European Circular Bioeconomy Fund

Michael Brandkamp is a General Partner and co-founder of the ECBF, where he helped establish the fund's structure, advisory company, brand, and investment team. He has more than 25 years of experience in venture capital, including fundraising, fund structuring, and exits. He previously served as Managing Director at High-Tech Gründerfonds and tbg Technologie-Beteiligungsgesellschaft, overseeing over 500 startup investments and nearly 100 exits, and held senior roles at KfW. He holds a PhD in technology-driven entrepreneurship and an economics degree from the University of Bonn.

Michael Nettersheim is a General Partner at ECBF, where he helped raise a €300 million ESG fund and build a team of over 20 investment professionals. Before ECBF, he led bioeconomy-focused venture investments at BASF Venture Capital in Europe and the US, and earlier held senior investment roles at High-Tech Gründerfonds and served as Head of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations at MediGene AG. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Bonn and an Executive MBA from Kellogg-Northwestern and WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management.

Isabelle Laurencin is a Partner at ECBF, where she invests in companies advancing the bioeconomy transition. She previously served as Global Lead for Climate Tech VC at IFC (World Bank Group), managed a €70 million venture capital fund focused on sustainable food at Triodos Investment Management, and founded a startup accelerator for sustainable textile technology at Plug and Play. Earlier she spent 12 years at Proparco and FMO leading private equity transactions, and she holds degrees from Dauphine University and ESCP Business School.

Marie Asano is a Partner at ECBF, where she leads investments focused on food technology and nutrition. She was previously a Senior Investment Manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds, leading investments across biotechnology, digital health, medtech, and advanced manufacturing and building out the fund's work in materials and chemistry. She holds a PhD in Chemistry and an MBA from Collège des Ingénieurs.

Stéphane Roussel is a Partner at ECBF with more than 15 years of experience in venture capital, corporate venturing, and business incubation, plus 15 years in the advanced materials and chemicals industry. At ECBF he contributed to the fundraising of Fund I and led the development of the fund's AgTech portfolio. He previously founded and led Solvay Ventures, managing €80 million in assets, and earlier held corporate strategy and business development roles at Rhodia and Solvay.

Guillaume Gras is an Investment Director at ECBF with an entrepreneurial background and investment experience in agtech, circular economy, and sustainable innovation. He previously co-founded and scaled Innovafeed, an agtech company, where he led commercial, product, quality, and regulatory functions, and earlier held investment and portfolio management roles at Inovexus Accelerator and INCO Ventures. He holds an engineering degree in biotechnology from École Centrale de Paris and an MSc in Science and Business from the University of Queensland.

Jowita Sewerska is an Investment Director at ECBF, focusing on high-growth companies in the bioeconomy sector. She previously worked with an investment vehicle specializing in late-stage investments, M&A transactions, and project finance, developing experience in deal execution and portfolio management. She holds degrees in Computer Science and Econometrics as well as Quantitative Finance, and is a CFA charterholder.

Charlotte Rossignol is a VC Analyst at ECBF, where she supports sourcing, evaluation, and analysis of early-stage companies in the circular bioeconomy. She previously worked as a Business Strategy and Fundraising Analyst at Plantibodies, a bioproduction biotech start-up, and gained private equity experience at Cibus Capital and IMPACT Partners, as well as serving as a Young Entrepreneur in Residence at Agoranov supporting deeptech start-ups. She holds a Master in Management with a focus on Sustainable Finance from ESCP Business School and a Bachelor's degree in International Business from the University of Warwick.

Clara Martinez is Head of External Relations at ECBF VC, where she works on sustainable investing and bioeconomy initiatives. She is an economist with an MBA in Entrepreneurship Promotion and over 10 years of experience in economic development, project management, and stakeholder engagement. Her background includes advising on sustainable development and public management, with a focus on public-private partnerships and private sector development.

Cornelia Frentz is Director of Governance and Sustainable Investing at ECBF, leading the fund's ESG and impact strategy, governance frameworks, and regulatory compliance. She built ECBF's ESG and impact approach around Article 9 SFDR, the EU Taxonomy, and EIB standards, oversees ESG due diligence and reporting across the portfolio, manages the ESG team, and serves as daily manager of the Luxembourg GP entity. Before ECBF she held senior consulting and investment roles at the German Federal Ministry of Defence's in-house consultancy and at WestLB and its affiliates, and holds advanced degrees in commercial law and international business administration.

Cornelia Mann serves as HR Manager at ECBF VC, a venture capital fund focused on sustainable bioeconomy technologies, where she previously held the position of Head of Communications. Her professional background includes work in sustainability communication, marketing, and digital media, with expertise spanning green technology, the startup ecosystem, circular economy, and digital marketing strategies.

Tobias Schomerus is an ESG Analyst at ECBF, focusing on ESG and impact integration across the fund's investment activities. He holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Management & Technology from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), with academic work centered on circular economy and sustainability assessments. Before ECBF, he worked with EY's Circular Economy & Sustainability team as a master's thesis student and held roles at the Deep Tech & Climate Fonds (DTCF) and as a Junior Manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), supporting due diligence, market research, and investment analysis.

Hakan Karan is an Investment Associate at ECBF, working across sourcing, due diligence, transaction execution, portfolio support, and board observer roles. He earned a PhD at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland, researching biorefinery pathways for microalgae-based products, and previously worked in engineering and consulting, assessing renewable energy and resource efficiency projects for development finance institutions and private-sector clients. He also holds an MSc in Sustainable Energy and an MBA.

Julia Seeliger is an Investment Associate at ECBF, where she evaluates and supports high-growth companies in sustainable technologies, with a focus on biomaterials and circular bioeconomy. She previously worked as a Junior Analyst at the DeepTech & Climate Fund and at High-Tech Gründerfonds, contributing to venture investment analysis and deal execution in deep tech and climate startups. She holds an M.Sc. in Business Administration with a focus on finance from the University of Cologne.

Mridul Pareek is an Investment Associate at ECBF, working across sourcing, due diligence, investment committee preparation, and portfolio management for growth-stage sustainable FoodTech and bioeconomy companies. He previously co-founded ExaMine, which used satellite intelligence to monitor mining waste and pollution, worked on circular economy business models at VITO, and supported climate finance access through a Green Climate Fund toolkit under the FAO. He holds a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering from IIT Gandhinagar and two MSc degrees in sustainable natural resource management and environmental policy from European universities.