United Founders

Clark Parsons is CEO of the European Startup Network, an umbrella organization of nearly 40 startup associations, a position he has held since January 2024. Since 2016 he has led an independent think-tank focused on Europe's innovation economy and defense capabilities, and he also serves as a Partner at a digital consultancy and as an advisor to a pan-European VC fund. A former journalist in the United States, he moved to Germany 28 years ago and previously led a global business school, and he works as Jury Secretary for the AUREA Award and lectures at universities including Humboldt University and the Thunderbird School of Management.

Dušan Zábrodský combines six years at AVG Technologies with early-stage investing to digitize offline sectors (restaurants, grocery) via operational redesign, build Balkan infrastructure, and publish Central European startup content.

Václav Pavlečka is Director of Venture Investments at Beiersdorf, working in venture capital and business development within the life sciences sector. He has a background as a protein biochemist, with research experience in the molecular mechanisms of protein targeting and post-translational modifications, and is an author of seven peer-reviewed publications.

Dr. Janina Zippel is Co-founder and Managing Partner at United Founders and a General Partner at Czech Founders VC. Zippel invests in startups and focuses on European technology companies and community-driven venture capital.

Susan Vuong is Co-founder and Managing Partner at United Founders and a General Partner at Czech Founders VC. Her work focuses on backing early-stage founders and European tech talent through a community-driven approach to venture capital.

Partner at Castle Creek Launchpad leading strategic growth, investor engagement, and ecosystem partnerships. She previously served as Publisher of Bank Director and founded FinXTech, a platform connecting banks and fintechs.

Honza Široký is the Chief Technology Officer at United Founders, an early-stage venture capital fund built around a community of European founders. He began in web development at age 15 and later joined the startup Mews as one of its first two developers, serving as CTO for ten years until the company reached USD 100M ARR and a team of 170 engineers. He is also an investment committee member and limited partner in Czech Founders VC, makes angel investments in early-stage startups, and mentors founders and CTOs.

Milana Idrisova is an Investment Analyst with a legal background, holding a law degree from the University of Glasgow and an LLM in Intellectual Property Law from the London School of Economics. Before venture capital, she co-founded a civic association focused on engaging youth in EU politics and interned with a Slovak political party. She now works to support the local startup ecosystem.

Oleg Chervonnyi is Chief Technology Officer at United Founders, an early-stage venture capital fund built around a community of European founders. He previously joined the startup Mews as one of its first two developers and served as CTO for ten years, leaving when the company had reached USD 100M ARR and a team of 170 engineers as a Series C scaleup. He is also an investment committee member and limited partner at Czech Founders VC, makes angel investments, and mentors early-stage founders and CTOs.