Supporting visionary early stage startups
This is how we have started: as a partner for entrepreneurs with a vision, a tangible business and who need money to kickstart. Therefore we are investing in mission-aligned, tech-driven, healthy and innovative plant- and cell-based companies.
Supporting visionary early stage startups
This is how we have started: as a partner for entrepreneurs with a vision, a tangible business and who need money to kickstart. Therefore we are investing in mission-aligned, tech-driven, healthy and innovative plant- and cell-based companies.
Roger Lienhard
Founder &
Executive Chairman
Roger Lienhard
Founder &
Executive Chairman
Roger is our Evangelist and the Founder of the Blue Horizon Corporation and the affiliated Blue Horizon International Foundation. His primary objective is to generate synergies between the associated companies to ensure the maximum impact on the major global shift towards a more sustainable food system. He is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and sold several companies within the IT, advertising and online marketing industry.
Björn Witte
Managing Partner
Björn Witte
Managing Partner
Björn Witte is the Managing Partner of Blue Horizon. Björn is assessing opportunities and developing the pure-play impact investment strategy of Blue Horizon Group. He is Blue Horizons strategic thinker and deal maker with a strong background of transforming the food industries as an entrepreneur in international markets. Björn has a track record in building and developing companies, from analyzing and spotting opportunities to setting priorities and getting things done.
Thomas Kindler
Legal Counsel &
Partner
Thomas Kindler
Legal Counsel &
Partner
Thomas is our start-up and transaction specialist. He has over 15 years of hands-on experience in building agriculture, food processing and other start-up ventures. He holds a PhD in Law from the University of Bern, Switzerland and a Master's Degree in International Corporate Law from Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA.
Michel Hirschi
CFO & Partner
Michel Hirschi
CFO & Partner
Michel is our CFO with a strong focus on actively developing our initiatives and our organisation. His track record includes extensive international CFO experience particularly in a fast-growing tech company in the alternative energy space. He managed the IPO and developed the company as their CFO for more than a decade. He is very experienced in organisational development, M&A, capital market transactions and restructuring. Michel has massive international business expertise in Asia, Europe and USA. As board member of a European PE-fund he gained vast expertise in multiple industries. He holds a Master’s Degree in Corporate Finance and is Certified Board Member.
Sebastiano Cossia
Castiglioni
Partner
Sebastiano Cossia
Castiglioni
Partner
Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni is an award-winning entrepreneur, investor, activist, and advisor to businesses and governments around the world. An impassioned vegan and animal rights activist, Sebastiano is a global authority on plant-based business and investment; dedicated to disrupting the current food system and to removing animals from the production equation entirely. He has founded, invested in, and advised some of the most well-known and successful organisations in the plant-based space, and is a champion of innovation in food, wine and art. Previously an advisor to Italy’s former Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, Sebastiano currently serves on the advisory boards of Sea Shepherd, the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, Animal Equality, Project Coyote, and the board of Animal Outlook. He has just launched the Plant-Based Empowerment Foundation; dedicated to plant-based nutrition and health education projects in Senegal.
Chris Peter
Digital & Chief Of Staff
Chris Peter
Digital & Chief Of Staff
Chris is Chief of staff and our digital media & innovation guru. He has decades of expertise in leading digital business projects and teams and a strong background in project management and product/service development. He is well versed in implementing online strategies (e.g. HNI platform for Art Basel), aggregating traffic and motivating as well as inspiring teams to embrace the digital mindset in order to transform products and services into revenue and assets.
Janna Schubert
Investor Relations
Janna Schubert
Investor Relations
Janna brings over 5 years of experience in Fundraising, Venture Capital, Private Equity and Corporate Finance to her role in Blue Horizon’s Investor Relations Team, after holding positions at EY Transaction Advisory, Lürssen, and most recently Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners. With a long-standing history in animal welfare activism and advocating for plant-based nutrition, Janna joined Blue Horizon to leverage her business skillset and her drive to replace animal-derived products with more sustainable options in global consumer markets. Additional to building a strong network in the global impact investing ecosystem, Janna functions as an advisor to sustainability-driven start-ups, and as a judge at start-up pitch competitions. Janna holds an M.Sc. from HEC Paris, and B.Sc. from European Business School.
Matteo Parenti
Junior Director
Matteo Parenti
Junior Director
Matteo is a Junior Director at Blue Horizon in Zurich. He has a 7 year background in Investment Banking at Rothschild & Co in both Europe and the US. Before joining Blue Horizon, Matteo was a Vice President of M&A in New York where he focused on transactions in the Food & Beverage industry. He is passionate about working with entrepreneurs and impact driven companies to improve the way we eat. Matteo holds an MBA from INSEAD (Fontainebleau and Singapore) and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of St. Gallen (HSG).
Solange Silva
Financial Analyst
Solange Silva
Financial Analyst
Solange is Finance Analyst at our headquarter in Zurich. She has a Bachelor's degree in Economics, specialized in Financial Analysis and in Marketing Management at Lisbon University, and obtained her MBA at IESE Business School. She developed her skills in investments by working six years as executive board member in an Asset Management Company in Lisbon and also working at Blue Horizon Management AG in Zurich.
Robert Boer
Program Director
Robert Boer
Program Director
Robert is our Program Director responsible for several strategic initiatives. He has over 15 years of experience managing programs in large financial services firms across Europe either as management consultant (KPMG) or project manager (ABN Amro Asset Management). Most recently he built and ran UBS's Global Visionaries program identifying and supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs at the forefront of tackling some of the world's most challenging social and environmental problems. At UBS, Robert was also leading the plant-based movement moderating Future of Food panels at UHNW and GFO events, integrating the topic in CIO research and facilitating access to plant-based investment opportunities. Using his global network in the plant-based entrepreneurship space, Robert is responsible for growing our (pre-)seed portfolio. He holds two Master degrees (MSc) in business and consulting from the Rotterdam School of Management.
Fabio Segat
Corporate Development
Fabio Segat
Corporate Development
Fabio is responsible for Corporate Development and strategic projects at Blue Horizon and mainly focuses on Legal, Compliance, Corporate Governance and HR topics. He is a Swiss Attorney-at-Law and holds an Executive M.B.L. from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in European and International Business Law. Before joining Blue Horizon, Fabio worked in several renowned law firms in Zurich and Zug and was Head Legal & Compliance and CHRO of MediaMarkt Switzerland for over 5 years.
Are you a Game Changer?
Contact us!
Are you a Game Changer?
Contact us!
If you know a person or company that is on a mission to change the future of food, let us know by using the contact form.