EIA Porto 2024 Business Mentors - European Innovation Academy

At the heart of EIA Porto 2024 lies a unique convergence of minds and ambitions, guided by an exceptional group of business mentors. As participants embark on their entrepreneurial journey, these mentors become their compass during the crucial first week of the program—a period characterized by team formation, idea discovery, customer validation, product profiling, and setting clear product objectives. It’s a phase where ideas are as volatile as they are vibrant, and the guidance provided by our business mentors is invaluable. These experienced industry leaders and innovators work closely with teams, steering the projects towards clarity and feasibility but also instilling a deep understanding of what it takes to succeed in the competitive world of business. Please meet these pivotal figures, as well as the knowledge and experience they bring to EIA Porto 2024.

Steve Adelman / Managing Director at Nexus Partners / US

Steve Adelman is the Managing Director of Nexus Partners with over 20 years of experience, specializing in guiding startups through value proposition and scaling, and mentoring entrepreneurs globally. His background combines technology expertise from Bell Labs with strategic consulting and executive roles, including running a streaming video startup acquired by Cisco. He has also been instrumental in managing the Wharton School’s SF accelerator program for a decade and has a track record of working with diverse teams from nearly every continent. Adelman is also noted for integrating his tech-savviness with a customer-centric approach to business.

Ana Raquel Sampaio de Sousa / Vice President of 4LifeLAB / Portugal

Ana Raquel Sampaio de Sousa is an entrepreneur and innovation manager with 10-20 years of experience in initiating and developing diverse organizations, including a deep tech startup and consultancy branches. She holds a PhD and has a strong background in coaching, mentorship, and conducting training sessions and workshops at various universities. Ana is recognized for her contributions to scientific congresses and seminars and has a passion for sharing knowledge, global experiences, and making a positive impact in the world.

Astrid Maldre / Area manager at Swedbank / Estonia

With a robust background in the telecom sector, Astrid Maldre excels in bringing new products and services to market through open innovation. Her areas of expertise include idea validation, business development, and go-to-market strategy, and she is adept in both B2B and B2C sales, as well as product marketing. Previously to joining the Baltics biggest bank, Swedbank, Astrid Maldre was the Manager of Business Development at Glia, Estonia’s 10th unicorn company, where she was instrumental in reinventing customer service for the digital world.

Arvydas Pleta / Partner at Katalista Ventures / Lithuania

Arvydas Pleta is a partner at Katalista Ventures, notable for managing Europe’s biggest circular fashion accelerator with a culminating event in Milan. He co-founded Aichom, a healthtech startup for Alzheimer’s caregivers, and has developed a platform connecting businesses with consultants. Pleta has contributed extensively to the startup ecosystem by mentoring in over 10 accelerators, 20+ hackathons, and delivering lectures on MVP and financial projections at universities and accelerator programs.

Natasha Kupusovic / Senior Product Manager at Pipedrive / Portugal
Natasha Kupusovic is a Senior Product Manager at Pipedrive with a strong entrepreneurial background, having co-founded two startups, including an e-commerce company acquired and a smart city SaaS solution that won Vodafone’s Big Smart Cities competition. Her expertise lies in product development, branding, and SaaS, fueled by a rich experience that includes developing Portugal’s largest men’s beard care brand and working on smart parking solutions with Vodafone’s startup accelerator. Natasha values mentorship that empowers entrepreneurs through problem-solving and has a history of successful collaborations across different countries and industries.

Pavlo Pedenko / Senior Product Manager at Wise / UK

Pavlo Pedenko is a product leader at Wise and co-founder of Mathema, where he has impressively scaled Setapp.com to $3m in ARR and supported Preply in raising $40m by enhancing their subscription LTV. Pedenko’s expertise spans education, finance, and entertainment, with a notable achievement of co-founding a math school for kids that reached $2m ARR and over 4,000 active students. He is also an experienced mentor, having contributed at Google for Startups and various technology-focused schools, and shares his knowledge on Product Management at conferences like Techsylvania and AllWeb.

Triin Preem / Startup Segment Manager at Swedbank / Estonia

Triin Preem is a multifaceted professional with extensive experience across media, politics, retail, and banking, currently excelling as the Startup Segment Manager at Swedbank Estonia. Leveraging her MBA in Digital Society, Preem adeptly mentors early-stage startups in hackathons and accelerator programs, employing design thinking principles to steer them towards problem identification and customer-centric solutions. She is an experienced mentor, having guided startups in hackathons and accelerator programs, and is passionate about fostering entrepreneurship education and equality through her mentorship roles.

Tanel Erm / Head of Microsoft Development Center / Estonia

Tanel Erm is a dynamic engineering leader at Microsoft, steering the company’s development center in Estonia with a sharp focus on commerce, fraud, and platform innovation. At the helm of engineering for MS Teams, Skype, and Azure Communication Services, he’s a mastermind behind modernizing infrastructure and pioneering anti-fraud technologies. Known for his growth-driven strategy and a knack for empowering teams, Tanel blends a passion for tech with groundbreaking solutions, making a significant impact in the tech world.

Eugenia Denaeva / Founder and Managing Director at Ultralite Consulting / Spain

Eugenia Dunaeva is a senior commercial leader with 15+ years of corporate and startup experience and focus on GTM strategy, monetization and B2B sales. She was leading business development and partnerships teams at big tech like Meta and Expedia Group, initiating and structuring commercial deals, contracts and partnerships.
She is now an active angel investor, VC and startup advisor.