Margrit Schwarz, PhD MBA, has joined the Board of Novus Diagnostics, representing the EIC Fund, in April 2025. She is a life science executive, entrepreneur and board director with 25+ years strategic and scientific leadership experience in the global biopharma and life science industry. She has held C-level positions with multiple startups in USA, Canada, Denmark and Germany, and is a former VP Roche and VP Boehringer-Ingelheim, and Research Director Amgen. She has led preclinical R&D and IND-enabling phases for multiple small molecules, biologics and oligonucleotide drug candidates that have reached clinical development for metabolic, cardiovascular and renal indications, including the anti-PCSK9 therapeutic antibody Repatha, launched commercially in 2015. Margrit serves as Non-Executive Director on the Boards of Immunethep and Spirochem AG, and she has previously served on the Board of Altamira Therapeutics and the Advisory Board of EvlaBio AG. She partners with leading VC funds on new company formation in the life science space, serves as a due diligence expert for the European Investment Bank and as a contractual expert for InnoSuisse. Margrit holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Cologne, Germany, and an MBA from Columbia University, NY.
Anne Reiser
Anne has decades of experience in the medtech industry. She notably spent 10 years at ResMed, a NYSE-listed medtech company, where she advanced to the global executive committee, serving as President of Europe and later overseeing the EMEA-APAC-Japan region. She played a key role in the company’s growth, contributing to its rise to the S&P 500 in July 2017. Anne has also gained solid knowledge of heart failure, having successfully developed at Medtronic the implantable defibrillator market in France in the 1990s. She holds a master’s degree in business from ESC Clermont-Ferrand, a bachelor in law, and an Executive Master from Sciences Po Paris.
Catherine Gras is a seasoned energy professional with over 25 years of experience in the European energy sector.
She has held a diverse range of roles at ENGIE, spanning from strategy and M&A to senior leadership positions (CFO and CEO).
For the past decade, she has successfully led two subsidiaries of Engie: Storengy UK, and Storengy Germany. During her tenure, she proposed a strategic transformation of these companies to develop decarbonized solutions and prepare for the decline in natural gas consumption.
Currently, Catherine serves as Non-Executive Director on the boards of three energy companies and a VC fund.
Catherine is a dedicated advocate for sustainability and social impact. She is an active Business Angel, investing in early-stage companies with a strong environmental and social focus. Furthermore, she mentors women leaders and contributes her expertise to diversity initiatives within the corporate world.
Catherine holds a degree from French business school ESSEC.
Fabrice Garrigue is a European deeptech entrepreneur and executive with over 20 years of experience at the crossroads of chemistry, agri-industry, and industrial biotechnology. His professional journey began in conventional chemicals, progressively evolving toward green chemistry, sustainable ingredients, and advanced bio-manufacturing technologies.
He has led strategic and operational transformations in both large industrial groups and startups, driving innovation in fields ranging from green value chains to alternative proteins and functional biomolecules. As a CEO, and board member, he has played a pivotal role in scaling industrial biotech ventures across Europe.
Fabrice currently serves as Executive Managing Director of Naturamole, a biotechnology company developing low-carbon, natural aroma and sensory molecules through precision fermentation and enzymatic catalysis. Naturamole’s mission is to replace fossil-based ingredients in flavors and fragrances with renewable, scalable alternatives that preserve biodiversity and reduce environmental impact. Its ambition: to enable a new generation of sustainable consumer products—cleaner, more ethical, and emotionally resonant.
Fabrice is deeply committed to Europe’s green transition and industrial sovereignty. He contributes to various boards , investment committees, and expert groups focused on biotechnologies, circular economy, and sustainable manufacturing. His conviction is that scientific innovation must serve both ecological responsibility and industrial performance, to help build a regenerative and competitive Europe.
Marc Kegelaers is a seasoned entrepreneur with more than 30 years first-hand experience in setting up and managing innovative startups and scaleups.
His initial ventures were situated in the Telecommunication and Data Security markets.
In 2005, after obtaining a commercial Pilot license with Flight Instructor privileges, Marc pivoted to the fascinating world of Aviation – both manned and unmanned.
After scaling up a School for Professional Pilots in Belgium and after creating a world-leader in Uncrewed Management software, Marc co-founded ADLC – A Drone Logistics Company.
ADLC is disrupting the Express Delivery market by using drones for urgent transport in Industrial, Maritime and Offshore environments.
Marc has accumulated competence in all aspects of running a startup: Company creation and company closure, Scaling up and Scaling down, Raising funds and the Selling companies.
He has also served as a visiting professor at the VIVES Aeronautical college and Guest lecturer at the U-Hasselt.
Nicklas Bergman has spent the last 25+ years in the intersection of technology and business. He’s been a founder and/or first investor in more than a dozen technology startups. Over the years, he’s seen companies go up in flames, businesses rise from the ashes, and tiny players conquer the world, sometimes with impressive returns and sometimes with less so. In addition to his work as a technology investor, he serves as an advisor to venture capital and private equity firms, as well as to governments and Fortune 500 companies.
Claudio is a Venture Capital investor and entrepreneur operating across biopharma, medtech, diagnostics and healthtech industries.
Claudio co-founded Artha Partners BV, a Venture Creation firm, and serves on the Investment Committee of LIFTT SpA, a deep tech VC firm, on the board of Value Italy SGR, an asset management firm, as well as on various boards of startups/emerging companies.
Previously, Claudio was a managing partner at VC firm Innogest Capital for over 10 years, where he launched and oversaw the firm's healthcare practice. Before that, he held various positions as a corporate finance executive at Prima Group, a public company leader in industrial automation, and as a M&A advisor and strategic consultant at Deloitte Financial Advisory and A&G Management where he advised Private equity firms and Corporate Strategics.
José Fernando is the Founding President of the Global Network of Guarantee Institutions and serves as Special Honorary Chairman of the European Association of Guarantees. He is a Senior Consultant to the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme, specializing in credit guarantees, green finance, venture capital, and promotional banking. He currently serves on the Advisory Committee of the European Innovation Council Equity Fund (EIC Fund), following his prior role as a member of its inaugural Investment Committee. José also advises other investment funds and companies.
A founder of Knowledge Factory consulting and partner at Quadrantis Capital VC, José is also a wine maker. He was the Founding CEO of IFD and one of the founders, as well as Chairman and CEO, of SPGM, Norgarante, Lisgarante, Garval, and Agrogarante—the core credit guarantee and counter-guarantee institutions of the Portuguese Mutual Guarantee Scheme, managing a portfolio worth several billion euros. He also served as President and CEO of PME Investimentos (focused on venture capital and private equity) and CFO of IAPMEI, the Portuguese SME and Innovation Agency. These three entities—SPGM, IFD, and PME Investimentos—later merged to form BPF, the Portuguese Promotional Bank.
José began his career at the Portuguese subsidiary of 3i and has held board, investment committee, and advisory roles across several venture capital, biotech, and insurance brokerage firms.
He holds a degree in Economics and has lectured at Fernando Pessoa University and in the master's program at the Porto Business Academy. He has authored numerous articles on credit guarantees and is co-author of the book "Conceptual Framework for Information on the Outreach, Additionality, and Financial Sustainability of Public Credit Guarantee Schemes."