WE've gOT
yOuR bACK
Our Ethos
Our work is guided by three
Human-centric
principles
01.
We back founders over markets.
Every time.
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02.
You are your company’s most important asset.
This is especially true at Seed. Even at the edges of DeepTech, the people you hire and the culture you foster will disproportionately define your future success. That’s why we focus on helping our founders scale as leaders.
03.
It’s not our portfolio. It’s our community.
And from the moment we partner up, it’s your community too. A group of exceptional operators, innovators, tech optimists, investors and pirates. We’ve all got your back on this beautiful, messy, wild ride. Meet the gang here.
OUR PEOPLE
Meet the team ready to
sail alongside you.
Andre
Alex
Daisy
DOMINIC
PASCAL
RACHEL
Sonia
Vinay
Community
Andre de Haes
Co-Founder, Managing Partner
(he/him)
I cover fundraising and investing. I think venture funds should see founders like pro athletes, and feed their relentless appetite for self-development. I want to create a new movement in the European tech ecosystem based on the human-centric ethos we have at BACKED.
Alex Brunicki
Co-Founder, Partner
(he/him)
I lead on investing and post-investment support. To me, early stage investing is about human capital, and I think the best investor-founder relationships are built on empathy, earned trust and sheer hard graft – on both sides. I geek out on deep tech solutions to today’s problems (and Chelsea FC).
Tom Hopkins
COO
He/Him
I lead on all operational activities within the firm to ensure we successfully scale our business. I also manage fundraising and investor relations, and deal closing processes. I have worked in venture capital for over 15 years and there has never been a more exciting time to back ambitious European entrepreneurs.
Yasmin Siraj
Investor
(she/her)
At Backed, I focus on investments in the life sciences sector, working at all stages of the process from sourcing and diligence to portfolio support and thematic strategy development.
Prior to Backed, I studied molecular and cellular biology at Harvard, conducted research at the Wyss Institute for biologically inspired engineering, worked in management consulting at Oliver Wyman with a focus on healthcare and life sciences, and worked with the early-stage investment team at RA Capital as a full-time intern prior to getting my masters at Cambridge in biotech and entrepreneurship.
I am excited to be scaling the biotech offering here at Backed and supporting top-calibre entrepreneurs across Europe in translating research and innovation into the clinic.
@yasminsiraj_usa
Henry Ang
Investor
(he/him)
I focus on crypto investments at BACKED. I am excited to work with talented founders that continue to push the space forward. Previously I was in the venture arm of one of the largest Bitcoin miners and invested in projects, such as Aptos, Anoma, Eigenlayer, Sei and Sui.
David Linsey
Generalist Associate
I’m the generalist associate at BACKED. Before joining BACKED, I launched and exited JiPay, a fintech startup in Asia Pacific. I’m also the co-founder and director of the Amelie & Daniel Linsey Foundation, a medical charity operating in Sri Lanka.
Vinay Chaudhri
Head of Marketing
(he/him)
I lead on all things brand, content, events and media for BACKED, including our legendary Slush parties and our tech frontier exploration event, VISIONQUEST. I also work closely with our companies, supercharging their brand and marketing capabilities.
Clare Hunter
Head of Brand, Communications and Marketing
(she/her)
I’ll be taking over the reins from Vinay and will be leading the marketing strategies across brand, content, digital marketing, PR and event management (such as our signature Slush party!), as well as championing our portfolio companies to amplify their success.
@Clare
Lucia Cerchlan
Head of Founder Experience
(she/her)
I lead our post-investment work with our founders. I’ve worn three hats prior to BACKED: operator, entrepreneur and angel investor. Each role taught me new lessons on figuring out what to build and how to go about it – on the product side as well as on the company building side, all connected by the belief in the power of human agency. Now I will scale my efforts across our portfolio of ambitious founders in frontier tech.
Sonia Maciuszewicz
Head of Founder Experience (part-time)
(she/her)
I head up our post-investment support, including the Founder Development Platform. I support founders and their teams on everything from people management to executive coaching to mental health as they build a world-class Seed to Series A company. Prior to joining BACKED, I was part of the early team at Entrepreneur First and one of the main architects in elite talent identification and investing in Europe.
Dominic Barnard
Finance Manager
(he/him)
I look after accounting for the BACKED family of companies and financial administration of the fund – that’s everything from handling payments, reporting, HMRC, valuations, and more. Having cut my teeth on JPMorgan, I’m really excited to be a part of the inspiring BACKED clan and community as they back ambitious entrepreneurs.
Adena Wallingford
EA to Founders
(she/her)
My experience working in the Front Office operations of some of the world’s best hotels has helped prepare me for this varied role- no task is too big or too small and I am always happy to tackle anything thrown my way (and so is my dachshund Teddy, the Backed mascot). I love taking care of our Founders, as well as the wider team and also ensure that BACKED HQ is the place to be -to make deals and to hang out!