About

Sascha holds an MA in Banking and Finance from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). During several years, he gained insights into strategy consulting and banking while working for Helbling Management Consulting, Credit Suisse and Nomura. From 2012 - 2020, he served as CFO for Optotune, an ETH spin-off that grew from very few to two hundred employees within 8 years.

Dr Fırat Yerlikaya founded Elixir Pharmaceutical Research and Development Corporation in Ankara, Turkey where he has worked as the Managing Director and as an Executive Board Member since 2015. He formed the company following the completion of his Master and Doctorate Degrees in Pharmaceutical Technology and following his tenure in Washington DC, where he was invited to the US FDA as an ORISE fellow.

Dario studied pharmaceutical sciences at the ETH Zurich and received his PhD in the field of sleep pharmacology. During his postdoctoral time at the Psychiatric University Hospital in Zurich, he has investigated the clinical potential of various substances for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. As a result of his work, he was granted several entrepreneurial grants to develop innovative products for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical sector.

Idil holds a Bachelor of BA from METU, Turkey. She previously worked as a field marketing team leader at Red Bull, where she helped to create and deliver a regional marketing plan in line with the national strategy to drive product trials and brand awareness. She is currently working as a business development and marketing specialist for the Turkish market, where she is responsible for market analysis, identifying target audiences and developing digital marketing strategies accordingly.

Gabriel holds a bachelor in International Business from the University of Westminster, London. During the last years he gained valuable experience as a Digital Strategy Manager at Education First where he was responsible for all paid digital marketing initiatives in North America, Nordics, and Eastern Europe. In this role Gabriel increased growth through several different channels including Google, TikTok, Meta, Snapchat etc.

Michael studied Health Science & Technology with a Major in Molecular Health Science at the ETH Zurich and received his PhD in Neuroscience in the field of drug development. During his doctoral studies, he investigated the clinical potential of new substances for treating psychological disorders. Moreover, he is focused on human health and nutrition and was early on intrigued with the research in the supplement industry.

Michael has studied chemistry and biology with a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich. He has significant experience from previous R&D roles at leading industrial Life Science organisations in metabolic and cardiovascular health.A serial entrepreneur, Michael has led several start-up companies to profitability, including Siegfried Biologics, Kuros Biosciences and ChromaCon.  Besides his assignment with Galventa, Michael is engaged in helping a Venture boutique company, Remora Capital to launch new start-up companies in the field of Cancer/Immunology and Healthy Aging.

Bastian comes with a comprehensive digital background from client consulting roles to managing brands. During several years, he established the digital business unit of an agency while leading digital roadmaps for international clients. In his role as client-side consultant for JTI, he gained in-depth knowledge of global consumer-brand launches and global digital strategies. In his latest role as Digital Marketing Manager at Smood, he spearheaded all facets of the national marketing and ensured triple-digit growth.