İlknur Dönmez is the Director of Economic Affairs and Culture (EZC) at the City of Amsterdam. The Directorate of Economic Affairs and Culture focuses on working together to create a sustainable and innovative region, where culture, employment, and future perspectives for the residents of Amsterdam and the region are central. İlknur has extensive experience in both the corporate sector and various levels of government, including municipal, regional, and national government. She is a generalist with broad substantive knowledge and a strong passion for economic and social issues. İlknur is the chair of the AmSIA jury.

Ruben Brave (1974) is a Dutch internet pioneer, media professional and serial tech entrepreneur in media and telecommunication (TMT). In 2021 he was elected by 500+ members as the first black President of the Dutch Chapter of Internet Society (ISOC NL). Photo by Pieter Bas Bouwman

Recently Ruben co-founded the Dutch New Narrative Lab Foundation (DNNL) with the mission to improve access to innovative entrepreneurship for all underrepresented groups in the Dutch startup scene.

Dr. Linda van de Burgwal MBA is an academic entrepreneur (50% academic and 50% entrepreneur). She co-founded several successful companies in the life sciences that find new approaches to knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship (Triall, Genewity) and offer consultancy in the field of strategic financing of life sciences companies (FFUND, ttopstart). Her academic research uncovers new insights into how scientists, industry, government and societal partners can collaborate to overcome innovation barriers and achieve a broad societal impact of knowledge. As former Director of the VU Demonstrator Lab she offered a pre-incubation sand box environment for entrepreneurial academics to build their business proposal. Currently, she is leading the Holomicrobiome Program, financed by the National Growth Fund, as valorisation director.

Dr. Zeliha Guler is a Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor in Translational Tissue Engineering at Amsterdam UMC. Her groundbreaking research focuses on pelvic floor disorders and birth-related trauma, combining expertise in nanoscience, biomedical engineering, and regenerative medicine.

Zeliha’s unique background bridges fundamental nanomaterial research with practical medical applications,
enabling her to effectively translate scientific discoveries into real-world healthcare solutions. In 2023, she received the prestigious AMSIA award for her innovative wound-healing scaffold technology.

Vincent Franken is the co-founder and CEO of Findest, the innovative force behind over 2,500 technology scouting projects that enable enterprises to navigate and accelerate their R&D processes. With a mission to boost innovation and reach 10,000 innovations, Vincent has led Findest to become an essential partner for European corporate giants like ASML, BMW, Canon, Decathlon, Engie, and many more.

Driven by a passion for combining the power of AI with human ingenuity, he champions scalable solutions that empower businesses to unlock hidden technological opportunities and shape the future of their industries. Under his leadership, the team of 40+ Findestians is set to revolutionize how the world innovates.