies.
The inaugural group comprises 25 industry professionals and operators who will form a pan-European network, working alongside Northzone on investment opportunities, deal sourcing and portfolio development.
Through the programme, members will be integrated into the firm’s investment pipeline and processes, helping identify promising businesses and introducing potential investment opportunities.
Northstars Members to Receive Co-Investment Opportunities
As part of the initiative, Northzone will give members the opportunity to co-invest alongside the firm in companies they independently identify and bring forward.
The selected operators will also contribute their professional expertise through advisory and mentorship services for businesses already backed by Northzone.
The programme is intended to combine the members’ industry experience and professional networks with the firm’s investment activities.
Meet the 25 Inaugural Northstars
The first cohort features professionals from technology, artificial intelligence, financial services, healthcare, robotics and other sectors.
The 25 members and their respective organisations or professional positions are:
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Dhruv Ghulati – Principal Project Manager, AI/ML at Adyen.
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Aitana Giebels van Bekestein – Marketing at Black Forest Labs.
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Keith Grose – Managing Director, UK and Europe at Coinbase.
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Marie Inuzuka – Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Comand AI.
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Sebastian Enderlein – Chief Technology Officer at DeepL.
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Pieris Christofi – Deployment and Product at ElevenLabs.
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Dimi Nikolaou – Field CTO at Fireworks.
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Guillaume Soulé – Head of EU Business at Genesis.
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Lina Wenner – Chief of Staff at Langdock.
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João Nunes – Chief of Staff at LegalFly.
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Sophia Nabil – Community and Growth at Lovable.
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Thomas Gayno – Product Advisor, formerly of Mistral and Mirelo.
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Zeno Hamers – Macrovector, Research and Deployments at MicroAGI.
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Dr Gesa Sophia Borgeest – Head of GTM at Neko Health.
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Alex Heintze – Solutions Lead, EMEA at Numeric.
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Patrick Penzo – Head of Marketing at Omnea.
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Karan Shah – Chief of Staff at OpenFX.
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Praveen Murugesan – Vice President of Engineering at Samsara.
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Olivia Elf – Head of Operations at Sana.
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Nick Young – Regional Vice President, Enterprise Sales at Sierra.
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James Allgrove – Chief Operating Officer at Scarlet.
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Bronagh Crowley – GTM at Sunrise Robotics.
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Nelly Andrée Tranaas – Director of Operations at Tandem.
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Elin Dölker – Chief of Staff at Qutwo.
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Zac Wallis – Head of Talent at XBOW.
Northzone Partners to Lead the Programme
Sam Endacott, a partner at Northzone, will oversee the Northstars programme alongside Elena Pantazi, the firm’s partner and Head of Platform.
The two will lead the initiative as the venture capital firm works with the selected professionals on identifying investment opportunities and supporting companies across its portfolio.
Northzone’s Investment Background
Founded in 1996, Northzone is a global venture capital firm that invests in businesses from the seed stage through to growth.
The firm has raised more than 10 funds and manages over $3 billion in assets.
Its investment portfolio includes more than 250 companies, with a track record that includes 16 initial public offerings and 21 active unicorns.
Among the businesses it has backed are Spotify, Klarna, Black Forest Labs, Zettle, Kahoot!, Personio, Spring Health, Blitzy, Zopa, XBOW, Tandem and CuspAI.
Northzone operates across five major hubs: London, New York, Amsterdam, Berlin and Stockholm.
